Something to contemplate over the weekend,
There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of ‘The Common Good’:
The Intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of ‘good’ from beneficiaries, and the concept of ‘value’ from valuer and purpose – claiming that the ‘good’ is good in, by and of itself.
The Subjectivist theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, intuitions or whims, and that it is merely an ‘arbitrary postulate’ or an ‘emotional commitment’.
The Objectivist theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves� nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value.
Ayn Rand: What is Capitalism – 1965