Ekonomia i rynek w służbie człowieka. Kilka uwaga o wizji współczesnej ekonomii w encyklice Caritas in veritate papieża Benedykta XVI

Abstract

Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate does not discuss the western economic crisis which began in 2008, but offers a deep insight into globalization and its economic, social and moral consequences. The encyclical presents traditional elements of the Church’s social doctrine on economy such as fundamental and conditional approval of free market principles; belief in the restricted role of the state in economy; and stress on the moral and anthropological character of economic and social life. New elements of the Church’s doctrine that can be found in the document include a call for the development of non-profit economy as a space where the principles of love and disinterestedness can be put into practice; a demonstration of the role of citizen society as an antidote to the hegemony of the state and free market; and a presentation of globalization as a new “social issue”. It appears that the main mistake that can possibly be made while reading the encyclical, specifically when trying to implement its guidelines is the temptation to identify it with the ideology of the so-called third way.