3. Abrahamic religions
(Judaism, Christianity,
Islam): the purpose of
God for God’s creatures
is their flourishing in the
fullness of life blessings
9/12/2014 3
5. Human beings become
fully alive when their
lives are guided by the
knowledge of God’s
plan for their
fulfillment.
9/12/2014 5
6. For the Abrahamic
religions, the ethical goal of
societal life is the
promotion of the fullness of
life blessings for God’s
creatures.
9/12/2014 6
7. For human beings who
accept the guidance of God
for their lives, this fullness of
life blessings
•is partial and temporary in
this present form of life
•becomes complete and
definitive in the afterlife
9/12/2014 7
8. Even the (many) secular
humanists—atheists and
agnostics—whose ethics is
based on natural law or
something similar to it
accept human flourishing as
the ethical goal of societal
life.
9/12/2014 8
9. A society fosters the
fullness of life of its
members by promoting the
common good.
9/12/2014 9
10. The common good is defined
as the total set of conditions
of societal life—economic,
political, cultural,
environmental, and so
forth—that facilitates the
fullness of life blessings for
each and every individual
and group within society.
9/12/2014 10
11. Elements of the
common good
•fullness of life
blessings as its total
or overarching goal
9/12/2014 11
12. specifically societal aspects of a
blessed life (fullness of life blessings)
(specific aspects of the common good)
• basic welfare--spiritual and material
• liberty
• equality
• participation
• solidarity
• integrity of creation
9/12/2014 12
13. Societal systems—
mainly the economic,
political, cultural—are
tasked to promote the
common good.
9/12/2014 13
14. When the societal systems
of a given society—such as
Philippine society—are
damaging rather than
promoting the common
good, there emerges a
moral obligation.
9/12/2014 14
15. This moral obligation is
for the members of
society to change these
systems, so that the
society can be
transformed for the good.
9/12/2014 15
16. The main societal
systems of the
Philippines today are not
promoting the common
good.
9/12/2014 16
17. The economic system
•is not sufficiently
productive
•its benefits mainly go
to a small minority
9/12/2014 17
18. The political system
• rewards corruption
and violence
•imposes disadvantage
on the honest and
peace-loving
9/12/2014 18
19. The cultural system
•is damaged by decline in
reverence for God,
honesty, and concern for
the common good
•is increasingly hypocritical
and obsessed with wealth,
pleasure, power, and fame
9/12/2014 19
20. The result is what we see
today—
•massive and widespread poverty
•unbridled and unpunished
corruption
• hypocritical abuse of power
• increasing criminality
• intensifying social conflict and
violence
9/12/2014 20
21. Since the societal systems—
economic, political, and
cultural—of the Philippines
are harming the common
good, there is a clear moral
call for systems change to
bring about national
transformation.
9/12/2014 21
22. We need systems
change to transform
our nation so that…
9/12/2014 22
23. •our economic system will
produce enough to
• increase our national
wealth
•enable all the people to
enjoy lives of austere and
simple comfort
9/12/2014 23
24. • our political system will
•install meritocracy
•reward honesty,
competence, and diligence
•reduce social conflict
•put an end to extremist
violence
9/12/2014 24
25. • our cultural system will
promote the ordering of our
people’s lives based on
•reverence and obedience
to God
•solidarity in pursuing the
common good
9/12/2014 25
26. In sum, morally
speaking, the
Philippines urgently
needs systems change
for national
transformation.
9/12/2014 26
Notas do Editor
Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus haereses, IV, 20, 7: Gloria enim Dei vivens homo …
