Group interest is what to meet the common demands of all members in a certain group of people. In this sense, the group interest is an inevitable social phenomenon. In any society, there are always different groups of people. Each class can be also seen as a group. Each group has its own interest. The relationship between the group interest, individual interest and social interest may suit or contradict each other. Group interest can be found in the State policies, since many policies are advantageous for these groups, but disadvantageous for others. | Group Interest as A Socio-philosophical Concept GROUP INTEREST AS A SOCIO-PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPT NGUYEN NGOC HA * TRAN THI BICH HUE ** Abstract: Group interest is what to meet the common demands of all members in a certain group of people. In this sense, the group interest is an inevitable social phenomenon. In any society, there are always different groups of people. Each class can be also seen as a group. Each group has its own interest. The relationship between the group interest, individual interest and social interest may suit or contradict each other. Group interest can be found in the State policies, since many policies are advantageous for these groups, but disadvantageous for others. Key words: Interest, group, group interest. Introduction In academic and socio-political publications and newspapers in Vietnam as well as abroad, the concept of group interest has been widely used in recent years. Some people use this concept to imply illegitimate (or negative) interests of a group of people. In the meanwhile, others use this concept to imply common interests of a group of people, although the interests may be legitimate or illegitimate (positive or negative), depending on specific cases(1). The term “group interests” in the latter implication are seen as a socio-philosophical concept. This paper describes some issues relating to group interests from the perspective of socio-philosophy. 1. Indispensability of group interests Though the concept of group interests has been used widely just recently, it does not mean that the phenomenon of group interests has just occurred. Everyone has needs (such as food, clothes, houses, means of transportation, knowledge, honor, and cultural values, etc.) and they require what to meet the needs; interest is the very thing that meets the needs of man; and, group interest is the very thing that meets the common interests of all people in a certain group.(1) There are indispensably different groups in society. A group (or a
