The Uses of Economics in Papal Encyclicals

Abstract

Imagine that you hire an architect to design a house for you. Imagine also that you know the broad outlines of what you want in a house — how many bedrooms, the style, or the type of kitchen. In other words, you know what the house is for — namely, the shelter and comfort of your family. When the architect suggests designs that will beautifully and efficiently serve the ends you have outlined, you listen, respecting the architect’s expertise. The architect may think that a house should serve purposes different from the ones you have outlined — the architect may think that a house should be structurally honest, starkly displaying the materials that go into its construction, or that a house should win the admiration of modernist architects. To the extent that the architect can convince you that the architect’s goals should be yours, you will allow the architect to design your house with them in mind. If you do not share the architect’s goals, however, you will reasonably expect him or her to design the house to serve ends that you think are good.