Socialism aims at maximizing material equality among men, using the authority of the state as its chief instrument. Liberalism seeks to maximize personal happiness, freedom being its main instrument. Catholicism aims at maximizing human life (Cat: Prologue; 1) with charity being its key lever.
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Catholicism also supports the values pursued by Liberalism and Socialism, but it does not promote them to the rank of the highest values to be pursued in life. The highest value a rational man can pursue in life is life itself, whithout which no other value makes sense. Equality and personal freedom are certainly important values for Catholicism, but they are not the highest values. The highest value is human life, in its triple dimension of quantity, quality and duration.
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From a Catholic point of view, then, rationality lies in all that promotes life, while Liberal rationality involves everything that promotes personal freedom and Socialism considers rational whatever furthers equality.
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Consider the case of abortion. Catholicism cannot approve abortion because it does not favour life. Liberalism, on the contrary, endorses abortion because it promotes freedom. Socialism also favours abortion but on different grounds, because it alleviates poverty and promotes equality. All these answers seem to be perfectly rational in the sense that they are coherent with the goals pursued by each one of the three different doctrines. But, is there one that is more rational than the others?
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Consider now the case of homosexual marriage. Socialism favours homosexual marriage because it promotes equality between homosexual and heterosexual people. Liberalism adopts the same stance, but on different grounds, arguing that homosexuals should be free to live according to the arrangements they wish, including marriage. Catholicism cannot favour homosexual marriage because it does not promote life, only heterosexual marriage does. Here again, all three answers seem to be perfectly rational. But, is there one that is more rational than the others?
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The point I am trying to make is that there is no purpose in trying to discuss the relative positions of Catholicism, Socialism and Liberalism (or any other ism) on any particular issue without asking the question of higher order regarding the ultimate value that each of these doctrines pursues. Before doing so, no agreement is possible between Catholicism and Socialism on the one hand, and between Catholicism and Liberalism on the other hand, on the issue of abortion or homosexual marriage, and no standard exists to judge rationally their different positions.
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The answer to the higher order question is life for Catholicism, equality for Socialism and personal freedom for Liberalism. Which of these values is the rational one to be made the end of man's life? The asnwer is: life, without which none of the others make sense. Therefore, Catholicism is the rational doctrine, and the rational answers to the issues of abortion and homosexual marriage are those provided by Catholicism.
Vejo que a mudança de blogue não lhe abrandou o ímpeto de escrever, ainda bem :).
ResponderEliminarAinda que seja revisão da matéria dada, escrito de outra forma suscita sempre a atenção a novos pormenores.
Fica aqui uma possível objecção à promoção da vida humana como o valor primordial:
É duvidoso que seja bom alguém viver mais uns anos se estes forem de tortura e sofrimento (não estou a falar necessariamente de eutanásia).
É também imperceptível como é que a quantidade de vida pode servir como premissa de liberdade ou igualdade se estas não forem avaliadas em termos absolutos (valores médios, por exemplo).