Subsidy or Subsidiarity
by Gerald J. Russello
For every myth of the self-made man, there is the image of the closely knit New England small town. For every lone cowboy on the frontier, there are the social, political, and cultural groups that Americans have formed since the beginning of the Republic.
Yet while individualism remains as ingrained as ever,
the impulse toward community has weakened.
As Robert Putnam has pointed out in his influential book Bowling Alone, participation in groups of all sorts has dropped dramatically. The informal social capital that develops from community life and that is critical to democracy is in danger of dissipating.
The Catholic principle of subsidiarity, first set forth in its modern form by Pope Leo XIII in his social encyclicals, provides a political template for reinterpreting the balance between community and individual.
The Catholic principle of subsidiarity, first set forth in its modern form by Pope Leo XIII in his social encyclicals, provides a political template for reinterpreting the balance between community and individual.
Subsidiarity proposes a series of nested communities, beginning with the family and extending up through the national state; it encompasses not just “public” or governmental institutions but also private institutions, such as churches, corporations, and civic groups, that make up society. Social problems should be addressed at the most local level able to solve them, which has the result of increasing community attachments. More generally, Catholic social thought is grounded in a conception of the human person that is relational rather than individualistic. That is to say, Catholicism emphasizes the bonds persons have with one another as created beings and asserts that these bonds create reciprocal duties and responsibilities.
.................
Read more: www.theimaginativeconservative.org
Catholics and Protestants have different theological doctrines. Does it follow that they have different ways of living, different “ethics”? According to the well-known maxim (and book) of Richard Weaver, “ideas have consequences.” Thus we should not be surprised if theological differences have consequences at the level of everyday life. Actually, this concept of differing cultures caused by different theological systems has been around for a long time. After the Protestant Revolt a number of observers noticed differences between Catholic and Protestant countries, and after capitalism linked up with the nascent industrial revolution, many noted that it was chiefly the Protestant countries that took advantage of the new and inhuman way of life that these two baneful forces fostered. In the early part of the 20th century Max Weber wrote his famous book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904). As part of his concern with the origins of capitalism, he necessarily included much material on how differing attitudes toward wealth and economic success affected everyday life.
John Tropman, a professor of social welfare and business at the University of Michigan, claims that he (Tropman) was the first to discuss a Catholic ethic as opposed to Weber’s Protestant ethic: “Weber wrote his book about 100 years ago. Amazingly, over almost a century, no one introduced the idea of another ethic…. My 1986 article ‘The “Catholic Ethic” versus the “Protestant Ethic”’ was the first specifically to introduce the concept of a Catholic ethic.” Tropman, however, is misinformed. Although the term Catholic ethic may not have been used, the term Catholic culture has been used since at least the 1930s, and with pretty much the same meaning. Such writers as Jaime Balmes (back in the 19th century), Hilaire Belloc, the Jesuit George Bull, Amintore Fanfani, Michael Novak (in The Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics), and many others (including this reviewer) have written extensively about the ways that Protestant and Catholic theological beliefs work themselves out in daily life.
Although some of these earlier authors were more concerned with how the Faith formed entire nations and cultures, Tropman is concerned principally with the U.S. — that is, with the Catholic subculture and its particular beliefs.
And there are differences in the everyday attitudes of Catholics and Protestants. Tropman focuses his discussion on the following: attitudes toward work, money, family, “fault-forgiveness,” and helping others. He begins by pointing out the pervasiveness of the Protestant ethic in American culture: “Generally the concept of the Protestant ethic refers to a set of beliefs that support work — particularly, hard work — and give it a sort of transcendental and omnibus meaning and purpose. The Protestant ethic supports material and financial acquisition as opposed to sufficiency. In the Protestant ethic tradition, a person can never have too much money. Even people who are doing well should continue to persevere and acquire more…. The Protestant ethic tends to regard money as a symbol of and validation of success and achievement and thus transforms money from a tool to meet material needs into a symbol of fundamental character…. Ipso facto, having money is good.”
.....................
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The Catholic Ethic Made Politically Correct
By Thomas Storck
Catholics and Protestants have different theological doctrines. Does it follow that they have different ways of living, different “ethics”? According to the well-known maxim (and book) of Richard Weaver, “ideas have consequences.” Thus we should not be surprised if theological differences have consequences at the level of everyday life. Actually, this concept of differing cultures caused by different theological systems has been around for a long time. After the Protestant Revolt a number of observers noticed differences between Catholic and Protestant countries, and after capitalism linked up with the nascent industrial revolution, many noted that it was chiefly the Protestant countries that took advantage of the new and inhuman way of life that these two baneful forces fostered. In the early part of the 20th century Max Weber wrote his famous book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904). As part of his concern with the origins of capitalism, he necessarily included much material on how differing attitudes toward wealth and economic success affected everyday life.
John Tropman, a professor of social welfare and business at the University of Michigan, claims that he (Tropman) was the first to discuss a Catholic ethic as opposed to Weber’s Protestant ethic: “Weber wrote his book about 100 years ago. Amazingly, over almost a century, no one introduced the idea of another ethic…. My 1986 article ‘The “Catholic Ethic” versus the “Protestant Ethic”’ was the first specifically to introduce the concept of a Catholic ethic.” Tropman, however, is misinformed. Although the term Catholic ethic may not have been used, the term Catholic culture has been used since at least the 1930s, and with pretty much the same meaning. Such writers as Jaime Balmes (back in the 19th century), Hilaire Belloc, the Jesuit George Bull, Amintore Fanfani, Michael Novak (in The Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics), and many others (including this reviewer) have written extensively about the ways that Protestant and Catholic theological beliefs work themselves out in daily life.
Although some of these earlier authors were more concerned with how the Faith formed entire nations and cultures, Tropman is concerned principally with the U.S. — that is, with the Catholic subculture and its particular beliefs.
And there are differences in the everyday attitudes of Catholics and Protestants. Tropman focuses his discussion on the following: attitudes toward work, money, family, “fault-forgiveness,” and helping others. He begins by pointing out the pervasiveness of the Protestant ethic in American culture: “Generally the concept of the Protestant ethic refers to a set of beliefs that support work — particularly, hard work — and give it a sort of transcendental and omnibus meaning and purpose. The Protestant ethic supports material and financial acquisition as opposed to sufficiency. In the Protestant ethic tradition, a person can never have too much money. Even people who are doing well should continue to persevere and acquire more…. The Protestant ethic tends to regard money as a symbol of and validation of success and achievement and thus transforms money from a tool to meet material needs into a symbol of fundamental character…. Ipso facto, having money is good.”
.....................
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario