Abstract
It is maintained that the American Catholic bishops' pastoral on the economy proceeds from and expounds a distinctive theory of justice. Central to this new theory is a close analogy between the economy of a nation and its political society. Since living in a nation entitles everyone to rights of participation in the political realm, so should it be in the economic. The theory is distinguished from various others, and its implications are analyzed. An explanation is given of how the theory is rooted in scripture and Catholic thought; speculation is made as to why the theory was developed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Stephen Bickham is Professor of Philosophy at Mansfield University. He is the author of several articles which have been published in Journal of Value Inquiry and Midwestern Journal of Philosophy.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bickham, S. The bishops' pastoral: A new theory of justice. J Bus Ethics 7, 437–443 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382855
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382855