Books on political philosophy are rarely written in Maltese. The reasons can be numerous but the factual situation is that. This book is a kind of departure from that situation. It also seems that the way politics is being conducted in Malta, and one dares to say abroad, is also a bit pragmatic, more about customer satisfaction and less about principles. Realistically, strategy, contact with people, and the promise of a better life are very important in politics. Here’s who says politics is 1% inspiration and 99% sweat.
However, while all this may be true, it is also true that that 1% must inevitably inspire and justify the other 99% of the work. In order to achieve this purpose a lot of thought has to be done. This process of thinking is an essential part of political philosophy. This book is a humble attempt to open a discussion on the level of that 1%. The book, while addressed to anyone interested in reading about political philosophy in general and the common good in particular, should be of interest, hopefully, to those who wish to think more deeply or more broadly on this subject. What comes to mind is a whole range of people, from university students who want to write on this topic to politicians who want an analytical collection on this concept that is so much mentioned and at the same time remains so mysterious.
This book is not a handbook of what to think or do, but rather a suggestion of how to start a political dialogue at a level that is not one of confrontation but one of cooperation. With this principle as a conceptual backbone of the project led to the final division of the manuscript into two sections. The first section of the book analyzes the interaction between political philosophy and the common good from the perspective of a selection of philosophers and movements. The second section focuses more on the conceptual aspects of the common good. This book was sent for publication in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic or as it is better known the Coronavirus. The latter crisis has revealed the need for political and economic change. Such a small virus has brought the governments of large countries to their knees and shattered economies around the world.
From a very young age Alan Xuereb was fascinated by cosmology, philosophy and politics. He holds a doctorate in Law and holds an M.Phil. in Philosophy of Law. Between 1996 and 2008 he worked as a lawyer in Malta where he practiced mainly in the field of family law and where he dedicated himself among others to help the hidden poor through his involvement in the Era Ġdida project and as well within the Dominican Order.
He was also a legal officer in the European Union Directorate at the time when Malta was negotiating its accession to the European Union. Subsequently he also acted as a consultant on European Union law for various companies, organizations and government agencies. During this period he was also appointed CEO of a translation and consultancy company in the field of the European Union. He currently works as a lawyer-linguist with the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.
Dr. Xuereb is married to Silke (nee Maninger) and they have two children, Tristan and Alea. They live in Tawern in Germany. Dr. Xuereb is a member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy in London and is an active member of the Oxford Philosophical Society. He is the author of several articles in Maltese newspapers and in various philosophical magazines in the United Kingdom. He writes on different philosophical topics particularly on political philosophy, morality and law and metaphysics. This book is the culmination of years of reflection on the common good.