#107 The

Common Good & the Future of

Democracy:

Part I

Date: Tuesday, March 15

Time: Noon

Cost: $5

Led by Dr. Harold Baillie

Register online here and pay at the door.

This is the first of a two part series on the troubled idea of a common good. Part One will look at traditional conceptions of the common good, rooted in a teleological  nature. The classical conception comes from Aristotle and Aquinas who understood human nature to be fixed and universal, defined by naturally given ends or perfections, such as a shared definition of happiness. Early modern thinkers shifted their understanding of human nature to what is identified by its individuality and uniqueness, characterized by rights and self-interest. Their sense of the common good was formed by the life-threatening dangers of the state of nature which limited common concerns between individual to what helped with survival and left each to define happiness for themselves. As individuals looked to assert their rights and define their own happiness, the common good lost meaning.

This is the second part of this series and examines the consequences of this modern confusion and disdain for the common good. As rights became the fundamental understanding of human nature, political authority became the authoritative source and definer of the common good. What began with the clear need for law and the protection of property to ensure the success of the struggle for survival became progressively more complex, as political authority became more diverse, e.g., the various nation states and the complexity of the law. Political authority’s idealization as democracy enhanced the diversity of individual definitions of happiness and undercut the claims of any common good, natural or political. For example, the resulting confusion and disagreement about the common good has left us without a sense of public health to unite us in dealing with the covid pandemic and allowed the polarization of the public on any number of political issues. What does this situation mean for our ability to function as a political entity?

#108 The

Common Good & The Future of

Democracy

Part 2

Date: Tuesday, March 29

Time: Noon

Cost: $5.00

Led by Dr. Harold Baillie

Register online here & pay at the door.

Just in time to say good bye to winter and look forward to summer, Master Gardener Gary White will give expert tips on preparing and planting your gardens.  He will discuss both raised bed and in-ground gardening, getting you ready to make the most of the season. 

Date: May 10

Time: Noon

Cost: $5 Register online here

& pay at the door

What do we mean when we say that all men are created equal? Clearly there has been a learning curve as that phrase has grown to include minorities and women, at least in the United States; in effect, as we learn what we mean by “men.” But what do we mean by “all”? What is the truth, or at least the next step, in understanding the universality of all? Do we mean everyone in Clarks Summit? In the United States? The world? What is the practical meaning of “all” and what responsibility does that confer on all of us? Can we justify the (self-centered? community-centered?) limits we place on our sense of universality, our sense of all? Does this also apply to what is truly “common” in the common good? To whom does the common good apply? Dr. Hal Baillie will lead this discussion.

Date: May 24 Time: Noon

Cost: $5 Pay at the door.