Today, social debates are ignited from the political margins. When democracy is in crisis and social cohesion is crumbling, it is time for intellectuals to focus on the essentials. What is needed is an anti-totalitarian self-enlightenment from the political center.
For the guardians of political correctness, prejudicial suspicion is not bad in itself, so long as it is directed against the right groups. Moreover, the current hysteria about racism obscures the real problems—creating an obstacle for those who actually want to help.
For years Bolivia was considered a successful example of the “Socialism of the 21st century”. An apparently booming economy blinded economists and politicians and obscured the view of a regime that was in reality authoritarian and corrupt.
Historically as inequality dissipates the inequalities that remain become intolerable for many. Freedom then becomes seen as an enemy to greater equality. The modern welfare state seeks to establish equality through redistribution, but leaves people dependent and demoralized by their caregivers.
Every year the Oxfam report makes sensational headlines. The tenor: global inequality is increasing. 26 billionaires would own as much as the 3.8 billion poorest people in the world. Leading inequality specialist Branko Milanović unmasks Oxfam’s alarmism as misleading.
Capitalism and free markets are widely considered to be incompatible with Christian social ethics. At a closer look, however, market capitalism turns out to be the economic order most consistent with the basic principles of Christian ethics.
