Communitarianism

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Not to be confused with communism; as communitarianism is a philosophy that values community and social responsibility, while communism is a specific ideology advocating for a radical transformation of society toward a classless, communally-owned system.
Dr. Kauffman: Now just think, less than a month ago, Santa Mira was like any other town. People with nothing but problems. Then, out of the sky came a solution. Seeds drifting through space for years took root in a farmer's field. From the seeds came pods which had the power to reproduce themselves in the exact likeness of any form of life. […] They're taking you over cell for cell, atom for atom. There is no pain. Suddenly, while you're asleep, they'll absorb your minds, your memories and you're reborn into an untroubled world.
Miles: Where everyone's the same?
Dr. Kauffman: Exactly.
Miles: What a world. We're not the last humans left. They'll destroy you!
Dr. Kauffman: Tomorrow you won't want them to. Tomorrow you'll be one of us.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)[1]

Communitarianism (from Latin: communitas, "community") is a political-philosophical worldview in which "the community" is the be-all and end-all – and not the individual, the government or the nation. It is characterized by opposition to certain aspects of liberalism and individualism, believing that the proverbial "liberal theory of justice" has not taken into account the value of society. Thus, it emphasizes the importance of the civil society instead of the individual, deeming that its the society that is tasked to shape the individual.[2]

While communitarianism is not exclusively limited to the right or the left in the political spectrum (nor even measured by conventional means; needing a specific modified variant of the Nolan chart), most of the modern political parties advocating communitarianism are either right or far-right in their political alignment.[3] In addition, communitarianism has significant ideological and philosophical overlap with corporatism.

History of the idea[edit]

As with most-if-not-all things, the principles of communitarianism originate from classical antiquity, with Plato being the oldest source discussing the subject.[4] Subsequently, Aristotle, would also touch upon foundations of communitarianism.[2][5] Strong communitarian elements can be observed in religions such as in Christianity (evident in both in Old and New Testament texts), Islam (particularly the concept of shūrā) and Confucianism.[2]

Communitarianism also follows the tradition of republicanism, which, however, places its emphasis not on community but on political participation. Indeed, between classical antiquity and the Enlightenment, Niccolò Machiavelli — although mainly associated with classical realism and republicanism — expressed ideas that are now considered to be building blocks for communitarianism.[6]

Liberalism, which emphasizes freedom and individual rights, emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries as a defense of individual autonomy against oppressive autocratic and feudal social structures (see John Locke). The 19th century would see a new batch of philosophers who would contribute to the development of communitarianism, including G.W.F. Hegel,[note 1] Alexis de Tocqueville,[note 2] and Ferdinand Tönnies.[note 3] In 1841, Chartist Goodwyn Barmby became the first person to use the word "communitarianism", although he used the word to refer to what is now understood as Utopian Socialism.[2]

Communitarianism proper sees its own origins as a response to the advancing individualization in the industrial capitalist countries, which its thinkers have observed to have taken off in the 20th century. These same thinkers believe that while in the 18th and 19th centuries individual rights were still embedded in a network of family, community, and religious community, the social balance shifted in favor of economic utility maximization in the course of industrial capitalism. Restrictions based on morality and religion increasingly lost their importance. The result was that people increasingly withdrew into their private spheres and civic engagement was largely lost. At the same time, a welfare state was established that supposedly severely restricted citizens' initiative.[7]

The ideology itself saw its proper emergence around in 1970s and 1980s among a number of political philosophers in the United States, who were critical of liberalism as interpreted by both the social liberal John Rawls and the libertarian (neoliberal favorite) Robert Nozick. These thinkers drew their criticism towards liberalism's economic, cultural and moral emphasis on values such as individual freedom and focus on personal success and one's own way of life. They deemed that due to excessive individualism, individuals are seen as entitled to act in ways they wish, despite the socially and ecologically harmful consequences; such as species extinction, overuse of non-renewable and renewable natural resources, and competition that erodes trust between people (social atomism). The communitarian thinkers were also critical of socialism and Marxism, believing that these allowed the state to take precedence over the community to an excessive extent. In the early 1990s, the communitarians formulated an actual political goal: to combat the dissolution of the community and the moral decline of the civic virtues.[7]

Basics[edit]

The main communitarian ideas are:

  • There is no state prior to the community. Humans have not established the community to achieve certain goals — community has always existed.
  • The community is built on some common values that everyone in the community recognizes.
  • Initiatives in the community of values come from below — not from the state.
  • The values of community are deeply rooted in tradition.

Central to communitarianism is the social conception of humans and the related conception of community. That humans are fundamentally communal beings and our self and self-understanding are in many ways connected to the communities in which we live. The ideology deems that human society is not built up of individuals detached from language, culture, history and society, but of people born and socialized in a certain time, place, culture and society, whose self is built up in relation to the things they absorb from their own unique socio-historical environment of growth. On paper, communitarianism does not deny or belittle individuality but places it in its socially relevant contexts in a way that could not be done at the time of the emergence of liberalism, because the social sciences were quite rudimentary at the time of the emergence of liberalism.

Political assessment[edit]

Derivative of the Nolan chart that's been designed to accommodate the communitarianism vs individualism dichotomy.

As stated prior, communitarianism doesn't really fit in the left-wing or right-wing political spectrum. From a economic point of view — due to its opposition to both liberal and socialist models  — it could be considered a form of third positionism. Yet despite not supposedly being an exclusively right-wing ideology, most of the visible/successful political parties are right-wing in nature.

Communitarianism doesn't particularly strive in the realm of leftist politics. Not just because (social) liberalism — and by extension progressive politics — is fundamentally incompatible with communitarianism, but also due to communism and socialism being the favored forms of left-wing collectivism, which makes "left-wing communitarianism" somewhat redundant. Still, social democracy and Fabianism are contentiously considered a communitarian ideologies. Also while Third Way is sometimes identified as advocating for communitarianism, its mostly deemed that they merely use communitarian language to justify their policies.[8]

Communitarianism primarily thrives in political entities that advocate conservatism (particularly traditionalist conservatism), Christian democracy and radical right ideology. Why conservatism and communitarianism feed off each-other, is due to shared rejection of liberal individualism, emphasis on community traditions and shared values, and the belief that morality is socially constructed rather than based on abstract reason. Both traditions prioritize collective well-being, find meaning in established social practices, and look to the past to guide social and political decision-making, often viewing the preservation of good traditions as more important than the pursuit of potentially disruptive new ideas.

However, there are two major deviations between the two, in that communitarianism can be flexible in its application (whereas conservatives tend to be more cautious about change and more focused on preserving existing social structures) and that communitarianism seeks to foster communal harmony by emphasizing the normative significance of community membership (though conservatives think of this more as a way to strengthen social bonds and collective identity).

Probably the most notorious communitarian entity of the past was the ethnocractic Völkisch movement (see Volksgemeinschaft), that would eventually spawn the (fascistic corporatist) Nazi Party in the 1920s.[9][10]

Not quite as horrid (but not particularly admirable either) example was the one created by Singapore’s late benevolent dictator Lee Kuan Yew, as well as the conservative People's Action Party (PAP) that he founded. While LKY didn't explicitly express subscribing to a specific communitarian ideology, his policies and governance style reflected key communitarian principles such as prioritizing the common good over individual liberties, promoting social cohesion, and emphasizing the importance of family and community. Likewise, PAP endorses communitarian values and civic nationalism, with the key part of party's social policy being the promotion national unity by integrating the country's major ethnic groups into a unified Singaporean identity.[11][12]

Other notable examples of modern right-wing communitarian parties include: the Conservative Party (UK)[13], Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Germany), Democratic Unionist Party (UK), Fidesz (Hungary)[14], the Finns Party (Finland) and Law and Justice (Poland).

Problems[edit]

Communitarianism, while offering a perfectly valid critique of liberal individualism, faces several key problems in its implementation. These include vagueness in defining "community," potential for exclusion and suppression of diversity in the pursuit of unity, and the challenge of determining common ethical values (which can lead to moral relativism). Furthermore, communitarianism's emphasis on "the community over the individual" can be seen as a potential threat to individual rights and freedoms. In addition, due to its community-centered approach and emphasis on positive freedom, communitarianism can lead to oppressive and totalitarian forms of society, as it can brute-force the individual members of a community to live by "the values of the community".[15]

People[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. see Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel#Communitarianism.
  2. Tocqueville's work, particularly Democracy in America, has significantly influenced communitarian thought by highlighting the importance of social institutions and civic engagement in maintaining a healthy democracy. He emphasized that a strong civil society, with robust participation from citizens, is crucial for preventing the excesses of individualism and ensuring the stability of a democratic nation.
  3. Tönnies's work on Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft significantly influenced communitarianism by providing a framework for understanding the decline of community in modern society and the subsequent rise of individualism. His concepts of community (German: Gemeinschaft) and society (German: Gesellschaft) highlighted the shift from close-knit, value-driven social structures to more impersonal, contractual relationships. This framework resonated with communitarian thinkers who critiqued the perceived loss of social cohesion and moral grounding in modern life.

References[edit]

  1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 film) Wikiquote.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Etzioni, Amitai (2015). "Communitarianism: political and social philosophy". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  3. Young, M. C., "Conservatism and Communitarianism: Two or One?" (2020). The Canadian Society for Study of Practical Ethics / Société Canadienne Pour L'étude De L'éthique Appliquée — SCEEA. 4. [1]
  4. Dotts, Brian (2022). "Investigating Critical and Contemporary Issues in Education". University of Georgia. Retrieved August 6, 2025. What does Plato's ideal republic look like? Plato believed that human beings are social animals and that they can only realize their potential in association with others. He does recognize individuality and he concludes that individuals are inherently unique and it is this uniqueness that should serve as his or her focal dedication to the republic. It is here that Plato's theory may be labeled both communitarian and functionalist. That is, he views each citizen devoting his or her unique abilities for the service of the public or state. Based on unique abilities, some citizens will serve as rulers while others will labor. This creates harmony in Plato's theory of the just state. Each individual can specialize in what she or he does best; enjoy their work, while performing specializations that are mutually beneficial to the state. Specialization fulfills individual needs for self-fulfillment and actualization while maintaining the functionality of the state. Greed, competition and self-interest, on the other hand, ultimately undermine an ideal state and are discouraged. {{cite web}}: |chapter= ignored (help)
  5. Identity and Difference: Plato and Aristotle on Democracy M.A.R. Habib, Dept. Of English, Rutgers University The University College of Ripon and York, July 14, 1998
  6. "Communitarianism." In International Encyclopedia of Political Science, edited by Badie, Bertrand, Dirk Berg-Schlosser, and Leonardo Morlino, 327-31. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412959636.n84.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Bell, Daniel, "Communitarianism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2024/entries/communitarianism/>.
  8. The Third Way and beyond: Criticisms, futures, alternatives (Editors: Sarah Hale, Will Leggett, and Luke Martell), eISBN: 9781526137883 Manchester University Press
  9. Mommsen, Wolfgang J.; Osterhammel, Jurgen (2013). Max Weber and His Contempories. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135032296.
  10. Weber, Thomas (2017). Becoming Hitler: The Making of a Nazi. Oxford University Press. p. 117. ISBN 9780199664627.
  11. Chua, Beng-Huat (2002). Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore. Taylor & Francis. p. 36. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  12. Etzioni, Amitai (1998). The Essential Communitarian Reader. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 9798216245773.
  13. Campos Maschette, Lenon (2024). The British Conservative Party: Ideology and Citizenship. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781003849964.
  14. Bozóki, András; Fleck, Zoltán (2024). Embedded Autocracy: Hungary in the European Union. Lexington Books. p. 78. ISBN 9781793636072.
  15. Frazer, Elizabeth, 'Introduction', The Problems of Communitarian Politics: Unity and Conflict (Oxford, 1999; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 Nov. 2003), https://doi.org/10.1093/0198295642.003.0001, accessed 6 Aug. 2025.