216 Book Reviews Means by Which Social Justice Is Directed from Lower to Higher Levels of Society

216 Book Reviews means by which social justice is directed from lower to higher levels of society. As Behr explains in the conclusion, these two terms were woven into CST by Pius IX and Pius XI—though the latter’s reliance on Nell-Breuning obscured this as well as distorted Taparelli’s teaching. Thus, Taparelli played a pivotal role in helping the Church to engage the modern world via a “baptized” classical liberal thought rooted in a sound anthropology, coupled with Thomistic virtue ethics and a natural law-based approach to the common good. While Behr does a fine job of presenting Taparelli’s work in con- text as well as explaining his importance to the birth of CST, his ac- complishment is limited in at least two ways. First, in regard to classroom use, an undergraduate would need to bring much background knowledge in order to fully grasp the various issues at stake, and so I would only recommend this book for an advanced or special topics class or for a student’s research project. Second, and more centrally, Behr clearly intends this work to be of help in settling contemporary arguments among Catholics over the na- ture and practical application of social justice and subsidiarity. Yet, his admission that Taparelli’s understanding of social justice was re- placed in Quadragesimo Anno by one that is more in line with how progressives in the Church today use this term renders his historical study inconclusive. Behr may think Taparelli’s view to be superior, but he provides the very evidence the progressives need to claim that they, too, are advancing an interpretive framework rooted in Magiste- rial teaching. And, on the other side, traditional Thomists, who 1) would reject an instrumentalist conception of the common good; 2) find subjective rights to be problematic; and 3) see the modern understanding of private property as being incompatible with the Aristote- lian-Thomistic view, would find in Behr’s presentation of Taparelli evidence of their concern that liberalism cannot be squared with the Church’s traditional teachings. While Behr does not help to settle any of these contested issues, he does succeed in his goal to show how Taparelli’s “work invites a reconsideration in the ressourcement of the ideas of social justice and subsidiarity that would contribute to authen- tic dialogue” (195). MICHAEL KROM St. Vincent College Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People. By Charles C. Camosy. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2019. 374 pages. $19.95. Charles C. Camosy has written a one-of-a-kind book that has struck a chord. It has received multiple awards from the Association of Cath- olic Publishers and has engendered numerous conversations in print Book Reviews 217 and public events across the US. The reasons for its success are numerous. First, it provides Catholics who feel homeless within the United States’ political culture a principled way forward. Second, it develops a meaningful theoretical analysis that never feels abstract, given how it is rooted in concrete and recent examples. Third, it is written in an engaging, accessible style that draws on the best the acad- emy offers to extend the conversation beyond specialists. The result is a book that presents Catholic Social Teaching in a fresh, compelling manner while helping readers see the connections between the different challenges our society faces and suggesting actionable practices to address them. Camosy’s central thesis is twofold. On the one hand, he claims that the “source of our cultural sickness does not lie in politics or policy" but is "rooted more deeply in our foundational understandings of the goodˮ (19). On the other hand, Camosy argues that a “revitalized Con- sistent Life Ethic (CLE)… could demonstrate how to unify a fractured culture around a vision of the goodˮ (20). The author makes his case first by describing the principles of the CLE and then using them to analyze a host of contemporary issues. Camosy focuses on principles rather than policies, because he is convinced that we all need to take a “cleansing political showerˮ (311) to escape the binary polarizations that have captured our imagination. It is only by going beyond the usual ideological reductions that we might be able to find an alterna- tive to the current political impasse. To those who would object that a CLE approach risks minimizing the unique gravity and evil of abortion, Camosy responds by defend- ing the importance of following our principles wherever they lead us. Without denying that some values are more fundamental than others, Camosy convincingly shows that“being consistent in applying our values across a range of issues makes a pro-life anti-abortion witness stronger, not weakerˮ (174). The tragedy of abortion does not stand in a vacuum. Instead, it is profoundly entwined with other facets of the throwaway culture that characterizes today's society, including the hook-up culture and pornography, the misuse of reproductive biotech- nology, poverty, the environmental crisis, euthanasia, and state-spon- sored violence. While considering these different problems, Camosy identifies three characteristics of the throwaway culture that impact each one of them. First, an obsession with autonomy makes us incapable of seeing and valuing the other. Second, the constant use of deceptive language that de-humanizes vulnerable populations and blinds us to the violence we commit. Third, consumerism profoundly shapes all our relationships and trains us to treat everything and everyone as disposable ob- jects to satisfy our unlimited needs and wants. The result is a culture that tramples over the inherent dignity of individuals, that systemati- cally hides the violent practices that are necessary to sustain it, and 218 Book Reviews that marginalizes all those who do not fit its image of self-reliance and economic wellbeing. The CLE responds to contemporary challenges by encouraging a culture of encounter that allows us to focus on “real, local, physical thingsˮ (301). Coming into contact and establishing relationships with actual vulnerable people rescues us from the abstractions that so often characterize our way of living and thinking. It opens us to recognizing their inherent dignity and discovering the many ways in which we are connected to them. Without such real connections, it is hard to resist the polarizing and reductive approach reflected in our culture. Further- more, encountering the vulnerable-other can challenge our assump- tions and make us realize how “our views and actions might be con- tributing to the intersecting forces that push people into desperate and unhealthy situationsˮ (311). The CLE also recognizes the fundamental importance of mercy. Discovering the many ways in which people are broken calls for an exercise in compassion and forgiveness. Even the perpetrators of the violence that marks throwaway culture possess inherent dignity and, more importantly, are often wrecked by the very violence they commit and trapped into it by forces beyond their con- trol. Finally, the CLE insists that Christians should engage in a process of conversion before worrying about policies and programs. Resisting the throwaway culture is not primarily a matter of political strategy. Instead, it has to do with discipleship, for heeding the cry of the vulnerable among us is a way to respond to the Lord who calls us. Since Camosy did not want to write a book that would speak mainly to professional theologians, the expert reader will not find in Resisting Throwaway Culture a detailed discussion of the nuanced theological disagreements that characterize the field of moral theol- ogy. Consequently, some will find Camosy’s arguments to be wanting or objectionable and will want to press him for further clarification. Furthermore, the choice of refraining from discussing specific policy proposals leaves the reader with the daunting task of using the principles expounded by the book to evaluate and choose among competing alternatives. That Camosy challenges people from diverse political and theological backgrounds to reckon with the CLE's principles and presses them to enter into further conversations, though, is one of the book’s strengths rather than a weakness. Camosy’s book is an invalu- able resource amidst today’s toxic political climate that will prove helpful in the classroom and beyond. Everybody interested in the wellbeing of our society should read it. ALESSANDRO ROVATI Belmont Abbey College .

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