Human Work in Catholic Social Thought

Abstract

In Catholic Social Thought, work is at the center of issues related to morality and economic life. It is simultaneously objective and subjective. Workers are the real agents of production, and therefore labor should have priority over capital. The able‐bodied have a moral obligation to work to obtain the things they need, but everyone has a claim on the basic necessities of life. Hence the property claims of the well‐to‐do are not to exclude the poor from what they need. The property‐right claim of stockholders depends on the firm serving work and the interests of workers. In unions, workers' natural right to form associations aligns with the right to participate in decisions affecting their lives. Numerous groups and organizations have some degree of complicity in workplace injustice and some degree of responsibility to address it.

Pray local and act global? Christian religiosity in the U.S. and human rights

“…Catholic moral views on business are embodied in what is sometimes called “Catholic Social Teaching” (CST). CST is based for the most part on a series of “social encyclicals” (moral teachings on social, economic, and political issues), which Catholic popes started writing in the late 19th century (Finn, ; Thompson, ) . Thompson () points out that the “foundations” of the moral views expressed in these social encyclicals are the claims that first, every person has an “inviolable dignity” that derives from being created “in the image of God,” (see, e.g., Benedict XVI, ) and second, humans are social and interdependent, and so must live and work in communities in which each member has responsibilities toward the others.…”

Human Dignity and The Dignity of Work: Insights from Catholic Social Teaching

“…Work in the objective sense is "the sum of activities, resources, instruments and technologies used by men and women to produce things;" the subjective sense, "the activity of the human person as a dynamic being capable of performing a variety of actions that are part of the work process and that correspond to his personal vocation" ( CSDC : 270). The objective dimension represents the "contingent aspect," which varies with particular technological, cultural, social and political conditions (Finn, 2012 ); the subjective dimension, the "stable aspect," grounded exclusively on the dignity of human beings. Two different results are expected from work: one external (furniture, in the case of a carpenter) and another internal (increase in carpentry skills, for instance).…”

“…Any productive activity derives its main value from the person, not from the kind of activity or the objective results. All work is dignifi ed insofar as a means for the self-formation or self-transformation of free, rational and dynamic persons (Finn, 2012 ). By virtue of this subjective dimension, human beings improve on their "basic dignity" and achieve "full dignity" or perfection in virtue (Gaburro & Cressotti 1998 ;Perricone 1999 ).…”

“…Here is a refl ection of the inherent or intrinsic character of the dignity basic to all human beings. People have a right to the things they need to survive, and work, ordinarily, is the means by which they obtain them; therefore, people have a right to work (Finn, 2012 ). Everyone who is able has a right to work, because everyone has a duty to contribute to the common good.…”

“…The right to private property loses legitimacy when one fails to recognize this universal destination, impeding the work or development of others. That's why, in Judeo-Christian tradition, farmers were prohibited from harvesting the corners of fi elds and vinedressers from picking grapes which ripened late; these fruits should be left for the poor and needy (Finn, 2012 ). Their right to survival trumps the property rights of farmers and vinedressers.…”