Living Justice

I think that the concept of subsidiarity is very useful to society because it can help everyone understand each other which results in great outcomes. Pope Pius's encylical "Quadragesimo Anno" is very important because it talks about the proper division of labor among human institutions. It includes the idea of subsidiarity through the example of a village coming up with certain ideas to achieve a goal. Also this encyclical gives us an insight about human affairs, which includes the example of the American government giving federal assistance to places across the country. I think that the examples given of subsidiarity is a great way to show how this concept is taken place in society. I think that its unfortunate that Pope Pius was brought up in an age that was witnessing a disturbing rise of Totalitarianism, including influences of Fascism and Communism. I agree that an overly intrusive government reduces incentives for beneficial self help. I also think that it's important to remember that national governments should not be portrayed as our enemies, but rather tools by which citizens join their efforts together when necessary to complete goals that could not be completed on local levels. I disagree with members of the Catholic Church, any religious group that have debatable attitudes toward the central government. I also believe that the best way to judge proposals for public collective actions is on a case by case basis. I think that public policy depends too much on a polity's ability to grow beyond mere, sloganeering, blanket generalizations and idealogical posturing to come up with criticism regarding the truth and advances of the common good. What really caught my attention was at the end of the section read, "At the heart of the principle of subsidiarity, then, is the crucial distinction between state and society. Catholic social teaching has long been mindful that the strength and vitality of a people goes far beyond its government structures and officials". This quote from the article makes me realize how important separation of Church and State is and how powerful the "people" can really be.