Introduction
Society’s political orientation tends to relate to the beliefs and principles that members of the society possess towards a particular aspect of politics prevalent in society. Notably, the systems of belief about politics or political ideas that articulate a particular class or social interest as based on the political ideologies—in this case, understanding the best political ideologies concerning the political orientation of the present society. The research is based on the argument that Communitarianism is the best political ideology. The main aim of writing about the topic is to understand the varying aspects surrounding the political ideologies within society. More so, there is a concern for understanding the difference between Communitarianism and other political ideologies. This case proves that Communitarianism is the best political ideology within the society and the political orientation. It is interesting to analyze the topic and provide further research and proof of arguments to clarify that Communitarianism influences political orientation. Furthermore, through the study of political science, there is an urge to understand the varying terminologies and disciplines that surround political science as a subject. Therefore, there is a tendency to improve understanding of the topic and gain a better understanding of the topics and political orientation towards understanding the nature of politics that prevail within the society. Generally, Communitarianism relates to political theory by providing ideas employed in describing and assessing political practices and institutions (da Costa, 2018, p. 420). For example, the values may consist of justice, power, and democracy that define a particular political institution regarding political orientation and presentation in a particular government. In this case, liberty, rights, and justice are fundamental concepts of political theory engagement in Communitarianism. Additionally, liberal and conservative theories tend to impact the political relations surrounding a state without the influence of society and the economy. The paper analyzes the different concepts influencing Communitarianism and the elated works that tend to define Communitarianism as the best political ideology. There is much assessment and proof of why Communitarianism has been considered the best ideology in political relations. Arguably, communitarianism is the best political ideology in terms of the ability to influence community justice and economic and social interventions.
Communitarianism is the Best Political Ideology
Communitarianism tends to challenge the liberal theories of justice in the failure to have value for the community and recognize the role of the community in defining the political ideologies of the society. Communitarianism is present in society as an ideology of socially conservative and economically interventionist policies (Koopmans, 2019, p. 4). The policies govern the aspects of society influencing human life. Social and economic aspects of society tend to directly impact the members of the society in terms of finances and the social relations of society members to influence the political relations of the state. Generally, the ideology has emphasized the connection between an individual and their immediate community to define a person’s social identity. According to Valera 2019, the value and essence of Communitarianism emerge through the democracy value for political discussions aligning the varying political parties and the influence they have on society and what the members of the society believe (Chang, 2022, p. 21). It is evident that the role of models of democracy contributes to the value of Communitarianism and renders it the best among the political ideologies through the ability to incorporate, recognize and value the community concerning its influence on the political perception of a particular state. In this case, the system of choosing and replacing a particular government through a free and fair election is an act of democracy through Communitarianism. The community members elect their desired leader without the influence of any public figure or government officials.
Notably, the ideology and history of the political party tend to impact the political orientation of a particular state relating to the beliefs and values that the community has towards the political relations of the parties and the nation at large. Generally, Communitarianism emerges as the best political ideology through the concept of human rights protection and civic life through participation in politics. Furthermore, Valera argues that Communitarianism is the basis for interventions for social and economic policies governing members of a particular community through opposing individualism portrayed by other ideologies and theories to advocate in the favor of the community-based approach (Zmigrod, 2020, p. 35). Therefore, Communitarianism is the best political ideology for incorporating the entire community’s needs by assessing the prevailing individual needs to address communal issues. More so, the ideology is based on the concept of community rather than individual benefits.
According to Koopmans et al., Communitarianism values the community attributes through border closure hence analyzing the needs of the members of the community and recognizing their needs. The ideology is founded on three main concepts consisting of economic, cultural, and political considerations. Notably, the three aspects are prevalent in society in impacting human life directly in day-to-day activities. Furthermore, they tend to be influenced by community culture in terms of leadership based on democracy through recognition of human rights and participation in politics towards the election of destined leaders to lead the community in varying activities (Teney et al. 2018, p. 103). Moreover, the economic consideration in Communitarianism tends to increase the ability of the members of the community to access resources and services of desire regarding resource allocation and implementation of policies to increase the society’s wellbeing. Additionally, the political and cultural concepts are incorporated in community decision-making concerning the political powers and decisions relating to the nature of political perception of the administration and the community in general.
Additionally, Communitarianism is based on political and social ideologies that emphasize the community’s interest. Notably, the ideology differs from liberalism which tends to cater to individualistic interests rather than the community’s interests. Therefore, the fact that Communitarianism addresses the community interests makes it the best ideology based on the ability to cater to geranial interests concerning the members of society. In this case, issues are solved with the intention of the common good of society (Valera, 2019, p. 1065). Furthermore, the essence of Communitarianism tends to focus on community development hence increasing cultural and economic developments within the society based on what the general public wishes to achieve.
Furthermore, on political orientation, there is a tendency to better the community with relevant political desires through practices that create a better political perception of the community. Therefore, Communitarianism is a socio-political ideology improving the society and the community by addressing the general interests for the economic and cultural good of the community (Koopmans, 2019, p. 12). Formation and introduction of the ideology incorporated different individuals and professionals in the society to develop an ideology that targets the wellbeing of the community rather than a particular individual. In this case, political philosophers and social activists formulated ideas and organization of opinions in favour of the society through the formation of the communitarianism ideology influence to the political perspective of a particular community.
Differing Approaches to Communitarianism
Predominant approaches to Communitarianism tend to define the varying roles of the federal government in the daily lives of the citizens. Communitarianism focuses on the community’s common good. The approaches tend to improve the understanding of the governance role and political organizations fostering developments within the society and the well-being of the people. Generally, the American political spectrum concerning libertarian capitalism and the influence of socialism influences the nature of Communitarianism through the different ways it presents in society regarding the ability to impact the community at large (Teney et al., 2018, p. 99). Therefore, authoritarian communitarianism and responsive communitarianism tend to create varying perceptions from community members regarding how Communitarianism is visualized in the community. However, the two approaches contribute to the value of the ideology and the perception that it is the best political ideology present in society.
- Authoritarian Communitarianism
According to the foundations and development of the approach, it is clear that the approach emerged in the early 1980s and later followed the prevalence of Communitarianism in the 20th cemetery, which tends to impact most states towards adopting the approach for the common good of the community. The approach is based on the argument that priority is given to the community’s common good at the expense of the need to ensure people’s rights and interests. Therefore, there is a tendency to gain the freedom to benefit society as a whole by addressing society’s interests and what the general public considers to e vital to them regarding the benefits it has for the entire community. Authoritarian Communitarianism is present in the social practices of 60% of East Asian societies (Zmigrod, 2020, p. 31). The doctrine tends to prevail in societies such as China, Malaysia, and Singapore, among the countries within authoritarian societies. The member citizens are expected to define meaning to their lives through participation in contribution to the common good of the community. Therefore, community members are given chances to forward their ideas and opinions in structuring the community’s wellbeing and the strategies that will foster changes and improve the community situation. Generally, there is a tendency for community members to provide possible solutions to the persistent problems in society as well as provide possible considerations for the improvement of existing forums for the common good. In this case, the authoritarian communitarian tends to prove the argument that Communitarianism is the best political ideology through the incorporation of members of the society in the development of policies and aims at the common good of the community, unlike other ideologies targeting individual benefits.
- Responsive Communitarianism
History reveals that responsive Communitarianism followed in 1990 after developing the authoritarian communitarianism approach. Though there are some similarities with the authoritarian approach, the responsive approach tends to balance personal benefits and social priorities by addressing the needs at the individual level and the general community interests. Amitai Etzioni developed the approach by defining individual liberties in terms of the protection of civil society. The government tends to serve the purpose of the community’s common good. Therefore, Amitai argues that individual freedom comes from the ability of an individual to contribute and engage in practices that tend to cater to social rights and individual responsibilities within society (Chang, 2022, p.19). The contribution made by different members of the society through the persistent interest within the society tends to better the common good of the society as every member tends to take individual responsibility in achieving the intended goal within the social setting. In this case, the members of the society actively participate in developing policies and strategies to foster change and improvement for the common good in the community regarding the existing issues. Therefore, individual liberty is dependent on the ability of an individual to preserve and protect civil rights concerning a person’s rights and respect for others. Generally, since the responsive approach does not advocate for neglecting the rights and responsibilities of other people, it has many relations to the influence of Communitarianism as the best ideology in society. The ideology suits the present community by incorporating members of the society in formulating rights and active participation in the preservation of civil rights.
Fundamentals of Communitarianism
The essence of the communitarianism political ideology is revealed through the various scholars and professionals who have made efforts to understand the nature of the ideology. Political philosophers have made significant progress and influenced the understanding of the concept by relating the nature of Communitarianism to the immediate society. Different works are written to create a better perception of the subject (Valera, 2019, p. 1070). For example, according to John Rawls, an American political philosopher, it is clear that Communitarianism relates well to society and is in the application under different governments and states. “A theory of justice” is John Rawl’s work of 1971 which tends to relate the nature of the community to influence individual personalities in terms of social identity.
Generally, the well-being of the community following the aspect of the common good is determined by the natural rights of each individual to uphold the rights and responsibilities in addressing political, cultural, and economic issues in the natural community. Therefore, the fundamental principles of the communitarianism ideology emerge from the economic and social focus on the community and n the individual (Koopmans, 2019, p. 2). The economic focus tends to relate to the issues surrounding the resources and political services rendered by a particular government for the community’s common good. However, the achievement of the common good of the society is based on the individual right of each individual to rate well will economic aspects of the community; hence the economic focus of the entire community emerges from the economic focus contribution of different individuals as present in the community. More so, the cultural focuses of an individual tend to relate to the cultural value and considerations of a particular ideology to relate well with the culture of a particular community. Focus on the cultural aspect of the community is achieved from the individual focus on the community contributing to the achievement of the cultural value of the entire community as present in the political ideology persistent in the community (Teney et al., 2018, p. 105). Arguably, the fact that the ideology tends to address the cultural and political aspects by focusing both on an individual and the community, in general, tends to improve the orientation of the society and perception of the political beliefs and principles surrounding the decision-making process. In this case, the ideology tends to emerge as the best political ideology through the capability to uphold individual interests while at the same time addressing the interests of the entire community.
Additionally, each individual has a responsibility and a role to play in the community’s common good. Coherently, every individual has social importance and value in the community through their contribution to the community’s well-being. In this case, every individual has a role in enabling the community’s joint good achievement. It reveals that the community members’ behaviour, opinions, and ideas impact the overall perception of the community’s political elements and values towards the state. Therefore, the community tends to directly impact the individual members by influencing the social identity of an individual present within the community (Zmigrod, 2020, p. 33). However, Communitarianism opposes the extreme form of individualism and capitalism that tend to be self-centered on addressing the interests of particular individual gains rather than the common good of the entire community. Therefore, the policies formulated are based on the community’s common good, hence contributing to the conclusion that the ideologies are the best concerning the other political ideologies.
The application of Communitarianism has emerged to yield positive progress in society through the ability of leaders to apply the set values of the ideology and address interests for the benefit of the entire community. According to “the audacity of hope” 2006 by Senator Barack Obama, communitarianism ideologies are expressed entirely. The idea contributed to his success in the 2008 elections through the slogan applied in the presidential election campaign. Senator tended to relate the issue of hope in the community to individual responsibility by relating to the “age of responsivity.” In this case, the community favored countrywide unity over the biased politics present within the state (Valera, 2019, p. 1060). More so, it is evident that Obama advocated for Americans to have the basis of their politics on the interests and the motivation of the community’s common good. Therefore, it is clear that the success of Barack Obama in the presidential elections was fostered by the communitarianism ideology, motivating most of the citizens to embrace the ideology. However, through the state and nature of American politics, communitarianism ideology can be termed as the best ideology relating to the achievements made. More so, prominent communitarian theorists played a vital role in the ideology’s success (Chang, 2022, p.13). The prevalence of the ideology in the 20th century has resulted in positive progress within the community. Generally, the initial idea was formulated in 1841, but various theorists and philosophers embraced the ideology’s success through different works meant to create an impact of the ideology on the community. Works of political philosophers such as Dorothy Day, Amitai Etzioni, Barack Obama, and Ferdinand have improved the success of the ideology and perception in the community.
Conclusion
Generally, Communitarianism has emerged to be the best political ideology through the ability to address the community interests, unlike other political ideologies that tend to focus on the individual interests and the wellbeing of a particular individual. The essence of its value and influence in the community has been traced from Barack Obama’s success in presidential elections through his works and manifestoes of the government’s influence on the community’s common good. Political philosophers and theorists such as John Rawls, Dorothy Day, and Amitai have made significant contributions to the influence of ideology and its enhancement in society (da Costa, 2018, p. 416). The accuracy of the ideology contributes to its positioning in society through public participation in the formulation of strategies and provision of possible solutions to community problems hence the incorporation of public views and ideas in decision-making and policy formulation. The prevalence of Communitarianism from the 20th century has led to advocacy in different countries and hence embraced as the best political ideology.
Bibliography
Chang, Y.L., 2022. Communitarianism, Properly Understood. Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence, pp.1-23. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-law-and-jurisprudence/article/communitarianism-properly-understood/96E1F7F2E3991080E983D10008F5AA6C
da Costa, L.D.G., 2018. Peace and Human Rights: Communitarianism and the limits to liberal peace. US-China Education Review, 8(9), pp.412-418. https://www.academia.edu/download/60118012/US-China_Education_Review_20189B20190725-107422-gzcutc.pdf#page=47
Koopmans, R. and Zürn, M., 2019. Cosmopolitanism and Communitarianism–How globalization is reshaping politics in the twenty-first century. EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, pp.1-34. https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/espost/237068.html
Teney, C., Strijbis, O., Carol, S. and Tepe, S., 2018. Elite survey of the bridging project:” The political sociology of cosmopolitanism and communitarianism .”Technical report (No. SP VI 2018-105). WZB Discussion Paper. https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/187801
Valera Ordaz, L., 2019. Liberal individualist, communitarian, or deliberative? Analyzing political discussion on Facebook based on three notions of democracy. International Journal Of Communication, 2019, vol. 13, p. 1056-1076. https://roderic.uv.es/handle/10550/69642
Zmigrod, L., 2020. The role of cognitive rigidity in political ideologies: theory, evidence, and future directions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, pp.34-39. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154619301147