The Unexamined Society: Public Reasoning, Social Justice and the Common Good

This chapter argues that embracing the Common Good takes us beyond a traditional understanding of democracy, with its emphasis on periodic elections involving parties promoting sectional interests, towards consideration of the question of what 'politics' is for and how it can fulfil its raison d'etre, the well-being of the people for whom it exists. Specifically the Common Good provokes reflection upon the sort of society we have and the kind of society we would like. A focus on 'social justice' can provide a starting point for a conversation about what constitutes the Common Good.