Abstract

Community and Communitarians

This article focuses on the concept of communitarianism in the United States, and raises a question as to whether communitarians are good citizens by their own criteria. Communitarianism is a school of thought in intellectual vogue at the moment, having attracted the attention of official Washington. Advocating for communitarianism, communitarians contrast it with individualism, and maintain that the usual liberal preoccupation with individualism neglects the importance of a moral environment. Society will not be served well, in other words, if individuals pursue their self-interest and protect their rights without regard to the well-being of their community. Unfortunately, community is not something that can be learned from a book.