Communitarianism

Abstract

Classical liberals maintain best for all human beings that form of political regime which I have termed the liberal polity. To all its sane adult members, this form of polity accords a measure of liberty that permits them to do whatever they want, provided no one but at most themselves would be harmed by their doing it. The purpose of the present chapter is to review a particular line of objection to this form of societal order which has acquired considerable currency in recent years within academic circles. And not only in academic circles. Of late, this theme has been taken up within the British Labour Party.¹ The line of objection indicts the liberal polity in the name of community and in the name of two further sets of desiderata claimed dependent upon this first one. These are, first, the virtues as conceived of by the Aristotelian tradition of ethics, and, second, moral attitudes and beliefs that admit of rational justification.