In today’s hyper-individualised world, we find ourselves at a critical crossroads. The relentless pursuit of self-interest and profit maximisation has gradually eroded our collective sense of community and shared responsibility. It is time to reconsider the ancient yet highly relevant notion of the common good as an ethical foundation for rebuilding our sense of community and social purpose.

The concept of the common good has deep historical roots. Ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Aristotle, viewed the polis (city state) as existing to promote the good life for all citizens. This wasn’t merely about material prosperity but encompassed virtue, justice and collective flourishing. This idea from classical times put forward the notion that human beings are inherently social creatures whose wellbeing is intertwined with their communities and the state.

Throughout the medieval period, thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas further developed this concept, arguing that the common good represents more than the sum of its individual parts. Rather, it constitutes a shared value that benefits everyone within a community or society while remaining indivisible. No person can claim a greater share of the common good because it is about equitable distribution and universal participation.

The Enlightenment era from the 17th the early 19th century brought significant shifts in thinking about the common good in terms of the individual. While thinkers like John Locke emphasised individual rights and liberties, they still recognised these existed within a social context that included reciprocal responsibilities between the state and individuals. However, as industrialisation accelerated and market economies expanded in the 19th century, the pendulum swung dramatically toward individualism and the prosperity of the few at the expense of the many. The 20th century saw this trend intensify, with neoliberal economic policies privileging private interests and wealthy individuals over the collective good.

Today, we witness the consequences of this imbalance: growing wealth inequality, poverty across the globe, environmental degradation, declining social trust, and widespread alienation, especially among young people. The COVID-19 pandemic starkly revealed both our interconnectedness and the limitations of purely individualised approaches to societal challenges.

Reclaiming the common good doesn’t mean abandoning individual freedoms or market economies that, if oriented right, can lead to widespread prosperity. Rather, it involves recognising their proper place within a larger ethical framework that acknowledges our fundamental interdependence. It means understanding that genuine human flourishing occurs not in isolation but in relationship with others locally and globally.

What might this look like in practice? First, it requires reimagining our economic systems to value the public good alongside private wealth creation. Infrastructure, healthcare, education, and environmental protection must be recognised as investments in our collective wellbeing rather than burdensome costs. Second, it necessitates strengthening democratic participation beyond periodic voting to include meaningful civic engagement. Citizens must see themselves not merely as consumers or taxpayers but as active contributors to community life. Third, it involves cultivating virtues that support communal flourishing: justice, solidarity, compassion, and reciprocity. These qualities don’t emerge automatically but require intentional development through education, cultural practices, and public discourse.

In simple terms, we need to overtly and regularly speak about the common good and embody it in the way that we conduct our lives in family, community and society, asking ourselves what we give alongside what we take. In other words, for individuals, embracing the common good means recognising that our personal decisions affect others. From consumption choices to career paths, we can ask ourselves not only what benefits me but also what contributes to our shared wellbeing. This shift in perspective isn’t about self-denial but about expanding our conception of self-interest to include the communities we inhabit.

The path toward recovering the common good won’t be straightforward. Powerful interests benefit from the economic and political status quo, and individualistic thinking denuded of broader responsibility has become deeply ingrained in our cultural imagination, including in advertising and consumption, social media and political leadership. Yet history shows that significant social transformations are possible when enough people unite around shared values and visions. By reclaiming the wisdom of the idea of the common good while adapting it to contemporary challenges, we can begin building societies that truly enable all people to thrive. This isn’t utopian thinking or some pie-in-the-sky ideal that’s not achievable but practical wisdom in recognising that our futures are bound together, and that genuine prosperity can only be shared prosperity.

 

20/5/2025