Response to a “Catholic Whig”

Extract

What is most striking about Michael Novak's response to my article is that he chooses for the most part to bypass the core of the argument. I compared Novak's and Simon's understandings of the common good and authority. In addition, rooted in Simon's work (which I find to be no less relevant today than forty years ago), I proceeded to critique Novak's understandings of the common good and what I find to be his unjustified conclusions about economic liberalism and the realization of the common good materially considered. (My use of Simon as a reference point is based on my judgment that he is the richest Catholic theorist on the subjects of the common good and authority.) I am trying to bring Simon's highly relevant work to bear upon the evaluation of Novak. Moreover, I try to show why Simon's criticisms of the market system are in fact more relevant now than when they were originally articulated by giving some contemporary examples. Novak elected not to engage these core points of my article, except for an outrageous statement, based on no evidence or argument (under point “f”), that most of the claims are false and are drawn from ““left-wing, anticapitalist tracts.” Again, Novak cleverly bypasses the fact that the examples I give are simply contemporary manifestations of points raised long ago by Simon.