Why do responsive communitarians reject giving automatic priority to either rights or the common good?

Responsive communitarians reject giving automatic priority to either rights or the common good because they posit that both are essential sources of normativity that must be balanced within a society.1

Rather than viewing these values as inherently contradictory, responsive communitarians argue that all societies must heed the moral claims of both autonomy and rights and the common good. They observe that actual societies often tilt excessively toward one value or the other, leading to imbalances that require correction. For instance, they contend that societies prioritizing the common good at the expense of individual rights risk becoming authoritarian, while those placing undue importance on individual rights may suffer from excessive individualism and social fragmentation.213

By advocating for a synthesis, responsive communitarians seek to pull societies back toward the center, championing communities that provide both a rich web of social relations and significant degrees of freedom. They believe that neither value should, in principle, take precedence over the other, as both are necessary for a healthy, functioning society.21