v. Catholic Social Thought I. History: from Rerum Novarum onward II. Issues under Discussion III. Foundational Principles IV. Theoretical and Pragmatic Issues Facing CST V. Why does it matter? , quoting the Philosopher, famously defined prudence as right reason applied to action. Put another way, prudence “applies universal principles to the particular conclusions of practical matters.”1 CST has traditionally sought to apply ethical principles within a specific historical context. This inevitably leads to two questions: what are these universal principles and what is the appropriate application to a particular circumstance? There are four “permanent principles” of CST which “constitute the very heart of Catholic social teaching.”2 The primary principle is the dignity of human life from conception until natural death. Secondly, individuals should pursue the . Thirdly, duties and rights should cohere at the appropriate level; institutions should not intrude on the rights and duties that are appropriately given to others. This concept is called . Finally, there must be an appreciation of . The United States Conference has expanded on these four permanent principles by detailing seven CST “themes.”3 These include the life and dignity of the human person, call to family community and participation, rights and responsibilities, and vulnerable, the dignity of work and the rights of workers, solidarity, and care for God’s creation. Subsidiarity is included as a subcategory under “rights and responsibilities.”

1 St. Thomas Aquinas, translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican province, Summa Theologica (Allen, Texas: Publishing, 1981), Q. 47, Art. 6. Aquinas discusses prudence in Questions 47-56. 2 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Chapter 4, Paragraph 160. 3 http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven- themes-of-catholic-social-teaching.cfm. Reading Suggestions

Boileau, David ed, Principles of Catholic Social Teaching (Marquette University Press, 1998).

Boswell, McHugh, Verstraeten, eds, Catholic Social Thought: Twilight or Rennaissance? (Leuven University Press, 2000). This collection of essays is based on a 1999 conference and is a great collection of CST articles, largely from the theological left.

Coleman, J.A. has several essays in Boswell (2000). He is particularly good at summarizing the history of CST. He argues for more radical change in CST.

Grasso, Ken, “The Subsidiary State: Society, the State and the Principle of Subsidiarity in Catholic Social Thought,” in Jeanne Schindler ed., Christianity and : Catholic and Neo-Calvinist Perspectives (Lanham MD: Lexington Books, 2008).

Hittinger, Russell, “The Coherence of the Four Basic Principles of Catholic Social Doctrine: An Interpretation.” This can be found on the Vatican’s website.

- “The Process of ‘Creative Destruction and Subsidiarity: A Response to Professors Archer and Donati,” in Archer,Donati, eds, Pursing the Common Good. Rather than give the official citation information, I will just note that this collection of essays can be found on the Vatican’s website. - For a great introduction to modern Catholic thought, see Hittinger’s “Introduction” in Witte, Alexander, eds, The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics and Human Nature (Columbia University Press, 2007). As is the case with many of the academics on this list, Hittinger has a decently updated bibliography on his website. - “Social Pluralism and Subsidiarity in Catholic Social Doctrine,” in Jeanne Schindler ed., Christianity and Civil Society: Catholic and Neo-Calvinist Perspectives (Lanham MD: Lexington Books, 2008).

Fortin, Ernest, Human Rights, Virtue and the Common Good: Untimely Meditations on Religion and Politics, Vol. 3, Forward and edited by Brian Benestad (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996).

Hollenbach, David, The Common Good and (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Hollenbach argues for prioritizing solidarity over subsidiarity, while striving to balance between individualism and .

Krason, Stephen, The Public Order and the Sacred Order: Contemporary Issues, Catholic Social Thought, and the Western and American Traditions (Scarecrow Press, 2009).