Glouisel asked:

Could you explain the difference between the right and the good to me, please?

In particular,

*does it have anything to do with the public/private distinction?

*liberals claim to advance a theory of the right, but can there be non-liberal theories of the right?

*is the distinction used differently in ethics and political theory?

*how does the distinction bear upon the force of moral statements?

*how does it bear upon the possibility of pluralism of values?

*does it relate to the difference between imperfect and perfect duties?

I can answer part. The distinction seems to have been most strongly made (as far as I know, first
made in this way) by Kant, and the right/good distinction is strong in the Kantian tradition. The right is
that which Reason, through the Categorical Imperative, can tell us that a perfect being (the Holy Will)
must do. The good is that which we seek in response to a Hypothetic Imperative. In other words, it is
not morally incumbent on everyone to seek the good - just those for whom it aligns with their goals.
The right is universal in its demands.

Jurgen Habermas (following Kant) claims that there can be a sharp cut between the right and the
good. On his account, the right encompasses all those moral rules which would be agreed to by all, if
they were to sit down and discuss the issues fully in the (impossible in practice) Ideal Speech
Situation. The good covers all those things that everyone could not agree to, because they depend on
individual preferences. The right is aligned with Justice.

*
So, it does have to do with the public/private distinction - the right can be enforced in public policy, the
good is a matter for individuals to seek, because it is not the same for everyone (public policy may
attempt to create the conditions that allow individuals to do so).

*
Pass. I would guess there could be if there was a Kantian non-liberal theory - but is there such a
thing?

*
I'm no expert here, but I think it is used in broadly the same way in both.

*
Only statements about the right are moral - statements about the good are prudential. This follows
from the equation of morality with justice (see Rawls A Theory of Justice).

*
Pluralism of values is possible in matters of the good, but not in matters of the right.

*
Pass. I can never remember what the difference is!

Tim Sprod