Catholic Social Teaching: Core Principles and Justice Concepts
Core Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
- Human Dignity
- Respect for Life
- Association/Participation
- Call to Family
- Preferential Option for the Poor
- Solidarity
- Subsidiarity
- Stewardship
- Common Good
Understanding Justice
Ensuring everyone receives their dues and is treated with basic human rights.
Four Types of Justice According to Aquinas
- Commutative Justice
- Distributive Justice
- Legal Justice
- Social Justice
Human Dignity
Every human being possesses inherent value and worth.
Respect for Human Life
Life, created by God, is
Philosophical Perspectives on Knowledge and Reality
Dogmatic Knowledge and Early Philosophy
Vulgar and dogmatic beliefs are based on tradition or dogma revealed by a deity. The traditions and dogmas are indisputable, justified by the sacred authority of ancestors or gods. Such knowledge is commonplace because it offers no rational proof for its claims. Dogmatic knowledge is accepted without contention or argument, often rooted in superstitious stories of sorcerers or myths. These narratives accept the existence of supernatural entities that act on
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Historical Views on Social Origin
To understand the concept of social origin, we can examine its interpretations throughout history.
Classical & Medieval Foundations
In Classical Antiquity, social origin was considered natural, a view that persisted into the Middle Ages. Authors such as Aristotle and Aquinas agreed on a natural source for the social: the subject is incapable of living alone and possesses language as a communication and learning tool.
Modern Age: Social Contract Theories
In the Modern
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Nietzsche’s Core Philosophical Concepts
Introduction to Nietzsche’s Thought
Friedrich Nietzsche’s interest focuses on man and life. His philosophy is written in aphorisms. It is rooted in vitalism and represents a backlash against German idealism, among other philosophies. We can divide Nietzsche’s philosophy into two main areas:
- Critique of Western Culture: Examining its philosophy, science, and religion.
- Proposals: Concepts such as life as Will to Power, the Übermensch (Superman), and the idea of
Understanding Virtues and Ethical Philosophy
Intellectual Virtues: Theoretical Foundations of Knowledge
Intellectual virtues are theoretical and cannot be learned solely by nature. They can be acquired through explanation and are deeply related to knowledge.
Prudence
Science
Science provides an account of knowledge, specifically the knowledge of universal and permanent things (an opinion is not science because it is changing). If one studies something and gains knowledge, it is related to the good.
Wisdom (Sabiduría)
True knowledge combined with
Essential Philosophical Terms Defined
Core Philosophical Concepts
Mythos (Myth)
Symbolic narratives about gods and heroes.
Logos (Rational Explanation)
An explanation based on proofs and arguments.
Episteme (Knowledge or Science)
True belief based on reasons.
Philosophy
Literally meaning “the love of wisdom” (etymologically from the Greek philos = love and sophia = wisdom). In general terms, it is the endeavour to live rationally. More specifically, it is the ultimate and universal “science”: the study of ultimate principles or causes of all
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