Communitarianism

Communitarianism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in political life and in human identity. Communitarians argue that people are not isolated individuals who choose their values from nothing. Instead, they are formed by families, neighborhoods, religious groups and nations. For this reason, communitarians believe that a good society must protect these communities and encourage citizens to accept responsibilities as well as rights. Communitarianism developed largely as a response to liberal theories that place individual choice and neutral government at the center of politics.

Communitarian ideas have deep roots in the thought of Aristotle, who saw humans as political animals who flourish in a city. In the late nineteenth century, the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies contrasted close-knit community with impersonal modern society. Modern communitarianism developed in the 1980s and 1990s as a critique of liberal political philosophy, especially the theory of justice developed by John Rawls. Several philosophers argued that liberal theory relied on an unrealistic picture of the self. In the 1990s, the sociologist Amitai Etzioni founded the responsive communitarian movement, which published a platform in 1991 calling for a balance between rights and responsibilities. The sociologists Robert Bellah and Philip Selznick also contributed influential studies of civic life and moral community.

Academic communitarianism is mainly a philosophical critique of liberal individualism. Responsive communitarianism is a practical political program that seeks a balance between individual rights and social responsibilities within a democracy. Religious communitarianism draws on faith traditions, such as Catholic social teaching, to defend family and community. Authoritarian communitarianism, found mainly in parts of East Asia, places social harmony and order above individual rights.

Critics in the liberal tradition argue that communitarianism can justify pressure on individuals to conform and that it gives too little protection to dissenters and minorities within communities. Libertarian critics argue that the language of responsibilities can be used to expand state power over personal choices. Critics on the left argue that appeals to tradition and community can preserve inequalities based on gender, class or ethnicity. Some critics also note that it is hard to say which community should take priority when family, religion, region and nation conflict. Communitarians reply that their view supports rights, but within a social context.

Communitarian ideas influenced several political developments in the 1990s and 2000s. Some center-left and center-right parties adopted the language of rights and responsibilities in welfare reform, community policing and national service programs. Communitarian thinking also shaped debates on character education in schools, volunteering and the role of civil society organizations. In parts of East Asia, governments have used communitarian arguments to justify policies that place social stability and shared values above individual freedoms.