In the thought of John Paul II, an accurate understanding of the human person includes the relationship of economic life to full human life. Just as human work is essential to…
Abstract
In the thought of John Paul II, an accurate understanding of the human person includes the relationship of economic life to full human life. Just as human work is essential to human life lived in imitation of God, so is rest and leisure. Lacking a clear sense of leisure, human beings try to reach their fulfillment by increasing their possessions. As a result they give complete priority to the economic order, making it an end in itself rather than a means to the common good. They get caught up in consumerism, thinking that material possessions will bring them happiness, and thereby become willing to accept the destruction of God’s gift of creation, if only they can have more material things. This essay explores the connections between work, leisure, consumerism, and the environment primarily in Centesimus Annus (1991), Laborem Exercens (1981) and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987).
Details
Keywords
John Paul II's views on economic systems have been construed differently by some commentators who have been seeking approval for their own views rather than searching for the…
Abstract
Purpose
John Paul II's views on economic systems have been construed differently by some commentators who have been seeking approval for their own views rather than searching for the meaning that he himself intends to convey. John Paul is labeled by many as favoring capitalism, and by others as supporting socialism. A few have been scrutinizing his statements in hopes of finding support for a “third‐way.” In this paper, John Paul is quoted at length to represent his views more accurately.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper originated in a collection of essays on the theme of John Paul II's vision of the social economy that was published by the International Journal of Social Economics in fall 1998. This author is indebted to the contributors to that collection for many insights into John Paul's vision. Eight topics are covered: consumption, distribution, capital investment, work as such, leisure, labor, development, and market economy versus command economy. This paper uses many more direct quotes than is customary in scholarly work, but there is no other way to proceed and remain faithful to John Paul's vision of the social economy.
Findings
John Paul's writings on economic affairs are significant for what they teach about the premises employed in economics. His own philosophy of the human person reinforces the four premises of personalist economics more so than the premises of the mainstream and challenges the mainstream at its foundations in the philosophy of individualism.
Research limitations/implications
John Paul speaks to a wide range of issues and questions central to economics and economic affairs. It would be presumptuous to represent this paper as a thorough examination of everything that John Paul has said, written, and means in this regard.
Practical implications
This paper attempts to highlight some of the key arguments that John Paul II has set forth on eight centrally important economic topics, comparing and contrasting his pronouncements with the views of mainstream economists on the same topics.
Originality/value
This paper draws on the insights of 20 professional colleagues specialized in range of subdisciplines in economics, holding faculty positions at major universities in the USA, Italy, and Canada, and with a strong interest in understanding the social economy. The concluding section states John Paul's vision of the social economy in terms of 13 most important arguments.