Tag Archives: Catholic Social Teaching

I was reading an article from Foreign Affairs about global inequality [Rosanvallon, Pierre. “How to Create a Society of Equals,” Foreign Affairs. 14-Dec-2015.] Under the section heading, “Three Principles for Democratic Equality,” the author had this to say:

These days, equality is usually defined mathematically, as a comparison of the economic positions of individuals or segments of the population. This notion has its uses. But equality should also, and perhaps primarily, be defined socially, as a measure of the communal bond. A theory of equality needs to focus on the structure of society. It should rest on three principles: a recognition of people’s singularity (as opposed to individualism), the organization of reciprocity (in the relation of citizens to one another), and the constitution of commonality (for the community as a whole).

It occurred to me that what the author was articulating was what the Catholic Church has always taught in its social teaching:

1. Recognize human dignity (“people’s singularity”)
2. Practice the virtue of justice (“organization of reciprocity”)
3. Seek the common good (“constitution of commonality”)

There was no need to invent scholarly words. We need to only embrace what the Catholic Church has to say about social teaching.