Catholic Social Thought

  • Catholic Social Thought (CST) is a body of doctrine rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, developed through scripture, tradition, and papal encyclicals.

    It offers a framework for addressing social, economic, and political issues, emphasizing human dignity, justice, and the common good.

    Emerging formally in 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) responds to modern challenges such as industrialization, inequality, and globalization, while drawing on biblical principles and natural law.

    CST rests on key principles: the inherent dignity of every person, the pursuit of the common good, subsidiarity (decisions at the most local level possible), solidarity with the marginalized, and stewardship of creation. It advocates for the preferential option for the poor, workers’ rights, and peace, urging Catholics to engage in society as active agents of change. Encyclicals like Pacem in Terris (1963) and Laudato Si’ (2015) expand their scope to human rights and environmental care.

    Far from abstract, CST calls for practical action—charity, advocacy, and policy reform—grounded in love and justice. It bridges faith and reason, inviting all people, not just Catholics, to build a world where every person can flourish.

Overview

  • An Overview of Western Culture

    A concise introduction.

    Western Culture

  • What Is Liberalism?

    An overview of a social-political philosophy.

    What Is Liberalism?

  • The Meaning Crisis

    A brief introduction to the meaning crisis in Western culture.

    The Meaning Crisis

Christian Social Thought

Cultural Issues

Select Published Articles

Essential Reading List

  • Catholic Social Teaching - The Vatican Press (Encyclicals)

    Gaudium et Spes - Second Vatican Council

    Catholic Social Thought - O’Brien & Shannon

    Theology & Social Theory - John Milbank

    Introducing Radical Orthodoxy - James A.K. Smith

    Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology - Milbank ed.

    Radical Orthodoxy: A Critical Introduction - Stephen Shakespeare

    Sacred & Social - Kenneth Himes

    The Trinity & The Temple - Jean Danielou, SJ

    The World & The Person - Romano Guardini

    More Than Things - Paul Metzger

    Who Is My Neighbor - Thomas Williams

    On Faith in the Public Square - Rowan Williams

    The Personalism of John Paul II - John F. Crosby

    The Person and the Common Good - Jacques Maritain

    Late Stage Capitalism - Patrick Delaney

    Religious Freedom - Michael Bird

    We Hold These Truths - John Courtney Murray, SJ

    Liberty & Nature - Rasmussen & Den Uyl

    Liberalism & Its Discontents - Francis Fukuyama

    Liberalisms - John Gray

    Why Liberalism Works - Deidre McCloskey

    The Once and Future Liberal - Mark Lilla

    The Realist Turn: Repositing Liberalism -Rasmussen & Den Uyl

    Zombies in Western Culture - John Vervaeke

    After Virtue - Alasdair MacIntyre

    Whose Justice? Which Rationality - Alasdair MacIntyre

    The Meaning of the West - Don Cupitt

    A Secular Age - Charles Taylor

    Liquid Modernity - Zygmunt Bauman

    The Secularization of the European Mind
    Owen Chadwick

    Western Culture: Today & Tomorrow -
    Benedict XVI

    Between Naturalism & Religion - Jurgen Habermas

    All Things Shining - Dreyfus & Kelly

    America’s Cultural Revolution -Christopher Rufo

    The Madness of Crowds - Douglas Murray

    Awake, Not Woke - Noelle Mering

    Left Is Not Woke - Susan Neiman