A Catholic View of Order, Creativity, and Justice

Abstract

Traditional Catholicism is complimentary to the causal-realist paradigm that includes the works of Austrian School thinkers such as Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, and Huerta de Soto. While not all of these thinkers are Catholic, they share a proximity to Catholicism based on their belief in the existence of causal regularity in the world of social phenomena. This belief enables them to develop a science in the field of economics.

This writing is intended as a tribute to my father. After giving birth to my first child, I have needed the help of my husband to complete it. He has done most of the investigation and writing. From an academic point of view, we have tried to present several ideas in order to show how traditional Catholicism permeates the work of my father, giving it meaning and orientation.

Faith has permeated my education and that of my five siblings. My parents, imbued with a deeply Catholic spirit, impressed in us the conscience of not being carried away by the general thinking of what is popular, “easy”, or fashionable. They have taught us the importance of swimming against the tide and fighting for what is just and true, despite the persecutions that may come from it.

In addition to moral conduct, the fight for virtue, and independence of mind, my father always defended what he refers to as “the faith of the boatman”. That is, a simple and humble vision of man with limited capacity to understand the immensity of God. The faith of the boatman is similar to the trusting attitude of a child who surrenders himself into the arms of his father.

This trusting attitude, in addition to being especially pleasing to God, is in my view quite honest. The intellectually honest thinker, in his relationship with divinity, understands he must not try to apprehend God but simply surrender and worship. Additionally, the faith of the boatman is what prompted my father to tirelessly lead us to the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, throughout more than thirty-five years of parenting. Despite our complaints, my father, along with my mother, always brought us to the One who is the source of life. For this, I will be eternally grateful.