The Common Good: An Introduction to Personalism(Vernon Series in Philosophy)

Our traditional ways of thinking about politics and society are becoming obsolete. We need some new points of reference in order to re-imagine the possible character, growth, and functioning of our private and common life. Such re-imagination would imply doing away with every-man-for-himself individualism as well as consumption-makes-me-happy materialism and the-state-will-take-care-of-it passivity. There is an alternative: Personalism is a forgotten, yet golden perspective on humanity that seeks to describe what a human being is and to then draw the social consequences. Personalism builds upon the thinking of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas, among others, and has been a source of inspiration for Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, and other important personalities in recent history. According to personalism, humans are relational and engaged and possess dignity. The person and the relationship amongst persons are the universal point of departure: Human beings have inherent dignity, and good relationships amongst humans are crucial for the good, engaged life and for a good society. Personalism has been greatly neglected in Western political thought. In this book, Jonas Norgaard Mortensen attempts to introduce personalism while simultaneously demonstrating its historical origins, acquainting the reader with its thinkers and those who have practiced it, and showing that personalism has a highly relevant contribution to make in the debate about today's social and political developments.

Review :
"In his book Norgaard Mortensen gives a convincing introduction to this current of thought, and takes a step forward in revealing it´s importance in the public sector. Prof. Mortensen's current work is an accurate and non-technical account of the main characteristics present in the life and work of many important authors that have put the human person in the forefront of their intellectual reflection and praxis." Jorge Olaechea Catter, director, Vida Y Espiritualiddad, Lima, Peru "Jonas Norgaard Mortensen's work will undoubtedly satisfy the expectations of a number of readers who were left disappointed by specialist theses, available to a narrow range of experts. The publication is attractive because it can serve as a reference book, enabling people to acquaint themselves with the basic assumptions of the personalistic philosophy and its application in the creation of common good." Krzysztof Guzowski, professor, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), Lublin, Poland "This is a very good book and Jonas have done us all a great service in writing it." Randall Auxier, professor, Southern Illinois University, editor of the journal The Personalist Forum (renamed The Pluralist in 2005), USA "I am both shocked and moved to find that personalism, the existence of which I was unaware of until now, seems to be the common thread that runs through all of my passionate commitments, present and past, as far back as I can remember. The book hits the exact spot where my heart beats, my tears flow, and my courage to work for change is rekindled." Karen Lumholt, journalist, author and director of think tank Cura, Denmark "An extremely well-written introduction to personalism, a virtually unknown philosophical and political current that holds great inspiration for our way of building and leading communities. A break with an often stereotypical polarization of individual over against community, by looking at relationships as what connects each of us with others. In the family, the workplace, and in the world. Do we build up or do we tear down? We face this choice every day in our communication, behavior, and management." Thomas Johansen, director, partner and head consultant in the consultancy MacMann Berg "How desperately we need the view of humans that permeates personalism and the book The Common Good. It is a holistic view of humans, it is about respect for values and social relations, and it is about the belief that we, in a community, can change the world and our own existence. Personalism is fundamentally about becoming responsible: our ability to take responsibility-- and to share it. The book dusts off an old theory and demonstrates its vast relevance in our current age and world. It does so by involving brand new knowledge about social relationships from surveys and theories in the human and social sciences. The book will therefore be of value to anyone working in the social sector." Per Schultz-Jørgensen, Professor of Psychology, Danish School of Education "The notion that all humans are dignified, relational, and engaged is a subcurrent of my entire work with young people in boarding schools. In conversations, dialogue, and behavior, this view of humans comes to the surface and gives content and body to the claim that "All young people wish to succeed". The book The Common Good should be read by anybody working with children and young people." Jan Dufke, Headmaster, Skovbo Boarding School