Common+good

The notion of "common good" came up in our last few lectures, where professor Buc noted that rulers were beginning to rationalize their actions in terms of "common good" or the good of the polis. It appeared in the 13th-14th centuries, and is a departure from earlier aristocratic actions such as "soaking" peasants for money in times of fiscal need. Furthermore, this new rationality led to the idea of nationalism and the modern state.