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1989... Did capitalism triumph?In After Virtue (1988), Alasdair Maclntyre cogently argues that the historic normative ethics of the classical tradition is being displaced by the moral relativism of the "Enlightenment Project." The classic moral tradition, exemplified by Aristotle, framed the starting point of social morality with this question, "How can we together pursue the common good?" More and more in a postmodern context, however, that pivotal question has been radically revised by rival and incompatible assumptions to read ---"How can we pursue our private interests with the least interference." According to Maclntyre and similar critics, the modern liberal state and economy establish an arena "in which each individual seeks his or her private good." The dominant moral landscape thrives on principles that are more at home in the rationalism of the Enlightenment than in the ethos of biblical religion or in the normative ethics of the ancient and medieval traditions. An ethical dilemma, then, centers on whether democracy and free markets can establish justice and serve the common good without a culture of virtue or of the prerequisite "habits of the heart?" In Centesimus Annus (On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, 1991), Pope John Paul II analyzed the paramount question raised by the collapse the Marxist totalitarian system in central and eastern Europe in 1989. Has capitalism emerged as the victorious social system after the demise of Communism? That question is complex and cannot be answered without qualification. Thus, after a theological analysis on the value of free markets in the light of Church social teaching, the Holy Father crafts a carefully nuanced answer. He writes: "...if by 'capitalism' is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality and sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative." (CA n. 42) In this regard, while it is clear that Marxism has failed, exploitation and marginalization still persist in the developing nations of the world. At the same time, human alienation marks the lives of a large segment of men and women living in the advanced nations. Such conditions of material poverty and moral poverty must be faced at the structural level. The failure of the Marxist solution does not eliminate the danger that a radical capitalistic ideology which "blindly entrusts their solution to the free development of market forces" would avoid these issues. (CA n. 42) The Marxist solution had identified the collective society as the antidote to the alienation caused by "the commercialization and alienation of human existence." In reality, historical Marxism intensified alienation by failure to deliver basic necessities due to economic inefficiency. (CA n. 41) In Western societies there exists a loss of "the authentic meaning of life" and alienation caused by several factors. One source of alienation is found in consumerism that traps persons "in a web of false and superficial gratifications." Another factor that demeans workers organizes their labor "so as to ensure maximum returns and profits.” Men and women become isolated "in a maze of relationships marked by destructive competitive- ness and estrangement" that reduces them to the status of mere means rather than ends. (CA n. 41) In a sense, both the radical capitalism of unbridled markets and Marxism are flawed by a common erroneous assumption, namely, that persons can be treated only as means in the economic system. Although the Church in its social teaching does not propose economic and political models, it does aim at moral assessment of both historic economic models at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum ---Marxism and laissez-faire capitalism. Church social teaching does engage in prophetic criticism of the ethical deficiencies and the dehumanizing conditions of economic systems. It affirms the moral values and principles which promote human dignity and the common good of society. Beyond a "juridical framework" that ensures just structures, there is an indispensable demand for personal virtue in civic and economic life. As Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., points out, laws cannot create "(h)onesty , diligent work, compassion, generosity I creativity , thoughtfulness, friendship." Laws can protect society against the crass injustices produced by a "survival-of-the- fittest" ideology in a business economy. But, in underwriting a minimal moral sensitivity, civil laws are only a necessary facet of a broader moral culture founded on the virtues of individuals and of groups. Since culture is the context in which all human activity transpires, the formation of an authentic culture stems not simply from creativity and intelligence but more importantly from the heart ---from the very core of persons. The "heart" becomes the wellspring of "self- control, personal sacrifice, solidarity and readiness to promote the common good." (CA n. 51) In commenting on Centesimus Annus, Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., notes that citizens need lives oriented by transcendent values in order to master "the tendency to put profits ahead of people and self-indulgence ahead of responsible service." He concludes that a "lived relationship to the transcendent can foster self-control, the spirit of service and sacrifice, that are requisite for a workable free society and a free-market economy."
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