The Good Society

1. Institutions Shape Our Lives and Values

We need to understand how much of our lives is lived in and through institutions, and how better institutions are essential if we are to lead better lives.

Beyond individual choice. Americans often perceive institutions as external, constraining forces, believing individual autonomy is pitted against them. However, institutions are the patterned ways we live together, fundamentally shaping our identities, behaviors, and even our capacity to become individuals. They are not merely neutral mechanisms but indispensable sources from which character is formed.

Enabling, not just restraining. These social patterns, enforced by sanctions and imbued with moral elements, enable us by providing the necessary context for individual flourishing. For instance, a handshake signifies social solidarity, while taxation supports common aims. To imagine escaping them is illusory; the answer lies in understanding and changing them for the better.

Moral ecology. The concept of a "moral ecology" underscores that healthy institutions are vital for sustaining our common life. When institutions fail, as seen in the homelessness crisis, individual moral dilemmas arise from systemic breakdowns, not just personal choices. Recognizing this interdependence is the first step toward effective institutional reform.

2. The Erosion of Trust and the Illusion of Autonomy

The heritage of trust that has been the basis of our stable democracy is eroding.

Trust as a fragile resource. Democracy fundamentally relies on a degree of trust—trust that political opponents will respect outcomes, and that institutions will function fairly. This trust, however, is not a nonrenewable resource; it is far easier to destroy than to renew, and its erosion poses an ominous threat to our future stability.

Individualism's blind spot. Americans' deep-seated individualism, rooted in a "frontier mentality" of being "left alone," makes it difficult to grasp the power of institutions. We tend to think of individuals pitted against institutions, rather than seeing institutions as enabling contexts. This perspective fosters a sense of helplessness to shape the institutional order that profoundly impacts our lives.

Consequences of detachment. This detachment leads to a belief that large issues are beyond us, fostering fatalism rather than self-confidence. When faced with institutional failures, we often retreat into private life or blame individuals, rather than questioning the morality and structure of the institutions themselves. This impoverished view of our common life only worsens our problems.

3. From Great Society to Good Society: A Democratic Imperative

For Dewey, hope lay in the enlargement and enhancement of democracy throughout our institutional life.

Modernity's challenge. Graham Wallas's "Great Society" describes the invisible, coercive environment of modern communication and commerce, almost beyond human comprehension. John Dewey recognized that this "machine age" had disintegrated small communities without generating a "Great Community." His hope was to infuse public spirit and consciousness into these vast, often invisible, structures.

The open quest. Walter Lippmann's "Good Society" is not a fixed blueprint but an "open quest" actively involving all members. It envisions a widening of democratic participation, interdependent prosperity, and a peaceful world. This transformation is not merely idealistic but a long-term practical necessity, especially given the destructive potential of modern warfare and global interdependence.

Freedom redefined. For many, freedom means being left alone, a plausible notion in an older, less interconnected America. However, in the Great Society, freedom must exist within and be guaranteed by institutions, including the right to participate in economic and political decisions. Achieving peace, prosperity, freedom, and justice today depends on extending and enhancing democratic institutions.

4. The Tyranny of the Market and the Commodification of Life

Economic ideology that turns human beings into relentless market maximizers undermines commitments to family, to church, to neighborhood, to school, and to the larger national and global societies.

Market's pervasive influence. The market, often seen as a self-regulating, neutral mechanism, has become a "ruthless sovereign" invading every sphere of society, including the family. This commodification of life, where everything from human lives to religious blessings is assigned a monetary value, distorts our understanding of intrinsic worth.

Lockean paradox. The Lockean ideal of individual self-interest, when applied dogmatically, leads to a "savage capitalism" that prioritizes immediate profit over long-term social well-being. This ideology, while promising individual comfort, ironically creates a world that dwarfs the self it was meant to serve, leaving individuals feeling helpless against market forces.

Destructive to the economy itself. This relentless focus on immediate interest maximization, as seen in corporate takeovers that destroy community and morale, ultimately cripples the economy by eroding trust and creative interaction—our most valuable assets. It fosters a short-term expediency that undermines long-term viability and societal health.

5. Beyond Individual Rights: The Quest for a Common Good

The value of lives of people who have no say in American politics, although they may be profoundly affected by American policy choices—other nationalities as well as generations yet unborn—cannot be accommodated in this system of calculating costs and benefits.

Limits of economic logic. Government regulators, often relying on cost-benefit analysis, struggle to reconcile economic techniques with moral intuitions. This approach, which attempts to quantify the "value" of a statistical life or discount future benefits, systematically overlooks important public concerns that cannot be monetized.

Moral individualism's inadequacy. While traditional moral individualism respects the dignity of persons, it offers little guidance for complex societal choices. It struggles to define a common good beyond aggregating individual preferences, leading to policy decisions that may seem "irrational in the economic sense, but not irrational in a societal sense."

Law's double-edged sword. The legal system's reliance on expanding individual "rights" recognizes interdependence but often distorts solutions. Casting social questions in rights language can lead to all-or-nothing outcomes, restrict the range of remedies, and prevent substantive debate about the common good, as seen in issues like bilingual education or abortion.

6. Reinvigorating Democratic Politics for Collective Action

American politics is an arena of power, in which competing interests battle without responsibility for or a conception of a common good.

Political fragmentation. American politics is characterized by a deep misunderstanding of democracy, where citizens blame "the government" while demanding immediate action for disparate interests. This leads to gridlock, as politicians prioritize reelection over educating the public or solving complex problems.

Weakened parties, strong lobbies. The decline of strong political parties, once brokers of comprehensive views, has left a vacuum filled by single-issue organizations and powerful lobbies. This "claimant politics" overshadows civic politics, where competing interests battle without a shared conception of the common good.

Transforming the public sphere. To renew democracy, we need to strengthen political parties, reduce the influence of campaign money, and encourage substantive debate over images. This requires institutional changes like election-funding reforms and fostering citizen participation in policy planning, guided by the principle of subsidiarity to empower local initiatives.

7. Education as a Holistic Moral and Civic Endeavor

If our education is to have any meaning for life, it must pass through an equally complete transformation.

Beyond schooling. Historically, education was a community-wide endeavor, with home, church, and local politics playing roles as important as formal schools. Today, education is largely equated with schooling, which has expanded massively but often fails to provide a coherent moral framework for navigating a complex world.

The scientific paradigm's impact. The shift towards an exclusively scientific paradigm of knowledge, emphasizing objective facts and technical competence, has diminished ethical reflection in higher education. This has led to a "soullessness" where the pursuit of wealth often overshadows the search for meaning, leaving students confused and disoriented.

Reclaiming moral purpose. John Dewey and Jane Addams advocated for education that makes the "great society" intelligible, fostering responsible citizens through active participation in community. A "life-enabling" education must recover practical and moral reason, integrating specialized knowledge with a deeper understanding of human purpose and social responsibility.

8. The Public Church: A Transcendent Voice for Justice

The church’s social role is not to design a perfect society. It’s to make the existing society more Christian, whether the society’s capitalist or socialist or whatever.

Beyond private piety. While the U.S. Constitution separates church and state, religion is inherently public in its concern for the common good. Religious bodies, particularly biblical traditions, offer a transcendent loyalty to God that can challenge national self-interest and advocate for universal human dignity and justice.

Erosion of vision. Mainline churches face a "sickness" of declining membership and a loss of outward-stretching vision, often turning inward or becoming fragmented into "caucus churches" driven by interest groups. This reflects a broader cultural trend where religious institutions, like others, struggle to maintain their integrity against market mentalities and secularization.

Reclaiming theological depth. Leaders like Robert Cooper and Mary Hatch argue for a renewed emphasis on biblical authority and communal formation, not just as personal salvation but as a call to social action. They advocate for a church that "names sin institutionally as well as personally," fostering a "conscientization" that challenges consumerism and social injustice, drawing on traditions like the Social Gospel and liberation theology.

9. America's Global Interdependence and the End of Messianism

What does it mean to be Number One in an interdependent world? And what would be the moral purpose of being Number One?

Post-Cold War uncertainty. The collapse of communism has left America in a radically new situation, marked by a "decline in American hegemony" not due to weakness, but to the rise of other nations and increased global interdependence. This challenges the "American Century" myth of unchallenged dominance and messianic self-confidence.

The irony of NSC 68. The cold war blueprint, NSC 68, while aiming to defend freedom, was recklessly simplistic in its definition of the "free world" and naively optimistic about global cooperation based on consent. Its means—a massive military establishment and a climate of paranoia—often subverted its own ideals, leading to tragic outcomes like the Vietnam War.

A richer understanding of ideals. The global predicament, from economic injustice in the Third World to environmental threats, demands a less constricted understanding of freedom and justice. It requires recognizing that our fate is inextricably linked with others, fostering international cooperation, and accepting that our highest ideals are now the common property of humankind.

10. Cultivation Over Exploitation: A Politics of Generativity

The meaning of life derives not so much from what we have as from what kind of person we are and how we have shaped our lives toward future ends that are good in themselves.

The call to attention. "Paying attention" is crucial for cultivating the self and fostering meaningful relationships. Institutions can either support this attention or become "socially organized forms of distraction." Many modern distractions, from excessive TV to compulsive consumption, are forms of alienated attention that leave us unfulfilled.

Generativity as a virtue. Erik Erikson's concept of "generativity"—the care one generation gives to the next—is essential for a sustainable future. Our current focus on immediate gratification and individual consumption neglects our children's well-being, exacerbates global poverty, and threatens the environment.

A new moral paradigm. A "politics of generativity" must replace the old Lockean individualist paradigm with one of cultivation. This involves fostering trust, social inclusion, and long-term planning, moving beyond short-term economic and political payoffs. It means anchoring our institutions in a moral discourse concerned with the common good and the well-being of all, including future generations.

Last updated: March 14, 2026