Finn, Daniel K., editor. Empirical Foundations of the Common Good: What Theology Can Learn from Social Science. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. 246 pp. Reviewed by Pablo M. Iturrieta (original) (raw)
Related papers
Reassessing the Common Good in Catholic Social Teaching
Man is by his nature a social being. He does not exist in a vacuum; rather, he exists in relation to other individuals, to society, to the universe as a whole, and ultimately to God. His relations are governed by the virtue of justice, which is to give each his due. The most important implication of this is that man only has an obligation not only to pursue his own private good but the common good of the whole as well. Of his nature, man is ordered toward the common good; supernaturally, man is ordered toward communio with God and with others through the Church.
A Protestant View of the Common Good
Journal of Catholic Social Thought, 2020
The 'common good' is tantalizingly elusive. The concept is also a contested one, the 'common' is perhaps not so common after all. Contested, that is, within the tradition of Catholic Social Thought, a rich mine of theological wisdom and insight, but one which also reveals the complexity of the idea. The rooting of the common good within Catholic Social Thought raises the question of whether the concept is restrictively located within the Roman Catholicism rather than being of broader application. Certainly, from an ecumenical perspective, Catholic Social Thought can be both attractive and impenetrable at the same time. The presence of a body of social doctrine within the Roman Catholic Church, however contested, is not, and indeed in many traditions, cannot be replicated. However, that is not to say that the Protestant traditions contain no doctrine or even that they lack bodies of systematic theological thought; they contain both. The difference lies in the authority which is attached to each. Equally, the way in which common good ideas within Catholic Social Thought have been grounded in concepts of Christian theology such as the nature and dignity of the human person cannot simply be dismissed as narrowly Catholic, more of a gift of Catholicism to the whole of Christianity. The question is whether Catholic and Protestant traditions can be brought into a more effective dialogue around the common good. That requires awareness not only of the nature of the concept itself, but also about the language of the common good. Perhaps the inscrutable nature of Catholic Social Thought has led to some superficiality in the adoption of the concept both not only in secular thinking but also by Protestants. Yet, Protestantism too, despite the lack of a magisterium, does provide a range of systematic resources to explore this topic. However, the task must be done. The outcome could be an even richer understanding which might even, as James Hanvey has argued, provide 'avenues for reconceptualising the relationship between the domains of the 'sacred' and the 'secular.'' Hanvey's observation reminds us of the potential for the common good to bring about new and deeper reflections upon business and the economy. At its heart the common good is neither the adoption nor the rejection of a market economy. In reality, the common good is a living tradition. If the common good is at all about human flourishing then the economy has a central role to play. Markets and competition both contribute to the common good and yet the idea cannot be reduced to either individual rationality or purely contractual relationships. How precisely does the common good relate to the nature and role of government, the nature of the civil economy of intermediate institutions, property rights and the rule of law? In this endeavour Catholicism and Protestantism 2 can be effective dialogue partners. The common good is not simply an aspiration, in either Catholic or Protestant thought. The common good in ecumenical dialogue There is remarkably little by way of substantive contributions to debates around the common good within either formal or informal ecumenical dialogue. However, that is not the same as asserting that Protestant traditions are failing to engage or that there are no initiatives. In Anglican Social Theology, although most contributors to the volume tend to assert rather than analyse the common good, Anna Rowlands, in her chapter seeks to explore something of the theological communality. She makes three important points about Anglican and Catholic Social Teaching. First, she argues that both traditions lay doctrinal weight on the inalienable nature of human dignity, alongside the social nature of humanity, freedom and rights. Second, the gospel carries a distinctive social and political character. Third, prominence is given to the role of intermediate institutions. 1 These reflections are important in thinking more widely about Protestant contributions. The grounding of common good thinking in human dignity is an argument concerning the nature of God and the imago dei in humanity. This idea is firmly established in the biblical narrative as well as the theological tradition. It involves an appeal to creation which links the idea to the creation narratives and also to evangelical Protestant political thought. Hence, the foundational dignity of the human person is a building block of the common good across traditions not simply within Catholicism. Similarly, Anna Rowlands third point on the importance of the intermediate institutions. Voluntary societies, the family-the institutions of the civil economy-are the historical bedrocks of Protestant evangelical approaches to society and the common good. The more contested area would be Anna Rowland's second category of the social and political nature of the gospel. If this means that the common good is both individual and corporate then this also builds upon the Protestant approach to the Christian faith. Clearly both in Geneva with Calvin, in the evangelical social and political action of nineteenth-centry Britain and in the Kuyperian understanding of Christian democracy the common good was expressed in both individual flourishing and corporate, societal good. However, the potential, and lazy, link of common good thinking with a socialistic or corporatist approach to political life and society will also encounter some resistance. Catholic and a wide range of Protestant and other non-Catholic writers came together in 2015 to produce Together for the Common Good. This volume covered a wider range of contributors than Anglican Social Theology and was brought together largely by Jenny Sinclair, the daughter of Bishop
J Speed Global Goals Workshop Catholic Idea of the Common Good.pdf
There are some challenges inherent in using the term "common good." On the one hand, it is tempting to call every "good thing" the common good, and the term loses its meaning. On the other hand, there is a sensitivity in contemporary society about presuming that any one culture or perspective could claim to what the common good is, not least because it might suggest an obligation to act a particular way. ii If we propose a Catholic notion of the common good, how does that invite participation by non-Catholics or Catholics who approach their own tradition from different experiences? Even the institutional church acknowledges that cultural and historical differences will shape our capacity to realize the common good. iii Does that mean the common good is simply relative?
Economic Theory, Catholic Social Thought and the Common Good
in Empirical Foundations of the Common Good, Daniel K. Finn, editor (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), pp. 114-141., 2017
This paper is in response to the twofold question posed by the organizers of the conference on Empirical Foundations of the Common Good: "Given what you know empirically and theoretically from your disciplinary perspective, what is the common good and how do markets help or hinder it?" This was further clarified by the question: As an economist what aspects of your field are conducive or detrimental to achieving the common good seen as human flourishing? This is a complex task for a number of reasons. Any conception of the common good covers a wider area than just the economy; further, economics as a discipline has to be distinguished from the actual workings of the political economy. I will focus on three issues in this paper. First, I will outline the conception of the common good found in Catholic social thought and then as an economist try to flesh out its meaning to me. Second, I will explain some of the ways that economic theory can be useful to policy makers in attaining that common good. Third, I will suggest some practical changes to the way the actual economy operates.
Human Rights and The Common Good in Catholicism The Criteria of Their Theological Foundation
The Journal of Human Rights, 2019
Theologians whose attention is devoted to social considerations know that the Christian picture of salvation carries with it an ethical commitment which goes well beyond the bounds of intimism The heart of this picture is the idea of the Kingdom of God as the fulfilment of certain values peace and justice and recomposition of a humanity imbued with new brotherhood and communion. The increase of human relationships is an outstanding feature of today's world, whose development is itself fuelled by concomitant technical progress. Fraternal exchange of ideas between peoples is not achieved via such progress, but more deeply in the community of persons, and this demands reciprocal respect for their full spiritual dignity. The concept of the common good is elaborated and formulated in several ways in this article.
One of the key obstacles to both conveying and practicing Catholic social teaching is the fact that the genre of the social encyclical-the primary means through which the tradition is articulated-is a difficult one to pen etrate. 1 My effort is to provide a coherent overoiew of modern Catholic so cial teaching. Tbe chapter proceeds in four parts. First, I will indicate why the best place to begin a synthesis is with the concept of the common good. In the second and third sections, I will unpack the content of the, concept of the common good. Finally, I will elaborate on concepts related to this core of Catholic social teaching, ones that are often listed as key themes-such as rights, the option for the poor, private property, subsidiarity, and peace-in summaries of the official documents.
common good. However, comparing them to each other, and in turn to the wider Catholic tradition, reveals some tension and ambiguity. Should the common good refer to the proper functioning of the planet for human well-being, or should the common good be understood in a broader sense, so that nonhuman creatures participate in it as well beyond their service to human needs? Put simply, is the common good purely for humans, or could it be planetary and cosmic as well?