ABSTRACT
In T. H. Green's political philosophy, general political principles are connected to practical political issues. This is one reason why his work is important and interesting. It has often been thought strange, embarrassing even, that Green should want state action to limit the liquor traffic. That seems anomalous in a political philosophy which, it is usually agreed, belongs to the liberal tradition. The temperance organizations to which Green belonged had differing policies, though their aims were compatible enough to allow overlapping membership. There were also factions in each. Green generally adhered to the official line of the UK Alliance, but with a flexibility deriving from his characteristic independence of mind combined with his own judgment of political practicalities. The Common Good is Green's ultimate moral criterion for this and all cases of state action, as it is for every other moral question. Some account of it must therefore be given.
