Social Philosophy

Name, definition, importance, history, object, and division of Sociology as the science of human welfare regulated by the reasonable ordering of social life.

God as the foundation of all social order: the existence of God proved from reason; God's nature and attributes; His providence over human society; the social implications of theism.

Jesus Christ as the divine Redeemer and Restorer of the social order; the fact of Revelation; Christ's social teaching; the Mystical Body and its social significance.

The existence and spiritual nature of the human soul; its immortality; the social implications of the soul's dignity and destiny for the rights and duties of persons.

The intellect and will as the specifically human powers; their implications for moral responsibility, personal dignity, and the foundations of social ethics.

The role of divine grace in elevating and healing human nature; grace and the supernatural order; the Church's mission to bring grace to human society.

The origin of man from God through creation; man's nature as the image of God; the rejection of materialistic evolutionism; implications for human dignity and social rights.

The human person as a rational, free, and social being; personality as the foundation of rights; the person as the end and measure of social institutions.

The natural rights of man — to life, liberty, work, property, marriage, education, and religion — grounded in human nature and divine law; corresponding social duties.

The family as the primary natural society; marriage as its foundation; the properties of marriage — unity and indissolubility; the family's authority structure and ends.

The family's social functions: procreation and education of children; domestic economy; the family as the basic cell of civil and ecclesiastical society.

The State as a perfect natural society of families; its origin in human nature and divine design; its authority, functions, and limits; the principle of subsidiarity and the common good.

The Church as the perfect supernatural society; its divine foundation, constitution, and authority; the proper relationship between Church and State; the Church's social mission.

The moral problems threatening the family: divorce, birth control, and the weakening of parental authority; the Christian defense of the stable and fruitful family.

The economic problems of the family: poverty, the family wage, child labor, housing, and the conditions required for families to fulfil their natural functions.

The moral problems of civil community: crime and delinquency, social dependency, racial justice, and the moral foundations of a well-ordered civic life.

The economic problems of the community: unemployment, property ownership, labor and capital, city and rural life, and the application of Catholic social principles.

Nationalism and patriotism; international treaties and covenants; war and peace; the natural law as the foundation of justice among nations.

International economic problems: colonialism, trade, migration, and the conditions for a just and peaceful international economic order.