hayek and the pope: the harmony of the spheres

this week some i had the pleasure of attending acton university. i thought i'd share with you (i.e., try not to butcher) an interesting concept i learned from catholic social thought: subsidiarity.

as i understand it, this concept contends that a number of spheres surround each individual. the closest sphere consists of your most intimate acquaintances, such as the immediate family. this is followed by spheres with less and less familiarity, from friends and extended family to the spheres of the church, community, and finally government.

subsidiarity suggests that when problems arise, it is best to consult the sphere closest to you and move outward if that sphere is unable or unwilling to help. this continues until you reach the outermost sphere which presumably consists of the highest level of government. in a society that took subsidiarity seriously, i wonder whether we would ever reach those outermost spheres.

pope leo XII, who developed the concept developed in the encyclical rerum novarum of 1891, seems to have beat hayek to the punch with the concept of local knowledge. or, perhaps, hayek received his early understanding of this concept from his catholic upbringing. we'll never know, i suppose!

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we also had the pleasure of hearing the former prime minister of estonia, mart laar. you can listen to it here in MP3.

Labels: political, social