Goods & Growth I: Is economic development a common good?
Thu, Nov 03
Is economic development a common good, in the sense that Aristotle defined it (and which we studied earlier this term)? We could turn to a lot of different traditions for an answer to that question. In today's lesson, we consider the insights offered by Catholic Social Teaching. Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II are just two of the more recent thinkers in the Catholic Church who have drawn into question whether economic development contributes to human flourishing.
Learning Goals - By the end of this session you will:
- Identify tensions between the values of human flourishing and economic development, and articulate a framework we might use to weigh conflicts when they arise
- Understand the position staked out in Catholic Social Teaching (CST) with respect to this tension
- Situate CST with respect to the various economic theories we've considered in this class
Read This:
You can access the readings through the course's Perusall page:
- "Laudato Si," Pope Francis' second encyclical, published in 2015 (excerpts)
- "Laborem Exercens," an enyclical by Pope John Paul II published in 1981 (excerpts)