COMMON GOOD &

PRINCIPLE OF
SOLIDARITY
 OBJECTIVES
1. define common good;
2. cultivate natural inclination to do good and avoid evil;
3. believe in the noble convictions which unite all men into the brotherhood of man.
4. understand what solidarity is and;
5. develop the sense of unity with the class.
 WHAT IS COMMON GOOD?
 Common good according Webster Dictionary is the “public good and for the “advantage of
everyone”. Moreover, Encyclopedia Britannica further explains that common good refers to
that “which benefits society as a whole” it is in dissimilar to “private good of individuals and
sections of society.”
 The principle of common good to which every aspect of social life must be related if it is to
attain its fullest meaning, stems from the dignity, unity and equality of all people. In a broadly
accepted sense, it is the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or
as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.
 Common good asserts the idea that everyone can and should live as citizens of the community
linked and rooted to one another as members of the society.
 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY PERSPECTIVE OF COMMON GOOD

 Aristotle pointed out that “man is political by nature”. It means that citizens should participate in
the political community. Common good can be achieved through active participation and
engagement with politics whether as “public servant, participant in the deliberation of laws and
justice or as soldiers defending the community. He asserted that only the “matters of the common
good are right and matters of the ruler’s good are wrong.
 Machiavelli who was famous on his work entitled The Prince asserted that common good would
be secured upon the existence of the virtuous citizens in the community.
 For Rousseau writing in the mid-18th century, common good can be achieved through the
“active and voluntary commitment of the citizens.” Therefore the “general will of the citizens of
the republic should be distinguished from the particular will of the individual”. Political authority
would only be regarded as legitimate if it is according to the general will and toward the
common good.”
THE THREE PERSPECTIVE ABOVE SHOWS THAT COMMON
GOOD CAN BE ACHIEVED AND ATTAINED THROUGH THE
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
ALL CITIZENS MUST DO THEIR PART IN THE ATTAINMENT
OF THE WELFARE OF ALL. A VIRTUOUS AND MORALLY
UPRIGHT CITIZEN WILL CONTRIBUTE MUCH TO THE
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE COMMON GOOD. ANY POLICIES
WHICH WILL PROMOTE RULER’S GOOD ARE WRONG
WHILE GUIDELINES OR LAWS THAT ENHANCE COMMON
GOOD ARE RIGHT.
 3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF COMMON
GOOD
1. Respect for the human person – Those who handle high positions in the government and also the
citizens of the community must “respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person”
and allow everyone to fulfill his or her vocations in life.

2. Social well-being and development of the group – This calls for those in authority to mediate
“between various interests” in the name of common good in “always making accessible to each person
what is truly needed for a human life”.

3. Peace – This demands those in authority that they have the “obligation to obtain and sustain stability
and security found in justice, protecting society as a whole and the individual person.”
COMMON GOOD
THE PRINCIPLE OF SOLIDARITY

 Solidarity is the principle known to be practiced for fellowship or brotherhood. All men are
equal because they have the same human nature. We have one common nature. We are all
members of the community and as such can be regarded as one body.
 Principle of Solidarity is also called "Principle of Appropriate Centralization" ("solidarity").
According to various studies this is the principle that our government is practicing.
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF
SOLIDARITY
1. The two directions on how authority is being distributed
We are all connected in society as families, unions, corporations, municipalities, provinces, countries, etc., right up
to all of mankind.
2. Sample situations that shows Solidarity
a group of parents decide to forgo an acquaintance party and donate the money for the device of a financially
struggling student.
- students gather clothes and food packs for the victims of a recent typhoon.
- the flag of the Philippines is flown at half-staff at all government office buildings in honor of the SAF 44.
 SOLIDARITY IS APPLICABLE IN ANY SITUATION
THAT MAKES US ALL REACH THE COMMON GOOD.
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF
SOLIDARITY
3. Solidarity and Sociology
In sociology, solidarity can be described as obedience of each one of the members of a human community
to the same values.
A. Community solidarity is a feeling of unity based on common interests or goals, shared by many
individuals, which makes them belong to the same social group, work together towards achieving the same
goals, or fight together for the same cause.
B. Organic solidarity, seen in a company, is the interdependence that exists among the various individuals
due to the strong specialization of each one of them and the division of technical labor in different
functions.
C. Mechanical solidarity is characterized by a total competence and independence of each individual in
most of the jobs, in which case the individuals have no need of the others.