rerum norvarum

908 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of gender inequality in the workplace

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII had published his encyclical Rerum Novarum. It was released during a time of vast change in Europe. He was very concerned about the social change and communism that was spreading. In the encyclical, Pope Leo talked about many important topics. The main themes were the common good, role of state, and labor and capitol.
The beginning of the encyclical is about how revolutionary regulations refocused from politics to finances. The outcome of this is corruption of morals. It examines the rights of the rich and the poor correspondingly. He wants to find a solution for the cruel laws imposed on the workers and to take away the greed of the rich people. In this case, the socialists are unjust to both the rich and the poor, which is misrepresenting the state.
Pope Leo states that a man should be able to satisfy his needs all the time and not just temporarily. A man should have the right to own his own property so he can support his family on his own continually. A worker must do the work that he freely agrees upon. He clarifies that denying a man this right is unjust. Owning private property is seen as a natural law and is based upon one of the commandments. The state does not have the right by taking away our property by taxing us excessively. If there is a problem within the family it is against that the government to intrude and take control of the family’s business. If the family is seeking aid, the state may help. The natural law of private ownership is a problem that should be settled.
The rich and the working class rely on each other, just as the capitol and labor also. By having both cooperate with each other will promote stability in society. Within the paper it states that the workers should be res...

... middle of paper ...

... open mind to every being. One thing is for sure I will not let myself be taken for granted. Also I will not let myself be awarded less than I have earned. Good things do not come easy unless you work for it.
In my opinion everyone should read this document. Although the way it is written, it is harder to understand. If it was written in a more modern English, I feel others and me as well would be able to understand it more. Reading this document will open someone’s mind up for better understandings of our rights we are entitled too. There should be consequence for people who are mistreated. Working conditions today should be equal and just for everyone. Pope Leo has great explanations for why everyone should have equal treatment. By being rich or poor will not make you into who you are. You shape yourself to be who you are through learning from your experiences.

Show More
Related

  • History: Industralization and the Gilded Age

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    While reading these documents it has shown and expressed to the audience that based off of a person’s position in society it will allow for their opinions and views of our world to be noticeably different. Each of the authors in this document all have somewhat different yet similar views and explanations of the times during 1870-1895. A lot of the views on the business production and the politics are highly differed based off ones role in society. A few of the authors of the sources such as, Andrew Carnegie and Jay Gould were each part of a higher class within the Gilded Age, their views on the business industry was that the government should not get involved with ones actions in the business world. Whereas another author within the source, Henry George, viewed that being poor and living in poverty is an act of other people within a selfish society, and that if we want change one must fix their actions to allow for a secure absolute community filled with equality.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich's Article Analysis: Trouble With The Super-Poor

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    Year’s ago, mention of this widening gap between the privileged and the struggling was considered “Marxist”, but now the facts are too evident to be blamed on a belief. The richer continue to get richer and the poorer get poorer; due to the fact that, the wealthy pay the labor working majority unfair wages. Ironically, this “supreme” group makes their fortune because of these under paid people. For example, Walmart a low paying corporation owned by the wealthiest family in America. As previously stated, the success of the upper class is at the expense of the lower class and we see this in more ways then one: late fees and rates are collected by the rich, Realestate is bought up by them, and they have control of politics. The solution seen most fit by Ehrenreich and Lowenstein would be to remove the classes and have an egalitarian

    Read More

  • The Struggles of the Working Class 1860-1914,

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    The coercion of the working class continued throughout the eighteenth century. Horrible working conditions, poverty, and hunger were blooming in the world of the industrial proletariat. The fruitless revolts did not change the situation and just when it seemed like the treatment of the waged people could not get any worse, the resolution appeared in all its glory. This historical period (1860-1914) could be best described using the Hegelian philosophy. The constant oppression of the working class will serve as thesis.

    Read More

  • Marx versus Reich

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    The rapid development of global economy with the opening of new markets worldwide gave way to the development of new means of production and also to the change of ideologies across the world. Alongside with that, the division between different groups or classes within societies became more apparent as some people got richer and other poorer. These two phenomena, the worldwide development of industries and consequent class struggles, have been analyzed by two major thinkers of their times, Karl Marx and Robert Reich. Their essays have been influential and are similar in sense that they analyze existing conditions of societies and give projections on future fates of people, or more specifically, fates of classes. In this paper, the main focus will be on the fate of the wealthiest people; these are the bourgeois for Marx and symbolic analysts for Reich. More specifically, it will be argued that the rich people will be in the worst position according to Marx and this position will cover two aspects: material aspect, which is how well the rich will eventually manage their properties, and the inherent antagonism of classes and its consequences for the wealthy.

    Read More

  • Breaking Night Liz Murray Analysis

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rather than focusing on what I don’t have and lack, I will try to appreciate what I do have. I will try to approach the life with an open mindset and not with a victimized mindset. I also want to be able to experience the peace that Liz Murray mentioned of not having to worry about always receiving more than giving. I do not want to surround myself with a restless mentality of counting things I could have and the things I do not have. Cynicism will definitely get the best of people and I do not want to live in a world where everybody scrambles around trying to chase down a materialistic lifestyle while having no concern about others. Liz Murray has taught me to embrace the notion of community in addition to improving oneself. English was a second language for me and without the help of the precious individuals who I have met along my journey I would not been able to write this essay today. A person simply does not live by himself, but also with other individuals within a community. If we feel the need to improve the quality of our lives, we also have the responsibility to look out for those who are not capable of doing it

    Read More

  • Economic Inequality - Taking Sides Article

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    Briefly state the main idea of this article: The main idea of this article is that economic inequality has steadily risen in the United States between the richest people and the poorest people. And this inequality affects the people in more ways than buying power; it also affects education, life expectancy, living conditions and possibly happiness. Another idea that he brought up was that the American government tends to give less help to the unemployed than other rich countries.

    Read More

  • Locke, Rousseau, and King

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the existence of man debates over property and inequality have always existed. Man has been trying to reach the perfect state of society for as long as they have existed. John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Martin Luther King are three great examples of men who broke down the basics of how property and inequality are related. Each historical figure has their own distinct view on the situation. Some views are similar while others vary greatly. These philosophers and seekers of peace and equality make many great arguments as to how equality and property can impact man and society. Equality and property go hand in hand in creating an equal society. Each authors opinion has its own factors that create a mindset to support that opinion. In this paper we will discuss the writings of John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Martin Luther King Jr. and the factors that influenced their opinions on inequality and property.

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age Analysis

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    While this is a dramatized statement regarding the plight of the worker under the new machine driven industrial system, rhetoric such as this did represent the fears of the working class. Over time, as industrialization appeared more common, there emerged more heated debates between the working class and business owners. The struggle between the two opposing classes of labor was the embodiment of the argument for national identity, according to Trachtenberg. His attention to detail of the divide between the lower class workers and the rich upper crust industrialists, serves to illustrate the varying changes which occurred across the country.

    Read More

  • Market and Freedom by Professor Dwight R. Lee

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    The author of the article believes that through the social and productive cooperation, the society can reach its wealth and prosperity. The production cooperation has two main elements, freedom and good health. However, the author emphasizes that freedom is more important than good health and wealth as well. He points out that "the sick people can be productive, but without freedom the productive cooperation of the marketplace is impossible." He also clarified that the rich people could not enjoy their wealth without freedom. Moreover, Professor Dwight mentions that there is mutual dependence among the production and freedom. He clarified this idea in two points. First, "Markets requires freedom". The author attacks the centralized government that prevents the freedom and dominates the information flows, which is an important element of the market economy. Second, "freedom requires markets". Professor Lee emphasizes that privatization protects individual freedom. In this context he mentions for an important example that we might experience in everyday life, "the pollution problems." These are real problems in our world today, especially in the over populated cities and countries such as Mexico City and Cairo.

    Read More

  • Private Property Concepts in the Bible and in Historic Context

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marx, Karl, and T. B. Bottomore. "Wages of Labour." Early Writings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964. N. paragraph.16 Print.

    Read More

  • How the Rich Benefit from the Poor

    5331 Words  | 11 Pages

    The United States is the most developed capitalist economy in the world. The markets within the economy provide profit-motivated companies endless potential in the pursuance of pecuniary accumulation. Throughout the twentieth-century competitive companies have implemented modernized managerial procedures designed to raise profits by reducing unnecessary costs. These cost-saving procedures have had a substantial effect on society and particularly members of the working class. Managers and owners of these competitive and self-motivated companies have consistently worked throughout this century to exploit the most controllable component of the production process: the worker. The worker has been forced by the influence of powerful and affluent business owners to work in conditions hazardous to their well being in addition to preposterously menial compensation. It was the masterful manipulation of society and legislation through strategic objectives that the low-wage workers were coerced into this position of destitute. The strategies of the affluent fragment of society were conceived for the selfish purpose of monetary gain. The campaigns to augment the business position within the capitalist economy were designed to weaken organized labor, reduce corporate costs, gain legislative control and reduce international competition at the expense of the working class. The owners have gained and continue to gain considerable wealth from these strategies. To understand why the owners of the powerful companies operate in such a selfish manner, we must look at particular fundamentals of both capitalism and corporation strategy. Once these rudiments are understood, we ...

    Read More

  • Summary Of Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    They were able to take advantage of the growing technology and exploration to advance out of the middle class and become extremely rich. Through their wealth, the bourgeois were able to gain an enormous amount of influence in society. For example, they have “exclusive political sway” (Marx 18). In other words, the state exists entirely to serve the needs of the bourgeois. However, even more importantly so, their existence is bringing about a gradual disintegration of sentiment and true relations. People are now measured by the amount of material goods they own. Therefore, doctors, lawyers, and other originally honest occupations have become based entirely on wages and familial relationships no longer exist. They have instead been replaced by purely money relations. The bourgeois are also constantly exploiting the lower classes, otherwise known as the proletarians. (Marx

    Read More

  • Causes Of The Great Depression

    3212 Words  | 7 Pages

    The largest reason for the growing gap between the rich and the working-class people was the sudden increase in manufacturing during the 1920’s. The people of the working class were significantly increasing their output, but their wages only increased slightly. For example, the average worker out put from 1923-1929 increased about 32%, but the average income of the worker only increased about 8% (Gusmorino, Main Causes of the Great Depression). Therefore one may conclude that wages only increased one-fourth the amount production increased. Another amazing feat of the manufacturing increase was that prices for goods stayed the same, therefore the executives in the companies were keeping the mass amounts of profit that were now coming into the company. In fact, one can see that top executives in a certain company increased significantly because their salaries from 1923-1929 rose 64% (Gusmorino, Main Cau...

    Read More

  • The Church: An Analysis of The Rerum Novarum Publication

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shuck, M. That They May Be One: Social Teaching of the Papal Encyclicals, 1749-1891. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. 1991.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of The American Dream

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    Money is an essential part of life where every people can satisfy whatever they need and every person in America has a chance to find a job. However, some of the people in the country wanted to go on with their life freely by being a part of a welfare. Furthermore, distribution of wealth is a huge demand of every citizen. Everyone today is trying to look down for every people in the lower class, as they did not give any benefit to the country, waiting for the benefits that they will receive from the government. For instance, when most lower class people have gone through a financial crisis due to overspending, insufficient fund or pay for their work to support themselves and/or their family. The example shows that lower class people made the economy of the country unstable, however, the middle class and the higher class is at fault as well. Furthermore, even though the benefit of that the lower class received is from the middle class, the middle class as well benefits from the higher class. To sum up, every class is at fault towards giving the country’s economy a positive

    Read More

More about rerum norvarum

Open Document