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These words have been on my mind as of late. They should be on yours as well.

I am re-blogging this, my first contribution to the Josias, because Leo Strauss has been on my mind as of late, and the central point seems more pertinent now than when I first wrote it.

Further thoughts on the Charlie Hebdo tragedy from the Josias.

A more detailed post needs to be composed on this topic, but two recent comments on two separate posts tell me that a clarification is in order. Although the terms “capitalism” and “socialism” are bandied about in disparate and imprecise ways, it should be clear to most observers that Catholic Social Teaching (CST) — the magisterial deposit which began to emerge in its modern form in the 19th C. — prescribes neither. In fact, CST is not, in and of itself, a socio-economic “system” or “ideology”; it is, rather, an expression of principles, rooted in reason and revelation, for a just social order directed toward the common good. CST contemplates that different societies at different times will vary with respect their express legal and political makeup. At the same time, CST takes no stand on what, if any, insights might be gleaned from the broad and contentious discipline known as economics. That is to say, CST does not rule out the findings of economic science, though it does not bless any particular paradigm or school as inherently superior to all of the others. If one economic school deserves to triumph, that will only come to light through rigorous reflection, theoretical inquiry, and empirical analysis (though some schools of economics reject this component).

Another excellent article from a fantastic Eastern Catholic web-log.

Since a reader questioned the “purpose” behind this web-log, I thought best to dip into the archives in order to provide an answer. The “About” tab on the main page also provides some thoughts on the matter.

Thank you to blog commenter “aka” for alerting me to this. It is a “must read” for all of those interested in both Eastern Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

The latest from The Josias.

As some of you may recall, prior to the first incarnation of Opus Publicum there was Ius Honorarium, which I wrote under the handle “Venuleius.” While that blog reflects a rather different period in my life, some of the contents may be of interest to my current readership. As such, I will be occasionally posting — unedited — pieces from my old blog with the caveat that some of them do not reflect views I currently wish to defend.