A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

and of humanity. Indeed, even bodies like the World Bank may recommend
restoring certain sectors of public service. A number of the top
businessmen are of the same opinion, too, after having seen that the
wave of privatizations did not prove to be as profitable as anticipated.
The approach of the concept of the ‘Common Good of Humanity’ might
seem overly theoretical, considering the social and political concerns
that now confront us. Nevertheless it can serve as a useful working tool
in dealing with contemporary problems, like the multiple crises that face
us, as well as the convergence of the initiatives and struggles against a
system that destroys nature and societies. It involves very concrete realities,
the first being solidarity, weakened as it is by competitiveness
and individualism, but also altruism, respect for nature, tenderness – in
sum, everything that constitutes a human being.
Let us start with the crisis and all its aspects, showing how systemic it
is. This enables us to see the problem of the ‘common goods’ and even
the ‘common good’ (as opposed to the individual good) in a new light,
integrating them into the perspective of the ‘Common Good of Humanity’.
We shall then move on to the need to revisit the paradigm of the
collective life of humanity on this earth, emphasizing the practical aspects
of such an approach in relation to national and international economic
and social policies, and concluding with the proposal for a
Universal Declaration of the Common Good of Humanity.
Let us go back to the concepts. The first one, i.e. ‘common goods’, has
been described before. The second one, i.e. the ‘Common Good’ that
we are talking about is that which is shared in common by all human
beings (men and women). Already Aristotle, in his Politics, believed that
no society could exist unless it shared something in common, even if
he thought this should be reduced to a minimum 3 . However, we do not
3 It was Riccardo Petrella who had the idea of re-introducing into progressive thought
the notion of ‘Common Good’, confronted as it was by neoliberalism and the domination
of the market (1998). He based his view of “a new world social contract” concerning
assets, culture, democracy, land. According to him it is a question of formulating the
principles and establishing the appropriate regulations, institutions and culture.
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