Social Sins, Structural Virtues, and the Educational Challenge: Reflections on Caritas in Veritate and Laudato Si’

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article presents a useful analysis of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in veritate and Pope Francis' Laudato si'. The author highlights well the continuity between the two encyclicals, particularly with regard to the question of the correlation present in both as a fundamental theoretical assumption between human ecology and environmental ecology and thus how the solution to the earth's concrete ills is not exclusively political but anthropological. This continuity is also appropriately observed with reference to other factors well spelled out in the conclusions. In this sense, the article is well written and shows a certain coherence. 

The fundamental problem is that when discussing topics of this magnitude, even if the reasoning conducted is essentially theological and doctrinal in nature, and is based on the analysis of individual selected texts, a very strong bibliographical support is necessary, and precisely for this reason. The themes of globalisation, consumer society, migration and integration, individual religion and secularisation, the gift economy and degrowth, should, if only hinted at, be supported with an adequate bibliography. Unfortunately, among the references we note only two titles cited (Boff, and Schumacher). We believe that it is necessary to enrich the bibliography, naturally relating it to the statements and considerations in the text. We provide only a few suggestions: 

 

 

On globalisation and the consumer society:

 

Appadurai, Arjun. 1996. Modernity al Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis-London: University of Minnesota Press.

 

Bauman, Zygmunt. 1999. In Search of Politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.  

 

Bauman, Zygmunt. 2000. Liquid Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.

 

Beck, Ulrich. 1997. Was ist Globalisierung? Irrtümer des Globalismus. Antworten auf Globalisierung. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag.

 

Beck, Ulrich. 2008. Der Eigene Gott. Von der Friedensfähigkeit und dem Gewaltpotential der Religionen. Frankfurt am Main-Leipzig: Verlag der Weltreligionen, im Insel Verlag.

 

On the network society and its economy:

 

Castells, Manuel. 1995. The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford:  Blackwell Publishers.

 

Castells, Manuel. 1997. The Power of Identity. Cambridge. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.

 

Van Dijck, José, and Poell, Thomas, and De Waal Martijn. 2018. The platform society: public values in a connective world. New York: Oxford University Press; 

 

On the economic and social theories derived from Pope Francis' Encyclical:

 

Giraud, Gaël, and Renouard, Cécile, eds. 2009. Vingt Propositions pour réformer le capitalism. Paris: Èdition Garnier-Flammarion. 

 

Giraud, Gaël. 2014. Illusion financière: Des subprimes à la transition écologique. Ivry-sur-Seine: Editions de l'Atelier

 

Giraud, Gaël. 2022. Composer un monde en commun: Une théologie politique de l’Anthropocène. Paris: Èdition du Seuil. 

 

Giraud, Gaël, and Petrini, Carlo. 2023. Il gusto di cambiare. La transizione ecologica come via per la felicità. Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

 

Rozzoni, Stefano, and Limata, Plinio, eds. 2023. The Economy of Francesco. Un glossario per riparare il linguaggio dell’economia. Roma: Città Nuova Editrice.

 

On consumer society and the theory of degrowth

 

Latouche, Serge. 1989.  L'occidentalisation du monde: essai sur la signification, la portée et les limites de l'uniformisation planétaire. Paris: La découverte.

Latouche, Serge. 2006. Le pari de la décroissance. Paris: Fayard.

Latouche, Serge. 2010. Pour sortir de la societè de consommation. Paris: Éditions Les Liens qui libèrent.  

 

 

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Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article presents a coherent and compact analysis of two papal encyclicals, Caritas in Veritate and Laudato Si', based on which the author discusses, first the manifestations of structural sin and then the papal proposal of structural virtue. Surprisingly, in the analysis the author does not refer to any commentary or studies of these encyclicals already published by other authors. The bibliography is limited to only the last two popes. And yet these are texts that already have a certain history and have been the subject of many analyses and studies. It is therefore difficult to ascertain the scientific contribution of this text to the existing state of research when the author does not refer to it in the article. A scientific text is only meaningful if it advances research on an issue that needs to be pointed out in the context of existing research. Moreover, the title is too broad concerning the actual content, as it suggests a broader research material, while we find only a presentation of the papal positions in the article. It would be appropriate to specify that the article is about the approach to the issue of structural sin as seen by the last two popes.

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Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The first part of the title needs changing. The word 'Convivence' is only used twice, in the title and then is listed as a key word. It is not used at all in the text of the article.

The article has a clear purpose and structure with its two-source focus on Caritas in Veritate and Laudato Si'. 

However, the treatment of these documents is more descriptive than critically analytical. It would be good to include some key sources that have critically engaged with these documents, e.g., from specialists in economics and ecology who have entered into dialogue with the encyclicals. Just a few examples would strengthen the arguments in sections 1 & 2. 

p.2 discusses the 'State's approach to religion'. Which model of state is being referred to? The nature and role of the state can vary across jurisdictions.

On p.3, the reference to 'secular libertarian culture' seems a strange overview statement. It would seem that the author is conflating libertarianism and liberalism. Clarity and distinctions of terminology are needed.

It would also be good to include a couple of comparative definitions of social and structural sin by other Catholic theological ethicists, not a huge addition, but showing how these engage with the understanding offered by each pope discussed. 

While the article is very carefully written, there are a number of places where the articles 'a', 'an' or 'the' are missing. Some examples: second last line of the abstract should read 'the common good'- same with line 297; line 273 needs an article before 'globalized economy'; line 38--81 is missing something (same in line 426). The whole article needs careful editing for these omissions before publication. 

 

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Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

After the corrections were made, the article gained value and is now suitable for publication.