Comments on: Is Benedict really a libertarian? http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202 Theopolitical is the weblog of Davey Henreckson, a graduate student in theology at the University of Notre Dame. Topics of conversation are political and historical theology, with semi-frequent forays into literature, economics, localism, and the divine American sport -- baseball. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:58:34 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mark Sampson http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202&cpage=1#comment-8243 Mark Sampson Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:53:37 +0000 http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202#comment-8243 Thanks for a great blog - keep it going. John Paul II's encyclical 'Centesimus annus' also met with a similar response. Some labeled it a celebration of capitalism whilst others read it as being severely critical of the consequences of a capitalist economy. It is not surprising that Benedict's encyclical has met with a similar response! I think you are largely correct in your interpretation of the encyclical. Benedict's criticisms are subtle and carefully worded. I found his call for the 'principle of gratuitousness' to be added to the current market economy to be particularly helpful. What some critics seem to ignore is that the notion of 'gift' that Benedict appropriates fundamentally calls into question the anthropological and ethical claims of capitalism. As such, the addition of the notion of 'gift' to capitalism would utterly transform it. I have written a little more on this on the blog at www.capitalismproject.org Cheers. Thanks for a great blog – keep it going.
John Paul II’s encyclical ‘Centesimus annus’ also met with a similar response. Some labeled it a celebration of capitalism whilst others read it as being severely critical of the consequences of a capitalist economy. It is not surprising that Benedict’s encyclical has met with a similar response! I think you are largely correct in your interpretation of the encyclical. Benedict’s criticisms are subtle and carefully worded. I found his call for the ‘principle of gratuitousness’ to be added to the current market economy to be particularly helpful. What some critics seem to ignore is that the notion of ‘gift’ that Benedict appropriates fundamentally calls into question the anthropological and ethical claims of capitalism. As such, the addition of the notion of ‘gift’ to capitalism would utterly transform it.
I have written a little more on this on the blog at http://www.capitalismproject.org

Cheers.

]]> By: First Thoughts — A First Things Blog http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202&cpage=1#comment-1821 First Thoughts — A First Things Blog Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:27:51 +0000 http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202#comment-1821 [...] Institute, as well as Francis Beckwith (Christianity Today), Davey Henreckson of TheoPolitical asks “Is Benedict really a libertarian?”: [O]n any close reading of the text, I cannot find any substantial support for this view. Benedict [...] [...] Institute, as well as Francis Beckwith (Christianity Today), Davey Henreckson of TheoPolitical asks “Is Benedict really a libertarian?”: [O]n any close reading of the text, I cannot find any substantial support for this view. Benedict [...]

]]> By: Brad L. http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202&cpage=1#comment-1812 Brad L. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:16:31 +0000 http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202#comment-1812 Sounds excellent--just the kind of thing I was hoping to see in the encyclical. I'm rather ashamed you read it and reviewed it before I've even glanced at it though...and I'm supposed to be the Catholiphile! Oh well, I suppose I can plead packing and traveling. Sounds excellent–just the kind of thing I was hoping to see in the encyclical. I’m rather ashamed you read it and reviewed it before I’ve even glanced at it though…and I’m supposed to be the Catholiphile! Oh well, I suppose I can plead packing and traveling.

]]> By: Brad E. http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202&cpage=1#comment-1805 Brad E. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:29:17 +0000 http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202#comment-1805 I second John: Excellent summary, concise recap of responses, and needed corrective of too many one-sided hearings. This was incredibly helpful. I second John: Excellent summary, concise recap of responses, and needed corrective of too many one-sided hearings. This was incredibly helpful.

]]> By: John Hundscheid http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202&cpage=1#comment-1798 John Hundscheid Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:36:09 +0000 http://www.theopolitical.com/?p=1202#comment-1798 What's peculiar about Weigel's claim is that Catholic social teaching has traditionally been culture-of-life conservative and Justice and Peace progressive. The Pope has little novel here to offer, but is simply building off Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno (and of course JP II's enyclcials commemorating them). There's also the Catholic tradition of Distributism, which seems to me to be exactly what Caritas in Veritate falls in to. It seems as if the proponents of capitalism only want to hear one side of what the Pope has to say. They then latch on to that side and declare that the Pope agrees with them. Great summary of the work, by the way. What’s peculiar about Weigel’s claim is that Catholic social teaching has traditionally been culture-of-life conservative and Justice and Peace progressive. The Pope has little novel here to offer, but is simply building off Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno (and of course JP II’s enyclcials commemorating them). There’s also the Catholic tradition of Distributism, which seems to me to be exactly what Caritas in Veritate falls in to.

It seems as if the proponents of capitalism only want to hear one side of what the Pope has to say. They then latch on to that side and declare that the Pope agrees with them.

Great summary of the work, by the way.

]]>