In social and economic justice, there is no “one size fits all.” Applying the principles of economic personalism to any particular society is and will always remain more of an art than a science. The question of which institutions need to be reformed and what will be the most effective means to do this is one that cannot be resolved easily. At the same time the question must be settled before any effective action can be taken.
It is therefore essential that the general philosophy and specific principles of personalism outlined in this book be understood thoroughly before organizing for acts of social justice. That means going beyond the contents of this book, which can only scratch the surface.
Only then can it be determined if a proposed reform, regardless how feasible or expedient it appears at first glance, is consistent with the dignity of every human person, which (after all) should be our most immediate concern. It must also be consistent with human nature and the meaning and purpose of life: to become virtuous. In practical terms, this means pursuing happiness, and working for the common good.
Assuming that the principles and approaches of economic personalism are consistent with human dignity and natural law, how can they help us transform the economic and social order, that is, change the overall system? In observing social movements that have brought about systemic change, we can see five major “levers of change,” or institutional tools of social justice. These have proven the most pivotal for effecting institutional change in modern society:
· Education,
· Politics,
· Money and Credit,
· Tax Policy, and
· Technology.
Since specifics will rely on the conditions and needs of a particular culture and people, we cannot say with absolute certainty what final form these levers of change should take. We can, however, insist that, to be consistent with personalism, both means and ends must conform to natural law.
Education
Few people would disagree that Academia is seriously in need of reform. In many countries “education” at home and in school has changed not merely its purpose, but its nature. It has shifted from training people how to think and to become virtuous, to job training and human programming — “social engineering.” Education nowadays prepares people for jobs that may be obsolete by the time they enter the workforce.
Academia, however, is the institution in need of reform, not the means by which it is reformed. Education is the tool, the lever, to initiate change not merely in Academia, but in the whole of society.
By “education” we mean the initial process of transmitting to each person in society a sound framework of universal principles. These are the tools with which to understand the world and new ideas, develop analytical and critical skills, and learn how to think as a free human being.
Once we have such a framework and principles, the task in social justice becomes one of teaching the teachers. This makes sense, as before we can, for example, reach out to the young, we need to realign and clarify what is taught. One cannot teach what one does not know. From the perspective of personalism, what is taught must conform to strict principles of natural law, personalism, and social justice.
It is also essential to make fundamental changes not merely in what is taught, but in how and to what end people are educated in the home, the schools, organized religion, and even the workplace. This, as we saw in Chapter 3, is the “social charity phase” of the act of social justice. It consists of understanding the institution that is in need of reform. This includes not merely learning the techniques or methods of social justice, but of the particular institution — that is, its place in the common good (its purpose) — and defining the problem in the institution that needs to be addressed.
Unlike other creatures that conform instinctively to their inherent nature, human beings must learn — be educated — in what it means to become more fully human and how to do so. That is, where all other things have an actual, determinate nature, human beings have a potential, determinable nature.
As human beings we do not automatically love others or our institutions as we love ourselves. We must be taught to give that essential gift of self that constitutes the act of social charity.
Only after we have learned the principles of personalism and how to apply them to the social order using the techniques or methods of social justice are we able to carry out acts of social justice to create “structures of virtue.” By embedding this new paradigm into the fabric of society we can build an environment wherein people have the opportunity and means to become virtuous, that is, become more fully human.
Only then will it be possible to reform Academia to study seriously the premises, values, theoretical constructs, and so on, of the Just Third Way of personalism and economic personalism.
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