Is Relationality Always Other-Oriented? Adam Smith, Catholic Social Teaching, and Civil Economy

Paolo Santori

doi:10.1007/s40926-021-00175-z

Abstract

Recent studies have investigated connections between Adam Smith’s economic and philosophical ideas and Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Scholars argue that their common background lies in their respective anthropologies, both endorsing a relational view of human beings. I raise one main concern regarding these analyses. I suggest that the relationality endorsed by Smith lacks a central element present in CST—the other-oriented perspective which is the intentional concern for promoting the good of others. Some key elements of CST, such as love, gift, gratuitousness, and fraternity, find a very different space in Smith’s social view and very little space in his economic view. Moreover, I show how CST relationality is more in accordance with a civil economy view of the market as a place of fraternity and mutual assistance.

Highlights

Recent studies have investigated connections between Adam Smith’s economic and philosophical ideas and Catholic Social Teaching (CST)
For the purpose of the present section, which aims to stress the similarities between the civil economy and CST, it is important to understand from which spirits the political and civil economy came and how this is reflected in their different views on relationality and economic anthropology
This paper is a response to scholars who saw convergence between Smith and CST (Wolcott 2018; Martins 2019) and to some of the Adam Smith scholars (Hühn and Dierksmeier 2016; Hühn 2018; Bevan and Werhane 2015; Werhane 2000) which can be considered the background of their argument

Summary

Introduction

Recent studies have investigated connections between Adam Smith’s economic and philosophical ideas and Catholic Social Teaching (CST). According to Martins, in line with AS, in Smith’s philosophy and political economy, relational ideas are sympathy, self-interest, and human work.

Results

Conclusion