Three Key Books on Common Sense, VI: The English Regression

When is socialism not socialism?  When you have defined it as Something Else? No.  Socialism that is truly socialism remains socialism, regardless what you may call it.

News from the Network, Vol. 8, No. 42

September 30 is the end of the fiscal year for CESJ, and consequently most of what is happening is routine tasks to comply with various government regulations and the organization’s bylaws.  Still, a few things are happening:

Three Key Books on Common Sense, V: “One Twist to the Mind”

One of the most offensive and anti-human assertions put forward by John Maynard Keynes is the claim that the State has the power to re-edit the dictionary.  At first glance, Keynes’s claim (made in the opening passages of the work he intended as his magnum opus, his two-volume A Treatise on Money) was simply one more contradiction in a body of work filled with contradictions, half-truths, and baseless assertions.

Three Key Books on Common Sense, IV: Chesterton Versus the Slavery of Past Savings

Yesterday we opened with our take on the 1928 debate between G.K. Chesterton and G.B. Shaw on whether there was any fundamental agreement between the two systems each one espoused, distributism and Fabian socialism, respectively.  Despite some snarky yet humorous comments by immoderate moderator Hilaire Belloc on the failure of the disputants to address anything substantive in the discussion, Chesterton and Shaw not only failed to address what Belloc regarded as the real issue — how to save civilization in a manner befitting the demands of human dignity — they couldn’t agree on whether or not they could agree.

Three Key Books on Common Sense, III: The Dangers of Distributism

In 1928, G.K. Chesterton had a debate with his friend, the noted Fabian socialist George Bernard Shaw.  Hilaire Belloc, possibly a little out of character, acted as moderator.  From the first (and probably based on prior experience attempting to argue with Fabians such as Arthur Penty), it was evident that Belloc expected nothing would be decided:

Three Key Books on Common Sense, II: The Mystic Paradox of G.K. Chesterton

Perhaps this posting should have been titled “The Tragedy of G.K. Chesterton,” but in our opinion he’d prefer the paradox.  After all, it’s not his tragedy, but that of his latter day followers.  For all their enthusiasm (vide the upcoming postings on Msgr. Ronald Knox), most neo-Chestertonians seem to insist that Chesterton actually stood for many of the things he opposed, e.g., false mysticism, Fabian socialism, theosophy . . . and utter nonsense.

News from the Network, Vol. 8, No. 41

The events this week have been few but potentially momentous.  It’s always difficult to report on meetings in which important ideas were discussed, but no specific actions taken, so we’ll just get right to the news items in brief:

Three Key Books on Common Sense, I: How to Read a Book

Through the kind offices of Father Edward Krause, C.S.C., Ph.D., we met recently with the Associate Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame du Lac in Indiana.  Completely by chance, when we were packing and trying to pick out a book to read on the airplane, our eyes fell on a copy of Monsignor Ronald Knox’s Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion (1950), something we had been through before.  We had space in our bag, so we put in Knox’s book as well as the murder mystery we were going to read (not Agatha Christie's Death in the Air. . . .).

The Legacy of Lepanto

For most people interested in history, the Battle of Lepanto, October 7, 1571, is an interesting footnote.  They’ve seen allusions to it, and may be vaguely aware of the various paintings, musical compositions, and literary works dealing with the battle, but the issues involved and even the people (except for the romantic Don Juan of Austria . . . often confused with the fictional womanizing Tirso de Molina character) don’t really excite or interest them.

The REAL Problem With Socialism, II: The Substance Trick

Yesterday, consistent with our claim that socialism is one thing under many names, we explained how, by constantly changing definitions, socialists change the outward form of socialism, but leave the substance — the abolition of private property — absolutely inviolate.  The problem is that by constantly changing definitions, we have a hard time pinning down the basic theory that makes socialism ultimately an in- or non-human system.

The REAL Problem With Socialism, I: The Form Trick

As we said in last week’s posting on capitalism, where capitalism is many things under one name, socialism is one thing under many names.  Most succinctly put, socialism is best defined by its chief characteristic or tenet: the abolition of private property, or (as Pope Leo XIII put it) “community of property.”  That is, the community, collective, State, or however you want to put it, is the real and ultimate owner of everything and, finally, everybody as well.

News from the Network, Vol. 8, No. 40

This past week has been a series of new initiatives and follow up on CESJ’s participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia last week.  Despite the despair shown by the usual pundits and media gurus, there is a great deal to hope for, and signs that people in key places are starting to look seriously at the Just Third Way:

What IS Capitalism, Anyway?

For quite some time now we’ve realized that when people use the term “capitalism,” very few of them are defining it in the same way as anyone else.  Obviously, this makes for no little confusion.  Ultimately we figured out that, where socialism is one thing under many names (the abolition of private property), capitalism is many things under one name.

Liberals v. Conservatives v. Pope Francis, II: What He Didn’t Say

It’s hardly news that “conservatives” have a problem with Pope Francis.  As a rule, they tend to think that he has gone “too far.”  It’s also no secret that “liberals” have a problem with Francis.  As a rule, they think he hasn’t gone far enough.  What neither side has considered is the possibility that Francis hasn’t actually gone anywhere at all, at least, not in any substantive way.

Liberals v. Conservatives v. Pope Francis, I: What He Said

Although the Center for Economic and Social Justice is an interfaith organization, and nobody’s income is tied to its existence (it’s all-volunteer), and the Just Third Way is not a faith-based program (although fully consistent with the natural law-basis of the social teachings of the Catholic Church), there is a strong and vested interest in the matters Pope Francis addresses that are not purely religious in nature.

The Power of Calumny

Now that Pope Francis is winging his way back to Rome, and has probably “deplaned” by now, and let us remark that “deplane” is one of the more patently offensive neologisms of the twentieth century; whatever happened to “disembark” . . . “de-ship”? . . . “de-car”? . . . “de-bus”? . . . “de-train”? . . . but we digress . . . anyway, it’s time to take a brief moment and talk about . . . calumny.

News from the Network, Vol. 8, No. 39

The news items for this week are mostly of a report on CESJ’s participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.  The CESJ team, consisting of CESJ president Norman G. Kurland, Marie T. Kurland, and Michael D. Greaney, Director of Research was there from Monday through Thursday.  The team had to miss Friday, September 25, due to a conflict with previously scheduled meetings.

World Meeting of Families, II: Second Day Report

Yesterday was a bit more lively than the first day.  Judging from the various scheduled book signings and interviews at the various exhibitors’ booths, the first day, Tuesday, was more of a get-your-bearings day than anything else.  Yesterday, Wednesday, business picked up quite a bit, even over on the far side where we are.

World Meeting of Families, I: First Day Report

Yesterday was our first day at the World Meeting of Families here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  We had a brief trip up on Monday and set up portions of the combined CESJ/CCC/EEI/CAFFAF booth on Monday afternoon.  We were pleased to see that we are right next to “Priests for Life,” a group with name recognition that we thought might bring a few people over to where we are to see what “Economic Justice for the Family” might be.

Banks and the Stock Market, IX: Bad Credit v. Good Credit

It took us a while, but we’re now coming to the whole point of this series: how misuse of the banking system by both the private sector and the public sector has undermined the basis of a sound market economy and inhibited (in some cases prevented) economic growth.