Abstract

MICHELINI, Dorando J.. Bien común y ética pública: Alcances y límites del concepto tradicional de bien común. Tópicos [online]. 2007, n.15, pp.37-54. ISSN 1666-485X.

With the concept of commom good reference has been made, along history, to those material and immaterial goods which are not circumscribed to a person, but remit to each  and  every  member  of  society.  Among  those  goods,  basic  elements  for biological human survival, such as air and water, are usually included, but also the right to participate of the profits of cultural goods. In some cases, commom good has been made equivalent  to  common wellfare; in others,  to the summation of particular  interests  or  to  the  benefit  of  the  majority. Beyond  the  diverse interpretations, the promotion of common good continues at present to be a key aim of State in the democratic ideary and a recurrent issue in public ethics. In what follows, the concept of traditional common good has been reconstructed, making special reference  to  the works of Plato,  Aristotle and St. Thomas, with  the purpose of setting the basis for a new comprehension of the idea of common good in pluralist and democratic societies.

Keywords : Common good; Public ethics.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )