Public ideas
Who owns Christian social morality?
In 1891 the Labor Party was formed, and Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, “on capital and labor”, a response to two emerging political philosophies – Marxism and economic liberalism. Rerum Novarumalong with its re-interpretations over the years has generally been claimed as the basis of “Catholic social teaching”, although its precepts of social morality tend to be embraced by most mainstream religions, Christian and non-Christian. Many Labor politicians would claim that “Catholic social teaching” has been highly influential in shaping Labor policy.
On the ABC’s Religion and Ethics Report Andrew West leads a discussion between Greg Craven of the Australian Catholic University, rabbi David Saperstein, and Tony Abbott on How Catholic social teaching could improve politics. Craven outlines the philosophy’s main principles, and Abbott replies, coming close to claiming that the Liberal party, particularly the Liberal Party under his guidance, has adhered more closely to the principles of Catholic social teaching than the Labor Party. (28 minutes)
The argument on the program is mainly about two principles of “Catholic social teaching” – the dignity of the individual, and the value of the common good. Any restriction on the rights of the individual in the interest of the common good can be portrayed as a utilitarian assault on the dignity of the individual. In this way social democracy can be misrepresented as something akin to communism, the ultimate utilitarian philosophy that reduces the individual to a unit of production. That seems be Abbott’s line of argument. “Catholic social teaching” distinguishes selfish individualism from the dignity of the individual, but it is easy for those on the right to conflate the two ideas, elevating selfish individualism as a virtue and devaluing collective effort.
Craven is author of Shadow of the cross: Catholic social teaching & Australian politics.