Official Review: Advancing the Common Good by Philip Kotler
Posted: 11 Jan 2020, 14:02
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Advancing the Common Good" by Philip Kotler.]
Advancing the Common Good by Philip Kotler is an informational nonfiction book promoting the welfare of human beings. It not only defines what the Common Good is, which is the greatest good for the greatest number of people, but it also explores the complexity in deciding what the Common Good is for an issue. Kotler discusses the pragmatic uses of the concept of the Common Good and the enemies of the Common Good. Additionally, this book details public goods and the government’s function in creating and maintaining these public goods.
Because this book generally focuses on the politics of the United States, Kotler evaluates and proposes solutions for social problems that affect the USA. He discusses the past and present of several social movements and how they promote the Common Good. After giving this historical information, Kotler details tools that individuals and organizations can use to increase or promote the Common Good. Then, he shows how businesses, the government, and nonprofit organizations can increase the Common Good and why businesses should have a vested interest in doing so.
I learned a lot while reading Advancing the Common Good. It has good historical information on many of the social movements active today. My favorite part of this book is the varied solutions the author presents to the social problems he mentions. For each of the fifteen social problems Kotler brings up, he proposes multiple solutions, both ones that have been presented already and others that compromise between positions. I appreciated this approach instead of just proposing one party’s solution and pushing that option on the reader. I was also fond of the readable tables and understandable examples. The book as a whole is very well organized and easy to read.
Despite presenting multiple solutions for each problem, the author does make some assumptions about the social problems he discusses. He frequently asserts that one position inherently promotes the Common Good. I frequently found myself agreeing with his assertions; however, I would have liked to have seen more empirical or ideological support for his position supporting the Common Good. Although he does make some assumptions that I feel should have been supported better, the book as a whole is filled with well-supported, reasonable ideas.
Based on my reading of Advancing the Common Good, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. This book is enjoyable and easy to read, full of interesting perspectives, and a good reminder for readers to think about the Common Good and how they can promote it. I would have liked to see a little more support for some of the ideas, but most of them are supported very well. I only found a single error, so the editing is very professional.
I would recommend this title for people who enjoy reading political books, philosophy, or learning about new concepts. Although the author takes a balanced approach to many of the topics discussed in the book, he generally leans to the left on the political spectrum. If that is a problem, I would suggest skipping this book. Additionally, most of the major political issues in the United States today are discussed within the book. Anyone sensitive toward any of these issues should look elsewhere.
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Advancing the Common Good
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Advancing the Common Good by Philip Kotler is an informational nonfiction book promoting the welfare of human beings. It not only defines what the Common Good is, which is the greatest good for the greatest number of people, but it also explores the complexity in deciding what the Common Good is for an issue. Kotler discusses the pragmatic uses of the concept of the Common Good and the enemies of the Common Good. Additionally, this book details public goods and the government’s function in creating and maintaining these public goods.
Because this book generally focuses on the politics of the United States, Kotler evaluates and proposes solutions for social problems that affect the USA. He discusses the past and present of several social movements and how they promote the Common Good. After giving this historical information, Kotler details tools that individuals and organizations can use to increase or promote the Common Good. Then, he shows how businesses, the government, and nonprofit organizations can increase the Common Good and why businesses should have a vested interest in doing so.
I learned a lot while reading Advancing the Common Good. It has good historical information on many of the social movements active today. My favorite part of this book is the varied solutions the author presents to the social problems he mentions. For each of the fifteen social problems Kotler brings up, he proposes multiple solutions, both ones that have been presented already and others that compromise between positions. I appreciated this approach instead of just proposing one party’s solution and pushing that option on the reader. I was also fond of the readable tables and understandable examples. The book as a whole is very well organized and easy to read.
Despite presenting multiple solutions for each problem, the author does make some assumptions about the social problems he discusses. He frequently asserts that one position inherently promotes the Common Good. I frequently found myself agreeing with his assertions; however, I would have liked to have seen more empirical or ideological support for his position supporting the Common Good. Although he does make some assumptions that I feel should have been supported better, the book as a whole is filled with well-supported, reasonable ideas.
Based on my reading of Advancing the Common Good, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. This book is enjoyable and easy to read, full of interesting perspectives, and a good reminder for readers to think about the Common Good and how they can promote it. I would have liked to see a little more support for some of the ideas, but most of them are supported very well. I only found a single error, so the editing is very professional.
I would recommend this title for people who enjoy reading political books, philosophy, or learning about new concepts. Although the author takes a balanced approach to many of the topics discussed in the book, he generally leans to the left on the political spectrum. If that is a problem, I would suggest skipping this book. Additionally, most of the major political issues in the United States today are discussed within the book. Anyone sensitive toward any of these issues should look elsewhere.
******
Advancing the Common Good
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
