tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.comments2023-05-17T09:05:26.491+01:00The Economy ProjectUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-23934819935218267322014-03-15T21:01:52.868+00:002014-03-15T21:01:52.868+00:00Hey, Distributists are staunchly opposed to Social...Hey, Distributists are staunchly opposed to Socialism. In fact, their contention was that the economic centralization (oligarchy) that naturally results from Capitalism is the Golden Brick Road to Socialism. You must brush up on your history here. Guilds setting prices and wages were the way of the day for centuries. This is true even of the wealthiest nations! The economic oligarchy we have now is politicized. The decentralization of associations based on vocation would make this much harder.Thank alot............<br />>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>~~~~~~~~~~><br /><a href="http://streamafrica.com" rel="nofollow">Stream Africa</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05113485965761560352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-74895698924765856832013-11-07T12:06:47.005+00:002013-11-07T12:06:47.005+00:00I met Fr Charles a few years ago (having read his ...I met Fr Charles a few years ago (having read his works on Catholic Social Thought). We had lunch together and he told me a little of his life and his vocation. Although we met only for an hour or so it made a great impression on me. A wonderful man and I trust that he is now enjoying his reward.Michael Lowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08661623568050509926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-15638323298624409372013-10-25T11:59:59.615+01:002013-10-25T11:59:59.615+01:00I was doing a review of the book and can say that ...I was doing a review of the book and can say that rules are really strong and sometimes cruel. Now i understand the difference between centuries. I've recently wrote an essay on this topic, see it here <a href="http://writing-help.com/blog/platos-republic-ous-sample-paper/" rel="nofollow">Plato’s Republic</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01452607739836166133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-54201301004045408052013-04-30T12:16:07.366+01:002013-04-30T12:16:07.366+01:00I clearly remember my first meeting with Fr Rodger...I clearly remember my first meeting with Fr Rodger Charles it was at a Conference in Hull on Rerum Novarum. As a recent graduate and a very recent convert to Catholicism I was really impressed to hear such an expert on Catholic Social Teaching and well-known Jesuit state that the litmus test of Catholic Orthodoxy was acceptance of Humanae Vitae. He added something to the effect that if it was up to him to choose he would have wished that it was another topic (not sexual morality, I understood). His words have always stayed with me and now 20 years on I continue to think what prophetic words they were. May he rest in peace<br />Caroline Sanderson Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-41112950723818874612013-04-26T10:55:13.138+01:002013-04-26T10:55:13.138+01:00It seems running the world bank and running the wo...It seems running the world bank and running the world are interchangeable. On that basis Sir Francis Bacon made the "leaven" point rather more earthily":<br /><br />"Government is like muck: not good unless it be spread".<br /><br />I'm sure Chesterton would agree, not that Edward Hadas ("Breaking Views" on debt) would understand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-45212370327498822692013-04-03T18:28:38.432+01:002013-04-03T18:28:38.432+01:00We can surely hope! :)We can surely hope! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-53105129220688781812013-03-25T21:39:29.516+00:002013-03-25T21:39:29.516+00:00Adding on. Bishoprics tend to exist at modern hum...Adding on. Bishoprics tend to exist at modern human scale, and also are of a size to allow for some for of overall authority, so off hand I would say a Bishopric is about as large as a Polis should be. <br /><br />And speaking of Bishoprics, let those who are Catholic be the leaven that form the society. love the girlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11086068884134493993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-58634521165364530822013-03-25T21:28:59.137+00:002013-03-25T21:28:59.137+00:00"Maybe, if we raise a few more citizens, the ..."Maybe, if we raise a few more citizens, the polis will recover with them."<br /><br />How does that which does not exist recover?<br /><br />The polis is by nature at human scale, where as there is virtually not a country on earth at human scale. And most are leviathans so large that even the oceans cannot contain them.<br /><br />The polis can probably be larger than a man can see across, or walk across in a day, but to all things there is a limit and Aristotle was probably close to the mark regardless of modes of transportation and communication. love the girlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11086068884134493993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-80075257716875900482013-02-22T07:43:23.462+00:002013-02-22T07:43:23.462+00:00HI Stratford Caldecott,
Hats off to you dear, you ...HI Stratford Caldecott,<br />Hats off to you dear, you have written very feel.<br />Your have shared your own experience and pain through this post. no doubt in the fact that senior members of our society are facing the worst time of their life, becasue day by day nuclear family concept is increasing which leads elderly people stay alone either at their own homes or some nursing home, which is ridiculous.<br />I really want a revolutionary thing to be happened with these elderly people, so that they can live a life with independence and respect.<br /><br />Reference: <a href="http://www.carefortheelderly.ie/Care.aspx?SID=3&SSID=21" rel="nofollow">Elderly Care</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08284118466158477946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-66671740879444697812013-01-30T11:41:39.897+00:002013-01-30T11:41:39.897+00:00The elders are certainly the most respected member...The elders are certainly the most respected members of our society. They need utmost elder care so that they can live the rest of their life with peace and in a healthy manner.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.belmontsandbanks.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Care homes in Kent</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15507006231644203802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-90819959426005108762013-01-06T17:37:47.308+00:002013-01-06T17:37:47.308+00:00Nor did I ask for the concrete, what I wrote is th...Nor did I ask for the concrete, what I wrote is that what was given is less than sufficient from which to develop the concrete.love the girlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11086068884134493993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-7132218412434246332013-01-06T17:18:39.775+00:002013-01-06T17:18:39.775+00:00The Church doesn't propose concrete and practi...The Church doesn't propose concrete and practical plans of action - or rather she leaves that to the laity. The magisterium has to deal in generalities, principles and ideals. Go ahead - propose and discuss.Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-91244870987521165072013-01-06T17:07:51.490+00:002013-01-06T17:07:51.490+00:00If that's an example of not pulling punches, t...If that's an example of not pulling punches, then God help us because we won't be seeing any from the visible Church.<br /><br />"these must be stabilised and better coordinated and controlled so as not to prove harmful to the very poor."<br /><br />The poor? Obviously this is irrelevant to the US where the poor are in a stabilised environment because all they're necessities are taken care of by the system. It's the middle class that is being winnowed out.<br /><br />Further, nothing was said that can be used in any manner to form an actual concrete and practical plan of action.<br /><br />Why not, for instance, at the least discuss what usury actually is in practical terms that can be understood?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />love the girlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11086068884134493993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-82501134528659007442012-12-09T19:38:31.244+00:002012-12-09T19:38:31.244+00:00Of course not! Sorry for not making that clear. I ...Of course not! Sorry for not making that clear. I may rethink the way this is put when I get a chance. The point is openness to procreation, not actual procreation. That is sufficient to create the kind of bond we are talking about. And such a marriage can be spiritually fruitful in a myriad ways. <br />But I think the teaching is that if a couple deliberately closed off the possibility of procreation, for example by a physical operation or the use of contraception, that would call the sacrament into question. But of course this is controversial.Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-50560087125508601252012-12-09T18:33:00.996+00:002012-12-09T18:33:00.996+00:00The implication of your thesis is that those of us...The implication of your thesis is that those of us who have married but find ourselves unable to bear children have not got a valid marriage - which is clearly not your intention Strat!Elizabeth Millsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-64477547638686464002012-10-20T16:50:14.731+01:002012-10-20T16:50:14.731+01:00I enjoyed The Beautiful Tree....primarily because ...I enjoyed The Beautiful Tree....primarily because Tooley was so surprised to find that the education establishments in the poor countries disavowed knowledge of the reality that parents, paying sacrificially to see to their own kids' education, were having a better job done of it in small, neighborhood, unregulated, bells-and-whistles-free 'home schools' than could be done with the first world' education pushed at them by well-meaning philanthropists. Very interesting book.Charlotte Ostermannhttp://www.charlotteweb.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-74494006179074229052012-08-29T09:27:48.767+01:002012-08-29T09:27:48.767+01:00Indeed - Cobbett is important, and he came up in o...Indeed - Cobbett is important, and he came up in our recent Summer School looking at the influences on Chesterton and Distributism, though it would have been good to devote more time to him.Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-16911394400483160362012-08-29T08:59:37.754+01:002012-08-29T08:59:37.754+01:00William Cobbett was an early exponent of the econo...William Cobbett was an early exponent of the economic philosophy which became known under the title ‘social credit’ a century later. For an excellent introduction to this mode of economic thought see Chesterton’s biography of Cobbett. And I can heartily recommend Cobbett’s "A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland". The latter is the most refreshing, common sense approach to economic history I have ever read. See current issue of "The Social Crediter", on www.douglassocialcredit.com<br />Frances Hutchinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03226047157988284833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-35659384780047516532012-07-27T18:12:12.468+01:002012-07-27T18:12:12.468+01:00A READER COMMENTS:
Where I live in Canada we usua...A READER COMMENTS: <br />Where I live in Canada we usually also have a lot of dandelions, but I disagree with the classification of dandelion as "weed." Compared to real garden weeds — the really prickly and unpleasant kinds — it isn't fair to compare the gentle, pretty, and very useful dandelion to such nasty weeds. Artistically, I would not call the bright yellow landscapes with dandelions "spoilt". Our grassy areas in parks have been overrun by dandelions ever since the city banned the use of herbicides, but I think the parks look quite nice with dandelions for a few weeks, very much like the vast yellow canola fields.<br /><br />Likewise the dandelions in our yard — we aren't using dangerous chemicals to kill dandelions and so I can control them by harvesting them. One can not only eat the greens as salad, or harvest roots for medicinal purposes or coffee substitute, but it is possible to make dandelion honey or pancake syrup or even dandelion wine, something Chesterton may not have been aware of, but surely would have approved of. Besides, it is apparently also used in the traditional English root beer. And believe me one needs a lot of dandelion flowers to make a few gallons of good dandelion wine. In fact, this year I am disappointed, because we have hardly had any dandelions due to extremely wet weather.<br /><br />As a garden weed, dandelion is considered a "beneficial weed", (which is an oxymoron), or rather a good companion plant, because its roots will bring up nutrients for plants with shallower roots, its roots also add nitrogen and minerals to the soil, the flowers attract pollinating insects, and since the plant releases ethylene, dandelion aids fruit ripening.<br /><br />Historically, dandelion is a very valuable medicinal plant, one that can prevent or treat numerous diseases, as you can easily find out on the Internet. Dandelion is an excellent source of essential nutrients and it is one of the best sources of vitamin K, especially considering that all artificial forms of the vitamin have some toxicity. The newest medical research shows that it may be effective even for treating cancer and leukemia, see the link below.<br /><br />Perhaps Chesterton wasn't consciously aware of dandelion's usefulness, but one could hardly find a better symbolic flower signifying Distributism with all its aspects — hardiness, beauty (as even its old English name indicates), food, thriftiness, medicine, healing, honey, wine, etc. Besides, the image of millions of dandelions is very much like Walt Whitman's image of the leaves of grass signifying democracy.<br /><br />THANK YOU FOR THESE REMARKS!Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-77467657392875106602012-06-18T18:07:10.268+01:002012-06-18T18:07:10.268+01:00I was very glad to see his article in The Atlantic...I was very glad to see his article in The Atlantic and hope this issue will be discussed more prominently. I think it is very hard to talk about in a public way without confusing the real issue with several peripheral issues. He might be misunderstood as maligning the American free-market model as weighed against European social welfare states. But this is not his point: rule-based contracts and prices have pushed moral norms out of the decisionmaking process even in socialist systems which were once thought to be the enemy (or antidote) of the free market.Adam Solovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08044850823930531388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-72400282677010277312012-05-17T19:25:34.574+01:002012-05-17T19:25:34.574+01:00By this criterion you would also have to reject th...By this criterion you would also have to reject the God of the Old Testament. The quotations you have collected need to be read in the context of the whole and of the tradition, which is very far from what you suppose. (And yes, I am well aware of the persecution of Christians in many Islamic countries, nor do I condone it. The work of Aid to the Church in Need and other organizations that focus attention on the plight of such Christians is terribly important.)Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-70553867194327118682012-05-17T18:01:35.063+01:002012-05-17T18:01:35.063+01:00Sorry, it is impossible to see the same God in Isl...Sorry, it is impossible to see the same God in Islam and in Christiany. <br /><br />Allah is not all-loving, he hates unbelievers and commands jihad:<br /><br />"God loves not the unbelievers" (Sura 3. 32)<br />"God loves not the impious and sinners" (2. 276)<br />"God loves not evildoers" (3. 57)<br />"God loves not the proud" (4. 36)<br />"God loves not transgressors" (5. 87)<br />"God loves not the prodigal" (6. 141)<br />"God loves not the treacherous" (8. 58)<br />"God is an enemy to unbelievers" (2. 98)<br /><br />Sura 9:20 says: “Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) and emigrated and strove hard and fought in Allah's Cause with their wealth and their lives are far higher in degree with Allah. They are the successful.”Pedro Erik Carneirohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07981824216067193977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-29026253233241692902012-03-27T09:06:16.643+01:002012-03-27T09:06:16.643+01:00Yes indeed, I will look back at 'Eccentric Cul...Yes indeed, I will look back at 'Eccentric Culture', although I must confess not to have read 'The Law of God' and I must do so. I heard him give a lecture on this work in Oxford. He is an important thinker on all this. In fact he is also part of the 'Oasis' project and I last met him at one of their meetings.Stratford Caldecotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239053224257881002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-67426456877773812222012-03-27T02:06:27.411+01:002012-03-27T02:06:27.411+01:00Mr. Caldecott,
Have you read any of Remi Brague&#...Mr. Caldecott,<br /><br />Have you read any of Remi Brague's discussions of the development of medieval Christianity & Islam in relation to the political sphere? His historical-intellectual analysis of their past has a lot to offer as we think about their present. I'm thinking especially of "Eccentric Culture" (http://www.amazon.com/Eccentric-Culture-Theory-Western-Civilization/dp/1587312158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332810295&sr=8-1) and "The Law of God" (http://www.amazon.com/The-Law-God-Philosophical-History/dp/0226070794/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c).<br /><br />cheers,<br />--Dwight Lindley--Dwight Lindleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14054549703685985268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207522223081661863.post-32481569575763257362012-02-25T15:52:19.570+00:002012-02-25T15:52:19.570+00:00Precisely the opposite of what Mr. Black says is t...Precisely the opposite of what Mr. Black says is true. First, some background.<br /><br />A) In the United States, private and publicly-held businesses and institutions insure in different ways. (Insurance itself is a business that provides a service – protecting against the risk of disease or accident. Clearly, if insurance paid for everything, it would no longer be “insurance” but something else entirely; in fact, insurance companies would have to go out of business). <br />B) Businesses offer various benefits to their employees in terms of vacation time, life/disability/medical insurance, and others. They are under no obligation to provide medical insurance; many people buy it privately. People are free to accept or reject jobs – and often do – on the basis of benefits offered; I have turned down jobs for this kind of reason. And no one obliged to, for example, work for the small Christian colleges who do not supply free contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients, as the mandate requires.<br />C) For decades, American insurance companies did not cover “lifestyle” choices that did not involve illness or preventive care, such as Viagra, contraception, etc., and very many still do not. While some states now do have a “contraception mandate”, there are several possibilities under which businesses can opt out. No such possibility exists under the Obama mandate.<br />D) Americans do not have a tradition of mandates from unelected “boards” that are answerable to no one, allow for NO public comment, and which are completely free from the system of checks and balances written into the Constitution. While this is becoming common in Canada and the Europe, there are very many arguably excellent reasons why we still believe in representative government by the people, as opposed to state totalitarianism.<br /><br />Now one sees that we are talking about something completely different from the nationalized and totalized health care of Great Britain. Moving on to the issue at hand, it most certainly is precisely about conscience. Many others besides the Bishops and besides Catholics are protesting this government incursion into our liberties. Some of us hold as not simply a matter of faith but as what must be part of faith – reasoned warrant – that killing the innocent through abortifacients, to take one aspect of the mandate, is against anything that counts as morality or even protection of life by the state. To mandate the INTERNAL AFFAIRS of a religious organization by saying they MUST provide the means for things that go against their deepest beliefs is intolerable to a free people.<br /><br />As Europe and Canada sink under the culture of death, allowing the state to dictate every single thing in people’s lives, from what they say from the pulpit to what they teach in their own homes, we should be grateful that there is one place where the flame of conscience still burns. Once it is put out, once there is NOTHING AT ALL that can, or is allowed to, critique the all-powerful State, it will be too late.<br />S. Quinn, USAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com