Toward the Common Good

In Toward the Common Good, experts examine how the subfields of political theory, comparative politics, American government, international relations, and public administration draw on foundational connections between moral and political philosophy and political science's natural affinities with history, law, anthropology, sociology, and theology. They assess the quality of contemporary political analysis by applying the Catholic principles of the unity of knowledge and pursuit of truth to the traditional principles of justice, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity, all in direct contrast to the utilitarian, secularist, materialist, and relativist approaches that dominate political science today. The essays collected here address the question of method in the study of politics—especially the confining effects of regnant behavioralism—and offer in opposition a recovery of political philosophy, the natural law tradition, virtue ethics, and moral realism. Finally, each contributor suggests how the Catholic political scientist can draw upon the truths of the Catholic faith to enter into the study of politics and how that faith influences the kinds of questions and research a Catholic political scientist undertakes.

Robert F. Gorman is professor of political science and international studies at Texas State University, where he has served as National Endowment for Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professor and where he teaches international law, organization, and the history of ethics. He is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous books, including Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations, 2nd Edition (Scarecrow, 2007) and Historical Dictionary of Refugee and Disaster Relief Organizations, 3rd edition (Scarecrow, 2011).