The Common Good Versus the Greater Good

When Tony Stark sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos for the sake of the greater good, he was a hero. When Ben Kenobi willingly perished for the greater good in A New Hope, he was a hero. When politicians insist that their constituents do something against their well-being for the sake of “the greater good,” those politicians are despots unworthy of their office.

The common good is that which is commonly good to all people.

The greater good is an advantage or benefit that results from a relatively smaller hindrance or disadvantage.

True conservatism is built on the common good which entails things such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, property rights, the right to self-defense, the right to self-government, etc. These things are all common goods.

Stifling those common goods for the sake of a greater practical gain is an injustice fundamentally opposed to law in a society.

Excessive taxes on any demographic to financially benefit another, the censoring of any individual or group for the sake of ideological purity or unity, or fiscal recklessness at the expense of future generations are all examples of stifling the common good.

Conservatives should oppose all of them no matter who is in office. Voluntarily setting aside one’s own interests for the greater good is noble and admirable, but when the pursuit of the greater good is nolonger voluntary, it becomes an injustice.