 Reference to “the public” shares some of those same features but tends to be less morally laden. This is in part because “the public” is somewhat more anonymous than “the community” and does not necessarily signal a tight cultural connection. Rather, it connotes a relatively discrete unit with some common institutions and usually a shared political life. References to the public as well as to the community may encourage the perception that the good we are seeking to advance is that of a geographically bounded unit, with community connoting stronger cultural associations, and public connoting some kind of official political unit such as a state or a country with geographically defined boundaries. One reason to be hesitant to accept this characterization is its problematic fit with some threats to health. Communicable diseases, for example, have a way of ignoring national boundaries, and preventive measures in one country may be futile if other countries do not follow  suit.[2]