Catholic Social Teaching, Economic Inequality, and American Society

Dados Bibliográficos

ID14760625
AutoresKenneth R Himes (autor correspondente)
Ano2019
Volume47
Fascículo2
Páginas283-310
Data de publicação2019-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Religious Ethics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0384-9694 • E-ISSN: 1467-9795
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jore.12268
OpenAlexW2947033386
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas15

The essay begins with an explanation of the underlying theological vision that supports Catholic social teaching's commitment to the centrality of the common good and the role of solidarity as both a virtue and a norm. The vision of humanity as one family and the church as a sacrament of unity is the foundation for a communitarian ethic that prizes inclusion, participation, and relative equality in the quest for a truly just society. An array of social science studies is then employed to show that economic inequality “bleeds” into other realms of public life to undermine fundamental commitments of American society, namely, equal opportunity and political democracy. The essay concludes that an understanding of Catholic social teaching promotes a critical perspective that is deeply at odds with ongoing trends in the U.S. economy

Catholic social teaching · Centrality · Civic virtue · Democracy · Environmental ethics · Humanity · Inequality · Norm (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Social equality · Social science · Sociology · Solidarity · Structural inequality · Virtue · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment