Revisiting communitarianism: neither liberal nor authoritarian

Abstract

Despite decades of scholarly debate, how communitarianism should be understood remains unresolved, often divided into two dominant interpretations: one framing it as a friendly critique from within liberalism, and the other caricaturing it as a movement leaning towards authoritarianism. In this paper, I offer an alternative, more nuanced reading of communitarianism that moves beyond these binary interpretations. By examining its core philosophical tenets—the ontological priority of community, the contextuality of knowledge, and the impersonality of goods—I argue that communitarianism can be reinterpreted as a standalone ethical-political philosophy. Subsequently, I refine this initial reading by introducing two principles: immanent critique and the fusion of horizons, which help distinguish communitarianism from authoritarianism and relativism alike. These principles demonstrate how communitarianism fosters continuous value reproduction within communities while remaining open to cross-cultural dialog and the possibility of a universal morality. This reimagined communitarianism not only protects authenticity but also provides a framework for engaging with global diversity, offering promising avenues for interaction and mutual understanding across different cultural contexts.