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Single Idea 22842

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / b. Against communitarianism ]

Full Idea

Communitarians have difficulty avoiding the relativist trap. It seems they must claim that if one is born into a liberal society one cannot but be a liberal, and if one is born into a communist society one cannot but be a communist.

Gist of Idea

For communitarians it seems that you must accept the culture you are born into

Source

John Charvet (Liberalism: the basics [2019], 08)

Book Ref

Charvet,John: 'Liberalism: the basics' [Routledge 2019], p.101

A Reaction

Anyone who accepts the Hegelian view of history and culture seems doomed to such relativism, and Hegel is a communitarian precursor. This is a good reason for me to reject communitarianism, after a long flirtation. We can criticise our own culture.

The 27 ideas from 'Liberalism: the basics'

22821 Liberalism asserts maximum freedom, but that must be equal for all participants [Charvet]
22822 Liberals promote community and well-being - because all good societies need them [Charvet]
22828 The rule of law mainly benefits those with property and liberties [Charvet]
22823 The rule of law is mainly to restrict governments [Charvet]
22825 The 1689 Bill of Rights denied the monarch new courts, or the right to sit as judge [Charvet]
22826 From 1701 only parliament could remove judges, whose decisions could not be discussed [Charvet]
22827 Justice superior to the rule of law is claimed on behalf of the workers, or the will of the nation [Charvet]
22829 Allowing defamatory speech is against society's interests, by blurring which people are trustworthy [Charvet]
22831 Modern libertarian societies still provide education and some housing [Charvet]
22832 Welfare is needed if citizens are to accept the obligations of a liberal state [Charvet]
22830 Give by ability and receive by need, rather than a free labour market [Charvet]
22834 Egalitarian liberals prefer equality (either of input or outcome) to liberty [Charvet]
22835 Liberals value freedom and equality, but the society itself must decide on its values [Charvet]
22839 Liberalism needs people to either have equal autonomy, or everyone to have enough autonomy [Charvet]
22838 Societies need shared values, so conservatism is right if rational discussion of values is impossible [Charvet]
22836 'Freedom from' is an empty idea, if the freedom is not from impediments to my desires [Charvet]
22837 Positive freedom can lead to coercion, if you are forced to do what you chose to do [Charvet]
22841 Identity multiculturalism emerges from communitarianism, preferring community to humanity [Charvet]
22842 For communitarians it seems that you must accept the culture you are born into [Charvet]
22840 Mere equality, as in two trees being the same height, has no value at all [Charvet]
22843 Inequalities are worse if they seem to be your fault, rather than social facts [Charvet]
22844 First level autonomy is application of personal values; second level is criticising them [Charvet]
22845 Money allows unlimited inequalities, and we obviously all agree to money [Charvet]
22846 The universalism of utilitarianism implies a world state [Charvet]
22849 Rawls's theory cannot justify liberalism, since it presupposes free and equal participants [Charvet]
22848 People with strong prior beliefs would have nothing to do with a veil of ignorance [Charvet]
22847 Kant places a higher value on the universal rational will than on the people asserting it [Charvet]