A05.1 Ethics and community

Contents

Introduction...1 [pp.1-3]

PART 1: TEN FUNDAMENTAL THEMES
Chapter 1. PRAXIS AND THE REIGN OF GOD...7 [pp.6-36]

• 1.1. State of the Question...7
• 1.2. Praxis as Act and Relationship...8
• 1.3. Person: Face, Corporeality and "Neighbor"...9
• 1.4. Relationship as Agape...10
• 1.5. The "We" of the Face-to-Face: The Community...10
• 1.6. "Eucharistic" Community...11
• 1.7. Need, Satisfaction, Festival...12
• 1.8. The Reign of God as the Absolute Face-to-Face...13
• 1.9. The Reign Begins now in Community...14
• 1.10. The Reign as Beyond: Utopia...15
• Conclusions...16

Chapter 2. EVIL AND DEATH...17

• 2.1. State of the Question...17
• 2.2. What Is Wickedness, Evil?...18
• 2.3. Idolatry, Fetishism...19
• 2.4. Individual or Abstract Malice...20
• 2.5. Social or Concrete Sin...21
• 2.6. Inherited Sin...21
• 2.7. The "Poor"...22
• 2.8. "Death"...23
• 2.9. Conscience and Responsibility...24
• 2.10. The "Prince of this World"...25
• Conclusions...26

Chapter 3. PREVAILING SOCIAL MORALITY: THE "BABYLON PRINCIPLE"...27

• 3.1. State oft he Question...27
• 3.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...28
• 3.3. "This World"...29
• 3.4. The "Flesh"...30
• 3.5. The "Babylon Principle"...30
• 3.6. The System of Moral Practices...31
• 3.7. Morality of Praxis...32
• 3.8. "Moral" Conscience...33
• 3.9. The Poor "by Nature"...34
• 3.l0. The "Cross" as Effect of Repression by Sin...34
• Conclusions...35

Chapter 4. GOODNESS AND LIFE...37 [pp.37-77]

• 4.1. State of the Question...37
• 4.2. Ethical Conscience and the Voice of the Poor...38
• 4.3. Conversion...39
• 4.4. The "Covenant"...39
• 4.5. Goodness as Service...40
• 4.6. Communal Goodness...41
• 4.7. Inheritance of the Good...42
• 4.8. Life Regained...43
• 4.9. The Poor Have their Fill...44
• 4.10. The Reign of the Servant...45
• Conclusions...46

Chapter 5. COMMUNITY ETHICS: THE "JERUSALEM PRINCIPLE"...47

• 5.1. State of the Question...47
• 5.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...48
• 5.3. From "Morality" to "Ethics"...49
• 5.4. The Poor in Spirit...50
• 5.5. The Jerusalem Principle...51
• 5.6. Utopian Practices...52
• 5.7. The New Ethical Code...53
• 5.8. The Poor as Agents of the Reign of God...54
• 5.9. "Ethicity" of the Praxis of Liberation...55
• 5.10. The New Jerusalem...56
• Conclusions...57

Chapter 6. SENSIBILITY, JUSTICE, AND SACRAMENTALITY...58

• 6.1. State of the Question...58
• 6.2. Hellenism, Gnosticism, and Manicheism...59
• 6.3. Dignity of the "Flesh"...59
• 6.4. Sensibility: The "Skin"...60
• 6.5. Injustice and Sensibility...61
• 6.6. Ascetical Morality: Corporeal Ethics...62
• 6.7. Eating and Food, Residing and Habitation, Dressing and Clothes...63
• 6.8. Cultural Poverty...64
• 6.9. It is the Flesh that Rises...65
• 6.10. Sacramentality...65
• Conclusions...66

Chapter 7. MORAL LEGALITY AND ETHICAL ILLEGALITY...68

• 7.1. State of the Question...68
• 7.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...69
• 7.3. The Law of Morality...69
• 7.4. Paul against Moral Legality...70
• 7.5. Ethical Praxis and Faith...71
• 7.6. Lawfulness of the Prophet and Hero...72
• 7.7. The Absolute Principle of Ethics...73
• 7.8. Principles Derived from the Ethico-Communal Principle...74
• 7.9. Ethico-Communal Law...74
• 7.10. When Jerusalem Can Become Babylon...75
• Conclusions...76

Chapter 8. RELATIONSHIPS OF PRODUCERS AND PRAXIS OF THE PEOPLE...78 [pp.78-109]

• 8.1. State of the Question...78
• 8.2. "Social" Relationships of Domination...79
• 8.3. Community Relationships...79
• 8.4. What is "Class"?...80
• 8.5. What is Meant by "People"?...81
• 8.6. Praxis of the People as Oppressed...82
• 8.7. Praxis of the People as Exteriority...83
• 8.8. A Communo-Utopian Praxis among the People...84
• 8.9. A Prophetico -Community Praxis of Liberation among the People...85
• 8.10. Liberation Praxis of the People...86
• Conclusions...87

Chapter 9. POLITICAL HEROISM, ECCLESIAL MARTYRDOM...88

• 9.1. State of the Question...88
• 9.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...89
• 9.3. Hero and Prophet in Persecution and Liberation...90
• 9.4. The Hero also Builds the Wall...91
• 9.5. The Prophet also Builds the Temple...92
• 9.6. The Politician: Manager of the Power of the State...93
• 9.7. The Ecclesiastic: Administrator of "Religious Affairs"...94
• 9.8. When the State Represses the New Poor...95
• 9.9. The Christendom Model: Fundamentalism...96
• 9.10. The Need for an Ongoing Dialectic between State and Church...97
• Conclusions...97

Chapter 10. RELATIVE MORALITY, ABSOLUTE ETHICS...99

• 10.1. State of the Question...99
• 10.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...100
• 10.3. Relative Moralities...101
• 10.4. The Transcendental Imperative of the Gospel Ethic...102
• 10.5. Moralization of the Gospel Ethic in Christendom...103
• 10.6. Communal Christian Ethics...104
• 10.7. How Does Ethics Criticize the Moralities?...105
• 10.8. Multiplicity and Evolution of Moralities...106
• 10.9. Transcendental Uniqueness of the Gospel Ethics...107
• 10.10. The Dialectical Relationship between Moralizing Incarnation and Critical Transcendence...108
• Conclusions...108

PART 2: TEN DLSPUTED QUESTIONS [pp.112-145]
Chapter 11. THE ETHICS OF WORK...113

• 11.1. State of the Question...113
• 11.2. Need and Life...114
• 11.3. The Product: Objectified Life...115
• 11.4. Exchange among Producers...116
• 11.5. Product Value...117
• 11.6. Product Ownership...118
• 11.7. Does Work Have Va1ue?...118
• 11.8. Money as Objectified Life...119
• 11.9. Work Capacity and Wages...120
• 11.10. An Ethico-Productive Community...122
• Conclusions...123

Chapter 12. ETHICAL CRITIQUE OF CAPITAL...124

• 12.1. State of the Question...124
• 12.2. The "Poor" Today...125
• 12.3. Sin as the Social Relationship of Domination...126
• 12.4. What is Capital?...127
• 12.5. The Poor as Wage-Earners...128
• 12.6. Accumulation of "Surplus Life"...129
• 12.7. The Institution of Invisible Sin...130
• 12.8. The Person of the Worker as "Nothingness"...131
• 12.9. Blood Circulation...132
• 12.10. Idolatry Consummated...133
• Conclusions...134

Chapter 13. ETHICAL CRITIQUE OF DEPENDENCE...135

• 13.1. State of the Question...135
• 13.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...136
• 13.3. The Nation as Poor...137
• 13.4. The International Social Relationship...138
• 13.5. What is Dependence?...139
• 13.6. The Poor Nation: A People and its Double Exploitation...140
• 13.7. "Surplus Life" Transferred to the Center...141
• 13.8. Theology, Populist and Popular...142
• 13.9. Liberation from Sin Today: Essential Level...143
• 13.10. Liberation from Sin Today: World Level...144
• Conclusions...144

Chapter 14. THE TRANSNATIONALS...146 [pp.146-193]

• 14.1. State of the Question...146
• 14.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...147
• 14.3. Transnationalization of Productive Capital...148
• 14.4. Support Nation and Host Nation...149
• 14.5. How Does Transnational Capita1 Extract Surplus Life?...150
• 14.6. Where Is the Injustice?...151
• 14.7. Second Injustice: Overtransfer of Surplus Life...152
• 14.8. The Third Level...153
• 14.9. Arteries of Life...154
• 14.10. "Civilizing" Power of the Transnationals?...155
• Conclusions...156

Chapter 15. INTERNATIONAL LOANS AND WEAPONRY...158

• 15.1. State of the Question...158
• 15.2. Some Necessary Distinctions...159
• 15.3. Interest on Capital...160
• 15.4. Money Creating Money?...161
• 15.5. The New Moloch...162
• 15.6. New Transfer of Surplus Life...163
• 15.7. War as Business...164
• 15.8. Sinfulness of the Arms Race...165
• 15.9. Unproductive Investment: Instruments of Death...166
• 15.10. Armed Might of the Beast...167
• Conclusions...169

Chapter 16. "CLASS STRUGGLE," VIOLENCE, AND REVOLUTION...170

• 16.1. State of the Question...170
• 16.2. What is Meant by "Class Struggle"?...171
• 16.3. Cause of Class Distinctions: Sin...172
• 16.4. Cause of the Class Struggle: Sin...172
• 16.5. The Reign of God: Without Classes or Struggles...173
• 16.6. Reformism and Developmentalism...174
• 16.7. Dependence, Breach, and Revolution...175
• 16.8. Violence...176
• 16.9. Just Defense and a People's Right to Life...177
• 16.10. Revo1ution, Morality, Ethics...179
• Conclusions...180

Chapter 17. ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIALISM...181

• 17.1. State of the Question...181
• 17.2. The Institutionalization of Socialism...182
• 17.3. ...And the "Law of Value" Abides...183
• 17.4. The Rate of Production Growth...184
• 17.5. Individuality in Community...185
• 17.6. Socialization of the Means of Production...186
• 17.7 Consciousness of the Productive Process...188
• 17.8. Planning and Autonomous Enterprises...189
• 17.9. Ambit of Negotiable Conflicts and Democracy...191
• 17.10. Mystification of Technology and Social Progress...192
Conclusions...193

Chapter 18. ETHICS OF CULTURE AND ECOLOGY...194 [pp.194-232]

• 18.1 State of the Question...194
• 18.2 Person, Nature, Product: Poiesis...195
• 18.3. "Mother Earth"...196
• 18.4. Destroying the Earth...197
• 18.5. Ecology and Liberation...198
• 18.6. Culture...199
• 18.7. Cultural Domination...200
• 18.8. Transnational Culture...201
• 18.9. Popular Culture, Resistance, and Cultural Creation...202
• 18.10. Culture and Popular Pastoral Practice...203
• Conclusions...204

Chapter 19. THE GOSPEL AND THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH...205

• 19.1. State of the Question...205
• 19.2. From Rerum Novarum (1891) to Quadragesimo Anno (1931)...206
• 19.3. From Mater et Magistra (1961) to Octogesima Adveniens (1971)...207
• 19.4. Laborem Exercens (1981)...209
• 19.5. Ethica1 Demands of the Gospel...211
• 19.6. Status of the Social Teaching of the Church...211
• 19.7. The Prophetic Function...213
• 19.8. Ultimate Responsibility of the Christian Community...214
• 19.9. Evolution of the Social teaching of the Church...15
• 19.10. The Social Teaching of the Church and Communal Theological Ethics...216
• Conclusions...218

Chapter 20. LIBERATION ETHICS AS FUNDAMENTAL THEOLOGY...219

• 20.1. State of the Question...219
• 20.2. What is Fundamental Theology?...220
• 20.3. How is Revelation Possible?...221
• 20.4. How is Faith Possible?...222
• 20.5. The Starting Point of Theology...223
• 20.6. Praxis Determines Theology...224
• 20.7. Orthopraxy and Orthodoxy...225
• 20.8. Community, Prophets, Theologians, and the Magisterium...227
• 20.9. The Poor and the God of the Poor...229
• 20.l0. Fundamental Theology in the Theology of Liberation...230
• Conclusions...232

Appendix. LIBERATION ETHICS: FUNDAMENTAL HYPOTHESES...233 [pp.233-250]

Morality within Systems...233
Liberation Ethics...235
Something about Method...242
Notes to Appendix...245
Bibliography...251 [pp.251-260]
Subject Index...256