AI Overview Edward Feser, a prominent conservative Catholic philosopher, views both strict socialism and radical laissez-faire capitalism as fundamentally flawed because both stem from the atomistic, anti-traditional tenets of modern liberalism. Grounded in Aristotelian-Thomistic natural law, his critique outlines distinct issues with both systems. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] The Socialist Error Feser argues that socialism is intrinsically evil and inherently incompatible with human flourishing, particularly the traditional family. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Destruction of the Family: He posits that the basic structure of the family is a natural institution. Egalitarian socialism erodes this by centralizing economic control, absorbing the family’s natural educational and supportive roles, and treating individuals—rather than families—as the state's primary subjects. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] Totalitarian Creep: To enforce strict economic equality, the state must constantly intervene in the na...
https://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/2010/11/the_church_and_the_libertarian.html Thomas Fleming at Chroinicles: Our old friend Tom Woods has painted himself into a corner. Portraying himself as an uncompromising ultratraditionalist who will have no truck either with the Novus Ordo or with anyone who does not condemn the Orthodox to Hell, he nonetheless takes it upon himself to contradict the Church’s fundamental teachings on morality and society. Woods’s attempt to limit his attack to the encyclicals of Leo XIII and his successors is at best disingenuous, since the Church has spoken with one voice on our responsibility, both individual and collective, to provide for the poor and to practice economic justice. The voice was and is the voice of Christ. Woods is not rejecting merely this or that Pope or even the traditions of the Church: He is rejecting the teachings of Christ. If he or his libertarian friends dispute this statement, let them cite the Scriptural passages and author...