A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

6 The Arab Awakening
FROM “COMMON GOODS” TO THE “COMMON GOOD”
OF ALL LIVING SPECIES ON THE PLANET EARTH
HASSAN ABOU-BAKR
From the start of his paper, Houtart states that “the economic development
model that “we” have, with its political, cultural and psychological
consequences, is at the origin of these imbalances”. By “we” he means
the “west”. What about our “we”? In the very moment I am writing these
lines, another dictator in our Arab world was stepped down, actually killed
by his people- in spite of the debate on the NATO intervention. What I am
trying to say is that the economic and political models that prevailed in
our region were very much worse. Do not forget, please, the hypocritical
policies exercised by western states (US and Europe) that lead to the persistence
of such policies and those who implemented them.
Peoples, not only in the Arab world, but also all over the world, have recognized
the necessity of new systems. Demonstrations went out in almost
80 countries protesting against the existing financial system.
The pivotal question raised by Houtart’s paper, is “how to bring together
the forces for change?”
“Common goods” Redefined
I want to extend the term “common goods” to include things such as
the climate of our planet, the ice caps, the oceans, the rain forests and
the “goods” of science, knowledge and technology. All the Humanity
has contributed, in one way or the other, to the advancement of the
human community. We recognize, of course, the magnificent contributions
made by the western civilization, especially during and after the
industrial revolution. But all nations had offered a lot for the accumulation
of knowledge and human wisdom. Houtart is completely right when he
states “we have reached the stage when human life itself is being com-
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