Nursing Assignment: CST Principles, Self, and Community

This assignment explores the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST) within a nursing context, focusing on human dignity, common good, subsidiarity, the universal purpose of goods, and the promotion of peace. It defines these principles and examines the concept of self and community, highlighting their interrelation. The assignment emphasizes how individual actions and societal structures impact human dignity, the shared responsibility for the common good, the importance of participatory decision-making, the equitable use of resources, and the establishment of peace through justice. The document argues that a person’s dignity is realized within the context of community relationships and that the principles of CST are interconnected, influencing both individual behavior and the overall welfare of society. It also provides a detailed analysis of how each principle is relevant to both the individual and the community, emphasizing the interconnectedness of self and society.

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The dignity of the human person
This is a principle of the Catholic Social Thought (CST) which means that human life is sacred
and that one’s dignity reflects the moral state of the community. Everyone should be handled
with dignity despite their income, age, illness among others (Thomas Massaro, 2015). The
dignity of an individual remains undamaged irrespective of the circumstance. This implies that
when we observe the human dignity of other people being underrated either by inequality,
poverty, injustice, then to some extent the dignity of all humans is compromised (Wagner, 2010).
Common good and community
The principle implies that each person, irrespective of his/her status, has a duty to share in
improving the welfare of the community in addition to a right to gain from that welfare. This
principle of common good emphasizes on all-inclusivity and no other section of the population is
exempted. In other words, the principle ensures that the needs of all people i.e. physical, social,
emotional among others, fulfilled and this. The achievement of the principle is an individual
responsibility as well as the responsibility of institutions established to create and maintain order
in society (Annett, 2016).
Subsidiarity
The CST of subsidiarity implies that decisions are supposed to be made in consultation with the
closest people who will be affected by them. In other words, decisions that affect people are best
made at the closest level to them and they should be incorporated, if possible in the process of
decision making. This principle is critical especially in making policies and is fundamental
because it promotes life within the group without needless social control and unnecessary
intrusion (Brennan, 2014). For example, a decision affecting a community can best be made by

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the local government as opposed to the national government because the former understand the
specific needs of the local community and are better placed to prioritize their needs as opposed to
the national government.
The universal purpose of goods
The principle implies that God intended the proceeds of creation to be used by all. All people
have the right to accessibility of the results of creation to meet their daily needs, but also there is
an individual right to private property. This concept doesn’t call for socialism and doesn’t imply
the repeal of private property rights. On the contrary, it implies that it is unjustifiable to withhold
from an individual the basic needs of life such as clothing, raiment and food. People and
societies have no right to waste resources when some of its members are in dire need. In the use
of things, a man should esteem the external goods that he legally owns not just limited to himself
but common to others also, from the perspective that they can benefit others as well as himself
(Tablan, 2015).
Promotion of peace
All peace necessitates respect for and the development of human life, which consists of the
protection of the goods and people’s freedom. Peace is a positive vision, and it's not all about the
absence of war, or violence, but instead, it is about the pursuit of something more constructive
which is justice. This implies that promoting peace comprises of endeavoring to eliminate
unfairness because fairness is the basis of peace (Hill & Capella, 2014). According to Hrynkow
and O'Hara (2014), peace is as a result of justice or fairness and it is dependent on the right order
among human beings.
Self and Community

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According to CST, a human being is a social animal that cannot exist in isolation. On the other
hand, a community is an integrated feature of common characteristics and interest of its
inhabitants (Gergen, 2009). Self and community are interrelated to each of the five CSTs
discussed above in multiple ways.
The principle of human dignity addresses the factors that wreck human dignity and offers the
means for achieving dignity. However, a person’s dignity begins with the individual and is then
extended to others until society is composed of morally dignified people. When the human
dignity of an individual is compromised either through inequality, poverty or injustice, the
dignity of the entire society will also be compromised to some extent because such individuals
will not see the need for treating other people with respect and dignity if they are already
mistreated. Therefore, human dignity can only be actualized and esteemed in the context of
relationships with the community.
The principle of common good emphasizes on all-inclusivity and is significantly interrelated
with self and community. It is the responsibility of each individual to participate towards the
common good of the community. Something can only be a common good if the needs of each
person and all people in the community are met without exclusion. Thus, the common good
cannot be realized when the self and the community are non-existent.
The principle of subsidiarity is about participation and the making of decisions by incorporating
the individuals that will be affected by them. Self and community are interrelated about the
principle because a decision that affects an individual in the community will by extension also
affect the community because the community is made up of individuals. Therefore, the

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participation of an individual in the process of decision making is indeed the participation of the
community as a whole.
The principle of the universal purpose of goods emphasizes that God created things to be used by
all and not by some specific people only. The concept of self and the community is much evident
in this principle. An individual should understand that the material goods that he justifiably owns
are not limited to himself but can also be shared among others. The interrelation between self
and the community based on this principle shows that the creation of God, even though owned
legally is not an excuse to deprive of others their basic needs.
Peace, which is as a result of fairness relies on the right order among members of the
community. This implies that peace begins with an individual and when it is extended to the
community, then it is said there are peace and order. Self and community are interconnected
from the perspective of this principle because it is only exercised by one person or few
individuals, then they and the community as a whole will not experience peace.

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References
Annett, A. (2016). Human flourishing, the common good, and Catholic social teaching. World
happiness report, 2.
Brennan, P. M. (2014). Subsidiarity in the tradition of Catholic social doctrine. In Global
perspectives on subsidiarity (pp. 29-47). Springer, Dordrecht.
Gergen, K. J. (2009). Relational being: Beyond self and community (1st Ed). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Hill, R. P., & Capella, M. L. (2014). Impoverished consumers, Catholic social teaching, and
distributive justice. Journal of Business Research, 67(2), 32-41.
Hrynkow, C., & O'Hara, D. P. (2014). Catholic social teaching and climate justice from a peace
studies perspective: current practice, tensions, and promise. New Theology Review, 26(2),
23-32.
Tablan, F. (2015). Catholic social teachings: Toward a meaningful work. Journal of Business
Ethics, 128(2), 291-303.
Thomas Massaro, S. J. (2015). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action (2nd Ed.).
Maryland, ML; Rowman & Littlefield.
Wagner, W. J. (2010). Unlocking Catholic Social Doctrine: Narrative as Key. Journal of
Catholic Social Thought, 7(2), 289-314.