The term "common good" has often been ill-defined or undefined in political, philosophical and theological discourses. Brian Stiltner seeks to repair this deficit in this study. He explores the meaning of the common good and the prospects for pursuing it in a liberal society. Focusing on the conceptions of common good in liberalism and communitarianism - the former stressing individual rights and social tolerance, the latter stressing a community's shared history and social practices - Stiltner argues that the two theories are not as irreconcilable as they seem, that they can be combined into a "communal liberalism". He provides an outline of the 20th-century Catholic common good theory as an example of such a synthesis.
Author Biography
Brian Stiltner is assistant professor of religious studies at Sacred Heart University.
