Explaining the Principles of Catholic Social Thoughts

Running head: EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
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EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
1.
Subsidiarity
The Subsidiarity principle of the Catholic Social Thought states that the state is preceded
by the individual and the family. This means that an individual exists not for the state but the
state exists for looking after the individual and the families. The principle also states, anything
that a smaller or lower organization could not do, must also not be done by the larger
organization. As Pope Pius explains, “just as it is gravely wring to take away from individuals
what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so
also is an injustice to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate
organizations can do”.
According to the principle of Subsidiarity hence, the state is responsible for providing
protection and preservation of the common good like the natural and human environments.
However, it is important to elucidate that although the state should be held accountable for the
wellbeing of the individual and the community, it should not be allowed to intervene
unnecessarily.
The dignity of work and the rights of workers
According to this principle of the CST, “the economy must serve people and not the other
way around”. Work does not only and always refer to as a means to make a living but also a
form of consistent participation in the creation of God because God has been working
continuously and is still working. Work gives one the capacity to maintain oneself, family and to
play a part in nation-building. The dignity of work states that people should “continue to
prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone” (Usccb.org, 2019).

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EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
However, it could be evident in the modern global world that due to the violation of the
dignity of human work, poverty arises. This occurs for two reasons. First reason is because
opportunities of work are restricted due to unemployment or underemployment. Secondly, it is
because low value is associated to the work and the right to work especially the right to a fair
wage.
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church states that the life of human beings is sacred and the dignity of the
humans is the foundation of a “moral vision for society” (Klein, 2014). Protecting and respecting
the human dignity is the basis of all the remaining principles of the Catholic Social Teaching.
Every individual’s dignity should be upheld irrespective of caste, creed, gender, age, ability or
ethnicity. In no circumstance should the dignity of the human person be compromised.
In today’s world however, the life and dignity of the human person is constantly under
threat. Scientific researches such as embryonic stem cell research and cloning are threatening
human dignity. Apart from that, the use of death penalty, intentional targeting of innocent
individuals during terrorist attacks or war also presents extreme threat to the life and dignity of
the human person. It is therefore important that the nations should protect the right to life by
resolving them through peaceful means.
2.
In trying to understand “self” and “community”, the African concept of ubuntu has to be
described and understood. Ubuntu means, “I am what I am because of who we all are” in English
(Ramose, 2015). Human beings are shaped by the community they live in including its political,
educational and legal systems as well as its wealth. From this concept comes the concept of

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EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
“human flourishing” or eudaimonia as presented by Aristotle. According to him, “human beings
are social, political and moral creatures because they live in a society and their behavior affects
one another” (Theconversation.com, 2019).
As evident, the self and the community are related. From the perspective of Subsidiarity,
the self and community are related at the decision-making level. As the principle states, decisions
that the individual takes should consider the community because it directly affects the
community (Murray, 1995). In politics, the central authority is made accountable to perform only
those tasks that the local community could not perform. Furthermore, the principle recognizes
that an individual person’s wellbeing could only be possible when she or he lives within the
community. Subsidiarity further explains the interrelation between the self and the community
by stating that the individuals are given the capacity to participate in the decision-making that
concerns them so that they could respond to their own needs in a better way.
The self and community are interrelated when viewed from the principle of the dignity of
work and the rights of workers. According to the principle, working constantly is equivalent to
participating in the creation of God but one should incentivize the work as well (Tablan, 2015).
The self works hard, which results in the betterment and progress of the community. The
community in return, rewards the self with wage and other benefits. When the fundamental rights
of the workers are respected, the dignity of the work is also protected.
Another way of understanding the interrelation between the self and the community is to
perceive it through the principle of human dignity. Human dignity is the principle that serves as
the foundation of all other principles of CST (Sison, Ferrero & Guitián, 2016). It also helps in
developing skills for personal and professional life. Humans could not flourish in a community

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EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
that does not respect them and gives them the freedom to exercise their rights. Likewise, the
community could not provide scope for the individual to flourish if the state does not stop
intervening in matters where it is not required to intervene.
The CST principles try to convey the message that every individual thrives when
interrelates with the community and with each other thus making the human flourishing
dependent directly on each other. Therefore, it could be stated that human flourishing could not
be possible just at the individual level and the flourishing of the entire community at both local
and global levels is important.

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EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHTS
References:
Klein, D. W. (2014). The Dignity of the Human Person: Catholic Social Teaching and the
Practice of Criminal Punishment. Loy. L. Rev., 60, 1.
Murray, A. (1995). The principle of subsidiarity and the church. Australasian Catholic Record,
The, 72(2), 163.
Ramose, M. (2015). Ecology through ubuntu. Emerging from Cultures and Religions of the
ASEAN Region, 69-76.
Sison, A. J. G., Ferrero, I., & Guitián, G. (2016). Human dignity and the dignity of work:
Insights from Catholic social teaching. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(4), 503-528.
Tablan, F. (2015). Catholic social teachings: Toward a meaningful work. Journal of Business
Ethics, 128(2), 291-303.
Theconversation.com. (2019). Happy days: virtue isn't just for sanctimonious do-gooders.
Retrieved 23 August 2019, from https://theconversation.com/happy-days-virtue-isnt-just-
for-sanctimonious-do-gooders-31168
Usccb.org. (2019). Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Retrieved 23 August 2019, from
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/
seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching.cfm