What is Communitarianism?

[Chaerophon]

I mentioned "Agenda 21" in Meat's socialism thread, but this topic deserves it's own discussion. I think the words, "communism", "socialism", "fascism", "capitalism" are from a 20th century lexicon. These are words that we all understand and have programmed reactions for or against. New ideas inspire new words. New words for a new world order.

Former President Bill Clinton recently said,What is the Communitarian Network and why is former Prez. Bill Clinton touting them? I would guess then that Hillary, and other progressives also are embracing this Communitarian movement of Dr. Amitai Etzioni at George Washington University.

So, Meat, maybe "socialism" is the wrong word for a modern world.

Kandrathe,

What you're describing is a bastardized appropriation of the term. For its philosophical origins, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Tay...ilosopher), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sandel, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Walzer. The position was essentially a response to Rawlsian liberalism in the late-'80's/early-'90's arguing that Rawls and his followers relied on an objectionable notion of the "unencumbered self" in advocating a set of universal principles for just societies. Instead, they suggested that each society is made up of individuals, living in common, who understand the world through some more or less "thick" cultural filter and that it is preposterous to propose a set of precepts that are "just for all societies". Rawlsian liberals (rightly) responded that their views did not rely on any idea of a "separation" of individuals from their ethical predispositions. Rather, they sought to demonstrate the importance of the idea that individuals should have the right to choose their ethical attachments, and that this entailed a state that was "neutral" in the sense that it did not openly impose a shared national culture, but preserved the ability of individuals to freely choose when it came to their most important attachments relating to conceptions of their "highest good". Of course, this is something of a comprehensive ethical view in its own right as it implies institutional constraints on the ability of groups to prevent their members from leaving - not something I personally have a problem with, but some claim that civic education guided by such precepts would ultimately serve to undermine culturally particular practices.

Anyways, I would hate to see these guys associated with political communitarianism of the kind you're describing. In fact, in many ways, I think there's an element of communitarianism in your own views: if I've read you right over the years, you seem to think that libertarian rights are in some sense "quintessentially American" and part of the shared ethical heritage of America. If part of your reason for believing in such rights is fundamentally cultural and not entirely based on a natural law conception of rights, then there's an element of communitarianism in your own thought.

Never a fan of seeing philosophical terms co-opted, distorted, and raised as bogeymen like that, so I thought I'd sound off.

Hope all's well with you and everyone else at the lounge.