Far from being limited to denunciations of modernity, nineteenth-century Catholic thought had a p... more Far from being limited to denunciations of modernity, nineteenth-century Catholic thought had a programmatic and visionary side. This essay deals with the models of community put forward by Lamennais in L’Avenir, Antonio Rosmini, Luigi Taparelli d’Azeglio, and Wilhelm Ketteler. These writers re-imagined the foundations of public life against the claims of self-interested individualism and state omnipotence. Three theses in particular capture their vision of the future polity: i. societies, which were not “mechanisms”, needed Catholicism as animating spirit; ii. political representation should be “organic”; and iii. whereas the liberal elites imposed their vested interests on the common people, the Catholic polity reflected their needs and beliefs. The four writers envisaged a community of the gentle and caring, which, like the family, was hierarchical, self-governed, local, and supportive. In contrast, it was argued that the people had no voice under liberalism, because the elite’s values were not the people’s and because the political system was a mere arena for the clash of special interests. This was a communitarian and populist Catholicism, prizing self-government, denouncing parliamentary politics, and siding with “the people”.
The Joyless Economy and Richard Easterlin's 1970s work on the «paradox of happiness»: survey... more The Joyless Economy and Richard Easterlin's 1970s work on the «paradox of happiness»: survey data reveal that, for both individuals and countries, once a certain level of income is reached becoming richer does not entail becoming happier in the same proportion but in ...
Corrado Gini was a key intellectual in the Fascist establishment. His scientific programme includ... more Corrado Gini was a key intellectual in the Fascist establishment. His scientific programme included statistics, demography, eugenics, economics, and sociology, as well as occasional forays into political thought and anthropology. Historians have focused on his statistics and eugenics, in connection with his spell as head of the Italian bureau of statistics. This article, integrating economics with the other threads of Gini’s programme, takes economic anthropology as a standpoint to reassess the inspiration behind his whole oeuvre. That anthropology consisted of two parts: the criticism of economists’ ‘economic man’ and the attempt to replace it with an instinctual economic agent, inspired by the nationalist rhetoric of ‘young peoples’ bound to conquer the world. Once the perspective is enlarged, the usual definition of Gini as a technocrat proves insufficient, for his science incorporated essential pieces of Fascism’s political ideology and cultural legitimacy.
Far from being limited to denunciations of modernity, nineteenth-century Catholic thought had a p... more Far from being limited to denunciations of modernity, nineteenth-century Catholic thought had a programmatic and visionary side. This essay deals with the models of community put forward by Lamennais in L’Avenir, Antonio Rosmini, Luigi Taparelli d’Azeglio, and Wilhelm Ketteler. These writers re-imagined the foundations of public life against the claims of self-interested individualism and state omnipotence. Three theses in particular capture their vision of the future polity: i. societies, which were not “mechanisms”, needed Catholicism as animating spirit; ii. political representation should be “organic”; and iii. whereas the liberal elites imposed their vested interests on the common people, the Catholic polity reflected their needs and beliefs. The four writers envisaged a community of the gentle and caring, which, like the family, was hierarchical, self-governed, local, and supportive. In contrast, it was argued that the people had no voice under liberalism, because the elite’s values were not the people’s and because the political system was a mere arena for the clash of special interests. This was a communitarian and populist Catholicism, prizing self-government, denouncing parliamentary politics, and siding with “the people”.
The Joyless Economy and Richard Easterlin's 1970s work on the «paradox of happiness»: survey... more The Joyless Economy and Richard Easterlin's 1970s work on the «paradox of happiness»: survey data reveal that, for both individuals and countries, once a certain level of income is reached becoming richer does not entail becoming happier in the same proportion but in ...
Corrado Gini was a key intellectual in the Fascist establishment. His scientific programme includ... more Corrado Gini was a key intellectual in the Fascist establishment. His scientific programme included statistics, demography, eugenics, economics, and sociology, as well as occasional forays into political thought and anthropology. Historians have focused on his statistics and eugenics, in connection with his spell as head of the Italian bureau of statistics. This article, integrating economics with the other threads of Gini’s programme, takes economic anthropology as a standpoint to reassess the inspiration behind his whole oeuvre. That anthropology consisted of two parts: the criticism of economists’ ‘economic man’ and the attempt to replace it with an instinctual economic agent, inspired by the nationalist rhetoric of ‘young peoples’ bound to conquer the world. Once the perspective is enlarged, the usual definition of Gini as a technocrat proves insufficient, for his science incorporated essential pieces of Fascism’s political ideology and cultural legitimacy.
The book introduces a non-specialist audience to the ongoing debate on immigration between econom... more The book introduces a non-specialist audience to the ongoing debate on immigration between economists and philosophers. In Italy, where policies have always had an emergency character, the dramatic chronicle of landings obscures the basic terms of the immigration issue. The author’s contention is that knowledge and ideas are needed to govern an epochal and highly complex phenomenon, which profoundly impacts European economies and societies. Neither sovereignist slogans nor the mere appeal to compassion are sufficient. An introduction devoted to the perception of the phenomenon in Italy is followed by a chapter that offers statistical data and details the consequences of immigration on wages and welfare. The second chapter reconstructs, and discusses, the tradition of thought on assistance that affirms the desirability of helping first those who are 'near' – family, friends, and fellow citizens – over those who are 'far'. The third chapter documents the philosophical debate on migration, which pits the human rights of migrants against the right of self-determination of states. Philosophers who espouse the former call for open borders, while those who favour the rights of fellow citizens – who are 'nearer' – want to limit entry. The book's conclusion raises a fundamental problem: the possibility that arrivals in Italy and Europe will grow so much that immigration will become unsustainable in the medium term.
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An introduction devoted to the perception of the phenomenon in Italy is followed by a chapter that offers statistical data and details the consequences of immigration on wages and welfare. The second chapter reconstructs, and discusses, the tradition of thought on assistance that affirms the desirability of helping first those who are 'near' – family, friends, and fellow citizens – over those who are 'far'. The third chapter documents the philosophical debate on migration, which pits the human rights of migrants against the right of self-determination of states. Philosophers who espouse the former call for open borders, while those who favour the rights of fellow citizens – who are 'nearer' – want to limit entry. The book's conclusion raises a fundamental problem: the possibility that arrivals in Italy and Europe will grow so much that immigration will become unsustainable in the medium term.