Commonwealth
Abstract
The word commonwealth is a compound of the Old English words "common" and "weal", which entails a more classic understanding of "wealth" as "well-being". A commonwealth in its most general sense therefore involves a conception of common and public well-being--as opposed to the res private, or private affairs--with respect to various forms of human association, without being tied to any particular form of government. The term itself finds its origins in the 15th century as a translation of the Latin res republica meaning "things public" (alternately, "public matter" or "public affair"). In turn, the roots of res republica reside in the writings of Roman moralists and statesmen. They in turn were working with conceptions of this common good first formulated by Plato and Aristotle, for whom all human associations must be concerned with the well-being of the community arising out of the right ordering of the souls of individuals in terms of the cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, the latter binding the community together. In the city just as in the soul of the individual, "It's justice that produces factions, hatreds, and quarrels among themselves, and justice that produces unanimity and friendship" (Plato, Republic. 351d).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2013
- Accession Number
- AD1015633
Entities
People
- Rouven J. Steeves
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy