SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHARITY
Commentary on Laudato Si, Chapter 5: “A
Better Kind of Politics”
Papa Francesco in this chapter expounds his idea of social and political love.
My parish asked me to prepare a presentation about the chapter. Together with my notes, my presentation explores the origins and development of this idea in the Western tradition.
Definition
of “common good”
—Simon Lee, “Common Good,” Brittanica
[Boldface mine]
The common good as a philosophical concept appeared in the 13th century through the writings of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas reviews Politics, in which Aristotle affirms that the city assumes “the existence of a common good [...]. Just as the whole is more important than the part, and takes priority [...], the city takes priority over the individual...and its overall well-being is of a higher importance...than that of each individual himself...” But for the Dominican philosopher, this concept contains elements of a religious approach: the common good is a political and social organization that allows humans to seek God. Salvation is the guiding principle of society, the one that guarantees the notion of “good” for all.
…there are two broad concepts of the general interest. On the one hand, there is the Anglo-Saxon vision, which postulates that “the general interest results...from the sum of the interests of each”, a very liberal approach to individual rights. On the other hand, the French-style republican vision exists in which “the general interest is understood as an objective which exceeds the sum of individual interests.” In this concept, the state plays a top down role: “The public power is progressively affirmed as the guarantor and the designer of the overall interest, knowing in theory better than anyone what suits everyone and distrusting individual desire, viewing it as something that should be contained or limited.”
…The need for engagement
In the 20th and especially in the 21st century, the definition of the common good that prevails is much more horizontal. The common good is neither a sum of disparate individual interests nor an arbitrary direction fixed by the state; rather, it comes from the community, and pertains to the goods that the community can share.
…the common good is developed by the citizens themselves in a conscious way. “Being a citizen is less about one’s duties in exchange for the guarantee of one’s rights than about participating in a society through the contribution of one’s intelligence, time, and skills, and in being able to decide the nature of one’s contribution,” writes Chrystèle Basin.
https://www.responsible-economy.org/en/blog/131-featured-article/909-a-brief-history-of-the-common-good
—“A Brief History of the Common Good,” World Forum for a Responsible Economy (September 19, 2017)
The
Catechism notes three essential elements of the common good: respect for the
individual, the social well-being and development of the group, and peace which
results from the stability of a just society.
http://www.loyno.edu/jsri/catholic-social-thought-and-common-good
—Fred Kammer, S.J., “Catholic Social Thought and the Common Good,” Jesuit Social Research Institute
The notion of the common good has been a consistent theme in Western political philosophy, most notably in the work of Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It has been most clearly developed in the political theory of republicanism, which has contended that the common good is something that can only be achieved through political means and the collective action of citizens participating in their own self-government.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/common-good
http://www.loyno.edu/jsri/catholic-social-thought-and-common-good
—Fred Kammer, S.J., “Catholic Social Thought and the Common Good,” Jesuit Social Research Institute
The notion of the common good has been a consistent theme in Western political philosophy, most notably in the work of Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It has been most clearly developed in the political theory of republicanism, which has contended that the common good is something that can only be achieved through political means and the collective action of citizens participating in their own self-government.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/common-good
—Simon Lee, “Common Good,” Brittanica
[Boldface mine]
The common good as a philosophical concept appeared in the 13th century through the writings of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas reviews Politics, in which Aristotle affirms that the city assumes “the existence of a common good [...]. Just as the whole is more important than the part, and takes priority [...], the city takes priority over the individual...and its overall well-being is of a higher importance...than that of each individual himself...” But for the Dominican philosopher, this concept contains elements of a religious approach: the common good is a political and social organization that allows humans to seek God. Salvation is the guiding principle of society, the one that guarantees the notion of “good” for all.
…there are two broad concepts of the general interest. On the one hand, there is the Anglo-Saxon vision, which postulates that “the general interest results...from the sum of the interests of each”, a very liberal approach to individual rights. On the other hand, the French-style republican vision exists in which “the general interest is understood as an objective which exceeds the sum of individual interests.” In this concept, the state plays a top down role: “The public power is progressively affirmed as the guarantor and the designer of the overall interest, knowing in theory better than anyone what suits everyone and distrusting individual desire, viewing it as something that should be contained or limited.”
…The need for engagement
In the 20th and especially in the 21st century, the definition of the common good that prevails is much more horizontal. The common good is neither a sum of disparate individual interests nor an arbitrary direction fixed by the state; rather, it comes from the community, and pertains to the goods that the community can share.
…the common good is developed by the citizens themselves in a conscious way. “Being a citizen is less about one’s duties in exchange for the guarantee of one’s rights than about participating in a society through the contribution of one’s intelligence, time, and skills, and in being able to decide the nature of one’s contribution,” writes Chrystèle Basin.
https://www.responsible-economy.org/en/blog/131-featured-article/909-a-brief-history-of-the-common-good
—“A Brief History of the Common Good,” World Forum for a Responsible Economy (September 19, 2017)
Building
on the idea of the common good, the chapter takes up two major social problems—self-serving
populism motivated by the desire for political power, and unregulated selfish liberalism—and
then proposes solutions.
“Populism”
Objective is to maintain grip on power
Appeals to base inclinations of the population
Usurps institutions and laws
“Popular”
Unite
and lead for the sake of the common good
“Individualistic
liberal approaches”
“Unregulated
economic interests”
“Institutions
at the service of those who already enjoy too much power”
“Proclivity
to selfishness”
“The
marketplace, by itself, cannot solve every problem”
Papa
Francesco proposes several solutions.
“Charity…concern for others”
“Education…well-integrated view of life”
“Effective distribution of power…among a plurality of interests”
“More effective world organizations”
Civil society organizations
“Charity…concern for others”
“Education…well-integrated view of life”
“Effective distribution of power…among a plurality of interests”
“More effective world organizations”
Civil society organizations
The
issue of how to solve fundamental social problems segues into the subject of social
and political love.
“Effectively seeks the common good”
“Finds
expression in macro-relationships: social, economic, and political”
“Needs
the light of truth”
“Good
intentions are not enough”
The
pope’s concept of social and political charity introduces elements specific to
the Catholic social teaching tradition:
Preferential
love to those in greatest need
Fundamental
human rights
Spirit
of openness to all
Tender
love of others
Achieving
great results is not always possible
Sowing
seeds of goodness
Here
I offer some personal commentary.
The
idea of social and political charity is not new. In the Roman Catholic
tradition, there are three main sources of this concept:
Marxist structural analysis
Justice, especially social justice
The love that does justice (recent)
The
modern concept of social and political charity follows upon the structural
analysis pioneered by Karl Marx.
Structural analysis posited that social superstructures
build on the base of the means and
relations of production.
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-base-and-superstructure-3026372
—Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D., “Definition of Base and Superstructure: Core Concepts of Marxist Theory,” ThoughtCo (January 24, 2020)
The economic analysis of Adam Smith, the “Father of Economics,” is not “structural” in the Marxist sense because superstructures are not the principal subject of Smith’s analysis.
begin
The central thesis of Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” is that our individual need to fulfill self-interest results in societal benefit, in what is known as his “invisible hand”.
This, combined with the division of labor in an economy, results in a web of mutual interdependencies that promotes stability and prosperity through the market mechanism.
Smith rejects government interference in market activities, and instead states governments should serve just three functions: protect national borders; enforce civil law; and engage in public works (e.g. education).
end
https://www.investopedia.com/updates/adam-smith-wealth-of-nations/
—Adam Hayes, “Adam Smith and ‘The Wealth of Nations,’” Investopedia (April 28, 2021)
What
is justice? In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are three types:
Commutative
Distributive
Social
—“Justice Types,” Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis
“Aquinas’s account of justice exhibits considerable breadth, complexity, and admits of various distinctions. Constraints of space, however, force me to mention only two sets of distinctions: (1) legal (or general) and particular justice, and (2) commutative and distributive justice.”
—“Thomas
Aquinas: Moral Philosophy,” Internet Encyclopedia
of Philosophy
About
Social Justice
begin
Taparelli has a good claim to being the father of Catholic social teaching. One of his students was the Jesuit Matteo Liberatore, who wrote the first draft of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of the Working Classes), the first papal statement on “the social question.” …One of Liberatore’s students was Oswald von Nell-Breuning, S.J., who wrote Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical, Quadragesimo Anno, which officially adopted “social justice” as part of Catholic doctrine, but as an economic doctrine notably stronger than Taparelli’s: “[T]he right ordering of economic life cannot be left to a free competition of forces. For from this source, as from a poisoned spring, have originated and spread all the errors of individualist economic teaching.”
end
https://isi.org/intercollegiate-review/the-origins-of-social-justice-taparelli-dazeglio
—Thomas Patrick Burke, “The Origins of Social Justice: Taparelli d’Azeglio,” Intercollegiate Studies Institute (October 8, 2014)
In official Roman Catholic teaching, the concept of social justice begins with the first social encyclical, Rerum Novarum.
begin
Taparelli has a good claim to being the father of Catholic social teaching. One of his students was the Jesuit Matteo Liberatore, who wrote the first draft of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of the Working Classes), the first papal statement on “the social question.” …One of Liberatore’s students was Oswald von Nell-Breuning, S.J., who wrote Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical, Quadragesimo Anno, which officially adopted “social justice” as part of Catholic doctrine, but as an economic doctrine notably stronger than Taparelli’s: “[T]he right ordering of economic life cannot be left to a free competition of forces. For from this source, as from a poisoned spring, have originated and spread all the errors of individualist economic teaching.”
end
https://isi.org/intercollegiate-review/the-origins-of-social-justice-taparelli-dazeglio
—Thomas Patrick Burke, “The Origins of Social Justice: Taparelli d’Azeglio,” Intercollegiate Studies Institute (October 8, 2014)
In official Roman Catholic teaching, the concept of social justice begins with the first social encyclical, Rerum Novarum.
However, the origin of the specific term “social justice” in official Roman Catholic teaching is Quadragesimo Anno.
Secular
sources define different justice types, for example,
Procedural
Retributive
Restorative
begin
This article points out that there are four different types of justice: distributive (determining who gets what), procedural (determining how fairly people are treated), retributive (based on punishment for wrong-doing) and restorative (which tries to restore relationships to “rightness.”)
end
https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/types_of_justice
—Michelle Maiese and Heidi Burgess, “Types of Justice,” Beyond Intractability (July 2020)
Origin in secular sources,
“Social Justice as a concept arose in the early 19th century during the Industrial Revolution and subsequent civil revolutions throughout Europe, which aimed to create more egalitarian societies and remedy capitalistic exploitation of human labor. Because of the stark stratifications between the wealthy and the poor during this time, early social justice advocates focused primarily on capital, property, and the distribution of wealth.”
https://www.pachamama.org/social-justice/what-is-social-justice
—“What Is Social Justice?” 25th Anniversary Pachamama Alliance
begin
Several organizations and institutions provide their own definitions for social justice. Here are a few:
“Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.”—United Nations
“Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social workers aim to open the doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those in greatest need.”—National Association of Social Workers
“Social justice encompasses economic justice. Social justice is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions. In turn, social institutions, when justly organized, provide us with access to what is good for the person, both individually and in our associations with others. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development.”—Center for Economic and Social Justice
Defining Social Justice
While formal definitions for social justice vary in wording, there are commonalities among them.
Equal rights
Equal opportunity
Equal treatment
With these core values in mind, we can define the phrase as such: Social justice means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all.
end
https://www.sdfoundation.org/news-events/sdf-news/what-is-social-justice/
—“What Is Social Justice?” The San Diego Foundation (March 24, 2016)
begin
What Does Social Justice Mean?
Justice is the concept of fairness. Social justice is fairness as it manifests in society. That includes fairness in healthcare, employment, housing, and more. Discrimination and social justice are not compatible.
…The principles of social justice
Social justice depends on four essential goals: human rights, access, participation, and equity. Social justice can’t be achieved without these four principles.
end
https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/what-does-social-justice-mean/
—Emmaline Soken-Huberty, “What Does Social Justice Mean?” Human Rights Careers
One series of major historical events that contributed to the development of the concept of social and political charity is postcolonial liberation, which sought to advance together with political liberation economic justice—a type of social justice—for colonized peoples.
C.
S. Lewis identified four types of love, and in the course of years of reading, I
have identified, including the four types cited by Lewis, at least ten different
types of love. They range from the individual and personal to the social and
structural, of which social and political love is a type.
1. Eros: love of the body
2. Philia: love of the mind
3. Ludus: playful love
4. Pragma: longstanding love
5. Agape: love of the soul
6. Philautia: love of the self
7. Storge: love of the child
8. Love that does justice
9. Patriotism
10. Buddhist lovingkindness
In the Christian tradition, a major antecedent of social and political love is justice. Recently, this type of love has been described as “love that does justice,” for example,
The Love That Does Justice (2007) by Thomas Louis Schubeck
“Love
without justice is weak sentimentality. Justice without love is naked
brutality. Humanity cries out daily for love and justice. This extraordinary
book is a necessity for those seeking to understand the need for, and the
connection between love and justice.”
—Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. Pastor,
Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland Former Chairman of the Board,
Morehouse College, Atlanta
“Spiritual activism” refers to a growing movement of
individuals and organizations in America and beyond who cultivate an explicit connection between inner transformation and their
work for justice in the world. Rooted in the conviction that “we must be
the change we want to see” as Mahatma Gandhi put it, this movement marks a
radical departure from both secular social justice activism and detached
spiritual practice. A new generation of “spiritual activists” is reviving and
updating this tradition, and this book contains statements by 21 of its leading
voices, complemented by 21 statements from well-respected scholars and
researchers who reflect together on the phenomenon that Martin Luther King once called “the
love that does justice.”
https://www.amazon.com/Justice-Spiritual-Activism-Dialogue-Science/dp/061521825
—Amazon book introduction to The Love That Does Justice (2007) by Thomas Lewis Schubeck
https://www.amazon.com/Justice-Spiritual-Activism-Dialogue-Science/dp/061521825
—Amazon book introduction to The Love That Does Justice (2007) by Thomas Lewis Schubeck
The basic point of my notes is that the evils of the industrial revolution and in reaction the rise of Marxist philosophy, structural analysis in particular, gave impetus to the development of the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, which has culminated in Papa Francesco’s particular conception of “social and political love.” We should not underestimate the role Marxist philosophy has played in the development of Roman Catholic social teaching.
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