Rerum Novarum and Our Modern AI Moment - Part Two

Part One: Paragraphs 1-11, Sections 1 and 2; Introduction and Contra Socialism

Reminder: This is my untrained analysis of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. This document can be found here. I will refer to His Holiness as Leo for simplicity and all quotes are drawn from the current paragraph summarized, in less otherwise noted. I will aim to divide up the paragraphs of Rerum Novarum - this is my division not a formal one - based on the topics Pope Leo addresses. Today I'll continue through 2 sections, paragraphs 12-31 on Society and Socialism and the Role of the Church.

AI Generated

Section 3: Paragraphs 12-15, Man's Larger Societal Ties, contra Socialism

Paragraph 12: Pope Leo XIII links the individual rights articulated against socialism to social and domestic obligations, starting with marriage and family. "Hence we have the family, the "society" of a man's house - a society very small, one must admit, but none the less a true society, and one older than any State."

P13: Property is necessary for the support of family - "It is a most sacred law of nature that a father should provide food and all necessaries for those whom he has begotten." And as a society and institution - the family has "at least equal rights with the State in the choice and pursuit of the things needful to its preservation and its just liberty."

P14: Building on this idea of the family as an institution, the state may offer support in "extreme necessity" as the family is part of the broader society. However, socialism errs in "setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision."

P15: In addition to the damage of socialism to the family, there is damage to broader society - with socialism inciting envy, degrading labor, and level down wealth as a whole. Therefore, in recognition of the primacy of private property, what is the solution?

Section 4: Paragraphs 16-31, The Role of The Church

P16: The Church must be a part of the consideration of the solution of what ails modern society - for it is God's organization, it supports many, and it teaches truth.

P17: First - the Church recognizes that there are two basic facts of nature: people are not all equal and labor is a part of a life. "There naturally exist among mankind manifold differences of the most important kind."

P18: Building upon this - there is no utopia possible on earth: "To suffer and to endure, therefore, is the lot of humanity."

P19: In addition to Utopian ideals, many make the mistake of assuming class warfare is inherent - however - this is not true. Contra Marxian ideas: "capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital." And in fact, the Church plays an important role for "there is no intermediary more powerful than religion (whereof the Church is the interpreter and guardian) in drawing the rich and the working class together, by reminding each of its duties to the other, and especially of the obligations of justice."

P20: Leo goes in depth of the duties of workers and capital to each other and society. The capital class is called to "give every one what is just." Leo points out that if workers properly labored and followed the call to goodness and capital was fair, just, and supportive - many of the current issues would be handled.

P21: Higher than these considerations, however, Leo notes that we are called beyond the contractual obligation to work, we are called to heaven. As such, our aim should not be riches but the following of Christ and not riches.

P22: Based on this obligation, the wealthy have another - one rooted in philosophical and religious tradition: "But, when what necessity demands has been supplied, and one's standing fairly taken thought for, it becomes a duty to give to the indigent out of what remains over."

P23: There is no shame in poverty.

P24: True worth lies in virtue.

P25: Beyond friendship, Christians are called to love. This likewise calls society to more than the problems which currently beset the world.

P26: Again - the Church does more than preach - it acts through education, training, and preaching to show this love: "She strives to influence the mind and the heart so that all may willingly yield themselves to be formed and guided by the commandments of God."

P27: This is something the Church has historically done. "And if human society is to be healed now, in no other way can it be healed save by a return to Christian life and Christian institutions."

P28: Christian teaching promotes blessings, virtue, and the restraint of greed and lust.

P29: The Church further administers direct aid to those that need it. This tradition is rooted in the call of deacons in Acts and up to today.

P30: This charity cannot be replaced by state aid for it is a religious call, virtue, and drawn from Christ itself.

P31: With this in mind, we turn to the role of the state - which must work in concert with the Church.

Discussion

Building upon his arguments against Socialism (and Marxism), Pope Leo XIII is warning against the dissolution of the family in the face of the state. Of course, in the nearly 150 years since this document, we have seen the plummeting of birthrates in the world, especially the Western world and the increasingly active anti-family tactics by institutions.

His discussion of the role of Church in its preaching, teaching, and actions is equally important for us to recall today. Our faith forces us to consider the world around us and its improvement - along with an acknowledgement of business, technology, and advancement as a part of it. The modern era may have drifted even further from a Christian society than the world of Leo's time, but the role of theology and philosophy have not. This relevance will be revisited later as we pursue this train of thought and its intersection with AI.

The last part worth highlighting is the duties of labor to capital and capital to labor. In an AI-world, what duties do companies have for their employees? Is it to use AI as a tool to extract maximum effort at all times at the risk of termination? Busy work or UBI is not a replace for honest work and AI's role in eliminating honest work for lower quality carries real ethical considerations for consumers and employees.