Persons and Liberal Democracy : The Ethical and Political Thought of Karol Wojtyla / Pope John Paul II

Fundamentally, Persons and Liberal Democracy is an explication and defense of classical liberalism. It explains the relatively recent shift in the Church's political theory and, in the process, defends what could be deemed a non-statist form of welfare liberalism. After an introduction, the first chapter contextualizes modern Catholic social thought, explaining how the shift to a nuanced endorsement of liberal economic and political thought was initiated by the pragmatic economic and cultural analyses of nineteenth-century social and liberal Catholics. The next two chapters investigate one fruit of the subsequent re-examination of the relationship of Catholicism to modernity: John Paul's qualified acceptance of liberalism for non-circumstantial, ethical reasons appropriated from within the tradition. While the second chapter details the phenomenological, Thomistic, and theological bases of his ethical premises, the third chapter examines the relationship of these premises to the various aspects of his political theory, particularly his theories of human rights and the complementary roles of the state and civil society in securing these rights. Chapters four and five initiate a dialogue between this analysis of John Paul's social thought and influential political theorists. In the fourth chapter, the dialogue is between John Paul and four Catholic interlocutors: theoconservatives, liberation theologians, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and British distributists. The fifth chapter brings John Paul and Catholic social thought into conversation with communitarian critics of liberalism and evaluates the relationship of recent thought on civil society and federalism to the principle of subsidiarity. Finally, the conclusion highlights his most significant accomplishments and suggests areas for further development. Fundament ally. Persons and Liberal Democracy: The Ethical and Political Thought of Karol Wojtyla Pope John Paul II is an explication and defense of classical liberalism. It explains the relatively recent shift in the Church's political theory and, in the process, defends what could be deemed a nonstatist form of welfare liberalism. The first chapter contextualizes modern Catholic social thought, explaining how the shift to a nuanced endorsement of liberal economic and political thought was initiated by the pragmatic economic and cultural analyses of nineteenth-century social and liberal Catholics. The next two chapters investigate one fruit of the subsequent reexamination of the relationship of Catholicism to modernity. John Paul's qualified acceptance of liberalism for noncircumstantial, ethical reasons appropriated from within the tradition. While the second chapter details the phenomenological. Thomistic, and theological bases of his ethical premises, the third chapter examines the relationship of these premises to the various aspects of his political theory, particularly his theories of human rights and the complementary roles of the state and civil society in securing these rights. Chapters 4 and 5 initiate a dialogue between this analysis of John Paul's social thought and influential political theorists. In the fourth chapter, the dialogue is between John Paul and four Catholic interlocutors: theoconservatives, liberation theologians, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and British distributists. The fifth chapter brings John Paul and Catholic social thought into conversation with communitarian critics of liberalism and evaluates the relationship of recent thought on civil society and federalism to the principle of subsidiarity. Finally the conclusion highlights his most significant accomplishments and suggests areas for further development. --Book Jacket Cover......Page 1 Half title......Page 2 Title......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Dedication......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 7 Introduction: Catholic Social Thought and Contemporary Political Theory......Page 9 1. The Roots of Modern Catholic Social Thought: Social and Liberal Catholicism......Page 13 2. Christian Personalism: The Ethical and Anthropological Thought of Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II......Page 25 3. Anthropology, Ethics, and Recent Catholic Social Theory: The Liberalism of John Paul II......Page 50 4. John Paul II in Conversation with Catholic Social/Political Theorists......Page 83 5. John Paul II in Conversation with Secular Social/Political Theorists......Page 96 Conclusion: Future Directions for Catholic Social Thought and Liberal Democratic Theory......Page 112 Bibliography......Page 117 Index......Page 126 About the Author......Page 129 Introduction : Catholic Social Thought And Contemporary Political Theory -- The Roots Of Modern Catholic Social Thought : Social And Liberal Catholicism -- Christian Personalism : The Ethical And Anthropological Thought Of Karol Wojtyla/john Paul Ii -- Anthropology, Ethics, And Recent Catholic Social Theory : The Liberalism Of John Paul Ii -- John Paul Ii In Conversation With Catholic Social/political Theorists -- John Paul Ii In Conversation With Secular Social/political Theorists -- Conclusion : Future Directions For Catholic Social Thought And Liberal Democratic Theory. Edward Barrett. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Moving from an historical analysis of the Catholic Church's gradual endorsement of liberal democracy to an explication of the ethical and political thought of Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II, Persons and Liberal Democracy concisely explains the relatively recent shift in the Church's political theory and, in the process, defends what could be deemed a non-statist form of welfare liberalism. This book offers a systematic account of John Paul's philosophical and theological ethics and their relationship to the key elements of his political thought and then brings this thought into conversation "By offering an overview of a subject that has been relatively neglected by students of John Paul II-- namely his political theory --Persons and Liberal Democracy. The Ethical and Political Thought of Karol Wojtyla Pope John Paul II makes a valuable contribution to the literature on one of the seminal figures of modern Catholic thought This book is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Catholic social theory." Kenneth Grasso, Texas State University San Marcos "This is a first class work of scholarship that brings out the subtlety and coherence of John Paul's ethical and political thought, carefully distinguishes its philosophical and theological roots, and puts it into dialogue with contemporary secular liberal and communitarian political thinkers." Nathan Tarcov Committee on Social Thought and Department of Political Science University of Chicago Edward Barrett has synthesized the anthropological theses that underlay the social teaching of the late Pope John Paul II, and he has placed them in conversation with those who will shape social polity in the future. This is an insightful and much-needed work" Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archibishop of Chicago