Economic rights: The status of the debate in the United States

Human rights have assumed an increasingly important place in the Catholic Church's social thought in recent years. One of the most significant and controversial elements of the U.S. Catholic bishops' pastoral letter on the economy, Economic Justice For All (1986), is the proposal that human dignity requires the recognition of certain "economic rights." The debate about economic rights in the United States raises a number of questions concerning the foundation of human rights in general and economic rights in particular; the economic rights debate is also tied to the question of the relationship between theology and ideology.;The dissertation argues that this definition of the "dignity of the person" is a more adequate foundation for human and economic rights than those examined previously, because this concept integrates historical and theological insights into a concept which functions practically like the natural law. The dissertation also argues that given current economic conditions, the demands of both faith and justice entail the recognition in the United States of economic rights, as defined in Chapter One.;If economic rights do in fact exist, the question of how to effect their recognition in the current situation becomes an important question, one which concerns the relationship between ideology and theology. It is suggested, finally, that if economic rights do exist, and if the current political and economic situation makes their implementation impossible, then historical experience may indicate that civil disobedience is a logical means to achieve the recognition of these rights.;Chapter One develops a definition of "economic rights," using the pastoral letter on the U.S. economy as a point of departure. Chapter Two examines the natural law tradition for the foundation of human rights in general and economic rights in particular. Chapter Three discusses Michael Novak's arguments against economic rights, as well as his impact on the various drafts of the pastoral letter. Chapter Four explores the history of the word "dignity" as a foundation for human, and economic, rights; the ideological uses of this word are also analyzed; the "dignity of the person" is defined in the light of this history.