The Political Thought of Michael Novak
Lecture Three: Why Catholics Cannot Support Socialism
As a friend and former colleague of Michael Novak, Catherine Pakaluk discusses his good character and how he brought that goodness to his work and those whom he encountered. Novak’s work influenced and was influenced by Catholic social doctrine.
Drawing on papal teachings, Pakaluk highlights how private property is necessary so that we can take care of our responsibilities as free persons. In that regard, she notes that subsidiarity is often mischaracterized as simply finding the right level of society for a good or service. That mischaracterization, she explains, implies that subsidiarity can be planned by a central force.
Pakaluk further observes that, in the present day, we are increasingly told that we cannot have discussions about the size of government. Against this backdrop, she quotes Novak’s 1996 prediction that the 21st century will see a rebirth of the idea of freedom as communities of men and women eager to practice self-government in their private and public lives.
