Q. 8. Communitarianism.
The Communitarians criticize the liberal individualist view about idea of state neutrality on the basic ground that the latter do not take into account the common good and are only concerned about individual rights and choices. the communitarians criticize the concepts of self-determination and state neutrality of the liberal individualism because they believe that such concepts stem from an atomistic belief about autonomy of the individual. The autonomy of this kind is protected only when judgments about the good life are taken out of political realm and made on an individual basis.
Communitarians argue that individual choices about good life can only be exercised in a particular kind of society and not a cultural marketplace guided by freedom and neutrality as advocated by the liberal individualism. For communitarians the common good is a substantive conception of good life that defines the community way of life and hence should be favoured.
Communitarians hold that a just state is one which encourages its citizens to uphold common good and not the one which remains neutral towards all individual conceptions of good. Further, Taylor views the idea of the common good enabling the citizens to accept the demands of justice required by the welfare state. This means that common good also required for the establishment of a just and legitimate political community. Communitarians see justice to be rooted in a community.
