A Synthesis Paper on Individualism and Common Good

Individualism starts from the assertion of the absolute right of the individual to do whatever he feels is right for him or her. All other rights are subjugated to this one absolute right. In this, the function of law is to promote the freedom of each individual to do whatever they wish to do, as long as they do not infringe the rights of others to do the same. Any action which might restrict this absolute right of individuals will become illegal.

Common good is for those who seek the work for the good of all people, especially the powerless, and of the whole person. This is underpinned by a belief that the human person is a social being, unable to find fulfilment in himself, apart from the fact that he exists 'with' others and 'for' others. The function of law, in this context, is to improve life in society, especially for those at the margin. Laws are directed at promoting the good order of society, and encouraging those institutions that build up society, and discouraging those that break down good order in society.

In the today’s society, it is said that individualism and the pursuit of the common good are incompatible, and each person and each society has to make a fundamental choice between the two. The former is directed towards the self, while the latter is directed toward the good of the whole. In some situations, putting aside individual rights can help achieve the common good of his/her community.

Let’s take for example how individual rights and the common good works in America. America was founded on the belief that all people should have their own individual sets of rights, which are listed in the Constitution. Over time, individual’s rights have been limited because of the common good. Terrorist organizations have forced America to infringe on personal rights in order to keep the country’s safety. This theme is represented in all of the documents, which historians would believe to be true. They represent an accurate portrayal of how their political, economic, and social rights balance between the common good and individual rights.

The 19th Amendment. While women were campaigning for suffrage rights in 1917, America entered World War 1. Many thought it was ridiculous that women would continue to protest for the right to vote, because their help was needed for the war effort for the common good. Though the women pushed through in impressive feats and gained the right to vote for all women.

Japanese American Internment. During World War 2, Americans were deathly afraid of immigrants and were extremely suspicious of people who had immigrated from enemy countries. The Japanese were targets of these attacks and were forced by the government under FDR to relocate. They lost their businesses and rights for the belief of the common good; that Americans would be safer with the reduced threat to national security, even though there was no real threat.

Security at the Airports. After the 9/11 attack, security has been much tighter in the airport of America. Americans have to take off theirs shoes, put all their bags through scanners, and walk through metal detectors. They give up some of their individual rights as people to make sure that dangerous things don't happen while on airplanes.

Bank Holiday. During the Depression, Roosevelt closed all the banks in America because people were withdrawing all their savings, causing the banks to go bankrupt, while citizens who did not withdraw lost all of their life savings. Therefore, FDR took away the rights of individuals to take out their own money in order to save the economy for the common good.

Custer and the Indians. The Indians have been persecuted ever since settlers have moved in from other countries. Their land was taken away time and time again for different reasons. Custer fought the Indians in the Battle of Little Bighorn because the Americans were afraid of the Indian's ghost dances, and because the Indian's land, the Black Hills are a very valuable mining site. Therefore, land was taken away from the Indians to benefit others who wanted to make a profit off of mining.

Guantanamo Bay. During the Bush Administration, Iraqis were captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and were tortured for secrets that they could have held. Their individual rights were taken away from them, like right to a speedy trial, because they were suspected of having information on a security threat to America.

Suspension of Habeas Corpus Act. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt suspended the Habeas Corpus act, which enabled detainees to petition to a court for their release. That way, anyone who spoke out about the government would be locked in prison for the duration of the war. This also occurred with the Lincoln administration during the civil war. This takes away from individual rights, but protects the image that America is rightfully in a war, and prevents mass hysteria of the public.

Forced Immunizations. Most children are immunized when they are first born, but some parents like to give their children organic and homeopathic drugs instead of vaccinations. The science behind the vaccinations has been fortified and there are many laws in state legislature that require children to be immunized, but some parents still resist, so their children are immunized against the parents will. This protects the community from contracting diseases, but takes away individual rights as parents.

Roe v Wade. Roe v Wade was a landmark case in the Supreme Court in 1973 on whether women should be able to have the right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. Many believed that it was wrong because it was killing an innocent life and was not for the common good, though women wanted to make their own decisions for their own bodies.

We as people do not live exclusively independent of each other; we need each other to really get ahead. No person can truly survive independently, and for this reason, we live in communities, which are basically groups of people with common values and interests. The common good or working toward the common good is when those in the community come together and do things that benefit or are in the best interests of everyone in the community. Individualism have to do with our individual freedoms within a community or a person's rights that cannot be trampled upon by any authority.

In our society today, people value their individual rights as much more important than the common good, and for this reason, true community no longer exists. People use the idea of freedom of speech to spew their racist and bigoted thoughts into the world, thus promoting hatred between peoples who otherwise, would be able to live together peacefully. True integration will never be possible when people use their “freedom of speech” to spread hatred between groups of people.

Although people want to live in “peace,” nobody wants to take responsibility for their part of the chaos. Nobody wants to put aside their differences and work towards a common good because everyone thinks that their best interest is the common good. Nobody cares about the common good anymore if it even inches close to their individual freedoms. Although people hate the fact that someone dies of gun violence almost every second in a country, the common good will never prevail if all those people in the middle of nowhere believe their right to easily purchase guns is more important than dead children. There will never be true progress towards a common good until people start thinking less about themselves and more about the community. If politicians actually thought about the community rather than themselves, would there be wars and crisis? The problem is magnified when those in power work for private interests rather than the greater good.

It is time for everyone, especially those in positions of power, to take a step back and assess themselves. It is time for people to start thinking, "Have I been working towards the common good? What is the common good? Are my personal thoughts and opinions poisonous to my community?

This is a society of people, which makes it inherently imperfect and susceptible to being tainted by people. This issue between common good and individual freedom has more importance than one may be willing to understand.