I have long since argued that people do not use “the common good” as a first principle but as a justifier.
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I have long since argued that people do not use “the common good” as a first principle but as a justifier. As in, people do not come to conclusions based on “the common good,” they come to conclusions and use the common good to justify it.
Take Matt Walsh as an example, here’s what he previously said about “the common good”:
“At some point conservatives decided that government should not be used to advance the common good. And at that point conservatism became limp, shallow, and ineffectual. It also divorced itself from its own intellectual history. And that in a nutshell is why the Left always wins.”
Now, I can think of no better example of “the common good” than stopping the spread of illness. And for awhile, Mr. Walsh seemed to agree with this. In fact, his first article on quarantining said we should be doing this anyway:
“[T]hese practices are also objectively good and healthy, and while they have the potential to ravage our economy, they also have the potential to give people happier and more meaningful lives. Perhaps it is worth considering whether it is good that good things like frugality and self-sufficiency should be so bad for our country. And if it is not good that good things are bad, then maybe we should next consider whether there is a better way to set up a society, a way that will not cause us to break out in hives at the thought of millions of families eating dinner in their dining rooms.”
Then the common good went after him, specifically, he realized that social distancing orders, which he previously supported, also applied to religious gatherings. Considering this virus is most deadly among the elderly, and the elderly are the most likely to go to church, I cannot call this unreasonable.
Here’s how Walsh reacted with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio gave him a big helping of the common good:
“Over the weekend, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that ‘synagogues’ and ‘churches’ that disobey his order to remain shut down may be closed permanently as punishment. One can’t help but notice that the good mayor conspicuously omitted one type of worship facility from this dire warning. But whether mosques are exempt or not, the bigger issue is that Bill de Blasio certainly does not have the authority to permanently close places of worship as a punitive measure for defying his commands. He has the word ‘mayor’ in front of his name, not ‘sultan’ or ‘king’ or ‘supreme leader.’ And the First Amendment still exists, even if he’d prefer to pretend otherwise.”
First off, De Blasio didn’t mention mosques because most Muslims aren’t trying to defy social distancing rules. In Brooklyn, a group of Jews violated social distancing orders to hold a funeral for a rabbi who died of COVID-19. Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne violated social distancing orders in Florida to his church, and I know Walsh knows about this considering he reported on it!
Second off, government has always had the power to shut down organizations, including religious ones, that are breaking the law. This is why Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had to change their practices on polygamy and segregation, because otherwise they’d be shut down. Will Walsh stand up for them? For some reason, I doubt it.
But, once again, I must note the hypocrisy regarding “the common good.” Tell me, what better example of “the common good” exists than stopping the elderly from getting an illness most dangerous to them?
Oh yeah, I forgot, the common good is just that thing that allows us to ban pornography. Walsh doesn’t care about “the common good,” he just sometimes can use that as an excuse to ban things he doesn’t like.
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