Communitarian

Amitai Etzioni is a leading futurist advocate of this philosophy that countered liberalism, individualism, and capitalism. Advocates of this view argue that ethics evolves from traditions of societies, not abstract universals; and hence, can be different in different community contexts. Individuals know themselves in relation to communities; humans are social animals. Communitarians seek to bolster social capital and the institutions of civil society. Communitarianism as a group of related but distinct philosophies began in the late 20th century, opposing classical liberalism, capitalism, and socialism while advocating phenomena such as civil society. Not necessarily hostile to social liberalism, communitarianism rather has a different emphasis, shifting the focus of interest toward communities and societies and away from the individual. The question of priority, whether on the individual or community, often has the largest impact in the most pressing ethical questions, such as health care, abortion, multiculturalism, and hate speech. The Responsive Communitarian Platform described it thus: "Many social goals. . . require partnership between public and private groups. Though government should not seek to replace local communities, it may need to empower them by strategies of support, including revenue-sharing and technical assistance. There is a great need for study and experimentation with creative use of the structures of civil society, and public-private cooperation, especially where the delivery of health, educational and social services are concerned." Central to many communitarians' philosophy is the concept of positive rights; that is, rights or guarantees to certain things. These may include free education, affordable housing, a safe and clean environment, universal health care, a social safety net, or even the right to a job. To this end they generally support social safety programs, free public education, public works programs, and laws limiting such things as pollution and gun violence.