The Common Will

Democracy and the Death of Choice: Why the liberal struggle for a better world will fail. Part 5 of 6

 

While I would defend the argument that we, as individuals, should “act in the best interests of society”, I’ve realized that the common will of the people is not always properly focused: Often it is guided by personal gain, or misinformation, or simply usurped by political and corporate power. The problem is that dialogue and affirmation by the people will not keep political evil at bay, nor will a misguided attempt to maintain a free and open society protect us from those who disagree with our ideology.

 

Unfortunately, natural law is too often forgotten or ignored and our rights are assumed to be dependent on existing law. As a result, if a person proposes some form of truth that we (society) did not make and also proposes that we can know this truth, such as a belief in God or the basic rights of individuals (including the unborn), then that person becomes a threat to liberal civilization. In other words, if you are thinking for yourself you are acting against the best interests of society.

 

I believe that goodness, virtue, and morality are not simply emotivist attitudes but do provide objective content. Human life is sacred and the human person is social. The economy must serve the people, we should recognize the responsibilities and limits of government, and we should participate in the essential roles of voluntary association.

 

I believe that we need to move away from “rights talk” founded on human will and move toward rights grounded in human nature. For instance, while I would argue that society cannot “in good conscience” discriminate against gay marriage, I would also argue that society should not continue to permit the murder of unborn children.