First, there appears to be a distinct line between those who believe the common good is real and those who think it is just a mental abstraction. Second, it also revealed a fault line between those who think in terms of politics and those who think in terms of ethics. As Catholics, we absolutely must admit to the existence of the common good, for it stands as one of the core tenets of the Church’s social doctrine, but this recent rupture occasions the question: What is the common good?

At Vatican Council II, the Church offered the following definition of the common good as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” (Gaudium et spes, 26) In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the common good is said to consist of three essential elements. First, the common good presupposes a respect for the person as such; second, it requires the social well-being and development of the group as a whole; and, third, it requires the stability and security of a just order. Now, this indeed does all sound fairly abstract and there is plenty of room for people to debate and consider what exactly is the best way to achieve these noble goals. However, the fact that the common good can be debated does not mean it isn’t real or that it’s just a matter of opinion. Debate is a necessary part of arriving at the truth, so that people will have legitimate, good faith arguments about the common good strikes me as being evidence that it is something that should guide us in our decision making.

As a means of discernment, the common good is not primarily a tool for politics. While there are inevitably political ramifications that carry on from the deliberations about the common good, the fact is that the topic itself is specifically an ethical one. Far too often in our world today, people confuse politics and ethics. Ethics are more important than politics and exist prior to and independent from any political consideration. For example, the decision to be a good neighbor and approach people with a spirit of charity is an ethical one, not a political one. Politicians can certainly pass legislation that helps to encourage being a good neighbor, but it actually is beyond their power to make us be good neighbors to one another. The common good exists beyond the scope of our political landscape, because it is ultimately a deeply human reality for which we are all called to work regardless of the policy questions or governmental systems in which we participate.