Communitarianism: Community, the Common Good and the Critique of Individualism

Overview

Communitarianism is a political and philosophical approach that emphasises the importance of community, shared values and the common good, and that sees individuals as deeply shaped by the families, neighbourhoods, traditions and associations they belong to. Communitarians argue that modern liberal societies have placed too much emphasis on individual rights and personal choice and too little on the responsibilities people owe one another and the social bonds that make a good life possible.

Communitarianism is not a party ideology in the way socialism or conservatism are. It is better understood as a set of philosophical arguments developed mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, and as a political movement that sought a "third way" between unrestrained individualism and state control. It has influenced politicians on both centre-left and centre-right.

On our test, communitarianism shows moderate scores on most axes, with a notable Local lean, a Reform orientation and mild leans towards Equality, Authority and Tradition. Its balance across axes makes it a close neighbour of centrism, Christian democracy and paternalistic conservatism.

Core beliefs

The social self. People are not isolated, self-made individuals; their identities and values come from the communities they grow up in.
Rights and responsibilities. Rights must be balanced by responsibilities to family, neighbours and society.
The common good. Politics should pursue shared goods, not just protect individual preferences.
Civil society. Families, schools, religious groups, voluntary associations and local communities are vital, standing between the individual and the state.
Moral voice. Communities may legitimately encourage good behaviour through social norms and moral persuasion rather than only through law.
Balance. Societies need a balance between individual autonomy and social order.

History

Communitarian themes appear in Aristotle, who argued that humans are political animals who flourish only within a community (the polis), and in later thinkers such as Hegel and Tocqueville. Tocqueville's Democracy in America (1835–40) praised the American habit of forming voluntary associations, which he saw as a safeguard against both isolation and tyranny.

Academic communitarianism emerged in the 1980s as a response to John Rawls's A Theory of Justice and to libertarian theories. Michael Sandel's Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (1982) criticised Rawls's "unencumbered self", arguing that our identities are partly constituted by our attachments. Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue (1981) argued that modern moral debate is fragmented because it has lost a shared tradition of virtue. Charles Taylor's Sources of the Self (1989) and Michael Walzer's Spheres of Justice (1983) also contributed. Several of these thinkers disliked the "communitarian" label.

A political communitarian movement developed in the 1990s, led by sociologist Amitai Etzioni, who launched the journal The Responsive Community in the early 1990s and founded the Communitarian Network in 1993. Etzioni's The Spirit of Community (1993) argued for a new balance of rights and responsibilities. Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone (2000) documented declining civic participation in the US and popularised the concept of "social capital". Politicians such as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair drew on communitarian language about responsibility and community. In more recent years, communitarian ideas have influenced debates about localism, civic renewal and post-liberalism.

Key thinkers and texts

Michael Sandel: Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, Democracy's Discontent.
Alasdair MacIntyre: After Virtue.
Charles Taylor: Sources of the Self, The Ethics of Authenticity.
Michael Walzer: Spheres of Justice.
Amitai Etzioni: The Spirit of Community, The New Golden Rule.
Robert Putnam: Bowling Alone.

Responsive communitarianism (Etzioni) seeks a balance between autonomy and social order within liberal democracy. Philosophical communitarianism (Sandel, MacIntyre, Taylor) critiques liberal theory. Civic republicanism emphasises active citizenship and self-government. Christian democracy shares the emphasis on community and subsidiarity. Post-liberalism shares the critique of individualism, sometimes with more conservative conclusions. Social democracy and one-nation conservatism share some communitarian themes.

Where it sits on our eight axes

On Local vs Central, communitarianism leans Local, valuing local communities and associations. On Revolution vs Reform, it is strongly reformist. On Equality vs Markets, it leans mildly towards Equality, with concern about the effects of unrestrained markets on community. On Authority vs Liberty, it leans mildly towards Authority, accepting social norms and some limits on individual choice for the common good. On Progress vs Tradition, it leans mildly towards Tradition. On Ecology vs Growth, it leans mildly Ecology. On Global vs Nation and Secular vs Religious, it is near the centre, reflecting the diversity of communitarian thinkers.

The liberal–communitarian debate

In the 1980s and 1990s, the debate between liberals and communitarians dominated Anglo-American political philosophy. Liberals like Rawls argued that a just state should be neutral among different ideas of the good life, protecting individual rights so that people can choose their own values. Communitarians argued that this neutrality is impossible and undesirable: no one chooses their values from nowhere, communities shape us, and a society that never discusses the good life leaves people isolated. Rawls later revised his theory in Political Liberalism (1993), partly in response, presenting his view as a political arrangement for a pluralist society rather than a complete philosophy. Many scholars now think the two sides converged somewhat, though the underlying tension between individual freedom and shared values remains central to political life.

How it answers the big questions

What comes first, the individual or the community? Neither alone; they are interdependent.
What role for government? Supporting families and civil society; it should not replace them.
What about rights? Essential, but balanced by responsibilities.
What about markets? Useful, but shouldn't erode community and family life.

In practice today

Communitarian ideas show up in policies on national service, family support, community policing, character education, local governance and civic participation. Debates about social isolation, loneliness and declining trust have renewed interest in communitarian thought. The ideas are also present in post-liberal critiques on both the left and right that question the dominance of individualism and markets.

Criticisms and debates

Liberals argue that communitarianism can justify pressure to conform and restrict minorities, dissenters and people who want to leave their communities. Feminist critics, such as Marilyn Friedman, noted that traditional communities have often been oppressive to women. Critics also point out that "community" is vague: which community counts, and who decides its values? Libertarians argue that communitarianism underestimates freedom. Socialists argue that it ignores structural economic inequality. Communitarians respond that they support liberal democracy and rights, that community is a reality to be strengthened rather than an ideology to be imposed, and that excessive individualism carries real costs.

Key dates

1835–1840: Tocqueville's Democracy in America describes American associational life.
1971: Rawls's A Theory of Justice sets the terms of the debate that communitarians would answer.
1981: MacIntyre's After Virtue.
1982: Sandel's Liberalism and the Limits of Justice.
1983: Walzer's Spheres of Justice.
1989: Taylor's Sources of the Self.
1991: Etzioni and colleagues publish "The Responsive Communitarian Platform". 1993: Etzioni founds the Communitarian Network.
1993: Etzioni's The Spirit of Community; Rawls publishes Political Liberalism.
2000: Putnam's Bowling Alone.

Communitarian policy ideas

Communitarian writers have proposed specific policies that illustrate the approach. Etzioni argued for national and community service programmes for young people, for family-friendly workplace policies so that parents could spend more time with children, for character education in schools, and for a "moral dialogue" approach in which communities debate shared standards rather than relying solely on law. Others have proposed strengthening local government, supporting community land trusts, protecting local businesses and public spaces, and designing neighbourhoods that encourage interaction. Critics note that several of these ideas, such as compulsory service, raise questions about individual freedom, which is exactly the balance communitarians say needs public discussion.

Putnam distinguished "bonding" social capital, the ties within close-knit groups such as families or congregations, from "bridging" social capital, the ties that connect different groups. Communitarians generally want both, because strong bonding without bridging can produce insular or hostile groups.

Common misconceptions

"Communitarianism is communism." They are unrelated; communitarianism is about community values, not collective ownership.
"Communitarians oppose rights." Most support rights but argue for balancing them with responsibilities.
"It's a conservative ideology." It has influenced centre-left and centre-right alike.

Recognising a communitarian outlook

This tradition may match if you believe people are shaped by their communities, want a better balance between rights and responsibilities, value civil society and local institutions, and are wary of both excessive individualism and excessive state power. Moderate scores with a Local and Reform lean are typical.

A suggested reading path

Etzioni's The Spirit of Community is the most accessible political statement. Sandel's Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? introduces the philosophical debates. Putnam's Bowling Alone explores declining community. For critiques, read Stephen Holmes's The Anatomy of Antiliberalism and Will Kymlicka's chapter on communitarianism in Contemporary Political Philosophy.

Frequently asked questions

Is communitarianism left or right? It is usually centrist, with influence on both centre-left and centre-right.

Who coined the term? It was used in the nineteenth century, but its modern meaning comes from 1980s academic debates.

Is communitarianism the same as collectivism? No. It values community and civil society, not state-directed collectivism.