Western Culture Today and Tomorrow: Addressing the Fundamental Issues
Part I, Chapter 2: 'Reflections on Europe'.
XIX century, product of the Enlightenment, nation-states, new ‘national universalisms’, two world wars.
Europe spent internally losing its global protagonism.
Need to rediscover a common supranational identity to unify Europe and survive.
Work of European unification with Christianity and the Enlightenment at the core as historic and cultural elements.
[Enlightenment itself a development of Christianity.]
‘Founding fathers’ of European integration (need for deepening):
Robert Schuman (France): Often called the "Father of Europe," the deeply devout French Christian Democrat is on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church. His faith in Christian principles of love and human dignity formed the philosophical basis of the Schuman Declaration.
Alcide De Gasperi (Italy): The Italian Prime Minister was a highly religious Catholic heavily influenced by Catholic social teaching. He viewed European integration as an extension of shared Christian ethics that exalted the human person.
Konrad Adenauer (Germany): The West German Chancellor was a strict and practicing Catholic. His political vision and alliance with Schuman and De Gasperi were driven by a desire to embed post-war Germany within a community of shared Western and Christian values.
Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium): A leading Belgian Socialist who presided over early European assemblies, he was raised in a highly political and traditional Catholic milieu, though his later political decisions were often rooted in broad pragmatism. Secular Humanist.
Jean Monnet (France): Known as the quiet architect of European unity, Monnet was born to a family where a strong Catholic tradition co-existed with secular republican values. While he valued the cultural heritage of Christianity, his approach to integration was heavily secular, economic, and practical: functionalist.
Altiero Spinelli (Italy): A primary intellectual force behind the federalist movement, Spinelli was a secular, Marxist-leaning anti-fascist. His vision of a United States of Europe was strictly secular and politically radical.
At the time of integration, common cultural heritage of Christianity and Enlightenment was taken for granted. This assumption provided ground for the first purpose of integration: peace. The second built on it and regarded economic prosperity (Coal and Steel Community) and eventually geopolitical clout.
But what today is the EU was never intended to be only an economic club.
Fast forward almost 80 years and the first component of integration has been almost forgotten. The second one has been successful but is now creating a new set of ‘European values’ which are not the same (population control with derived agendas―gender ideology, contraceptives, dilution of marriage―and the technological manipulation of man) and impose them to countries wishing to trade with the block.
The Enlightenment develops from Christianity but departs from it in two ways: (1) God ceases to be involved in the world and becomes just the initial architect; (2) liberal dogma of progress and moral norms as a function and tool of progress.
A ‘second Enlightenment’ today has left behind the idea of God, carried forward the idea of ‘irrational evolution’ in need of ordering according to (utilitarian) technological standards of functionality and efficiency: permissible to do whatever man is capable of doing. No exogenous limits (eg biblical and other cultural traditions).
This technological reasoning needs external checks to keep it from aberrations such as the manipulation of human beings. Biblical faith as well as other religious traditions. Inviolable nature of human dignity, with absolute value even for those suffering, disabled or not yet born.
According to their dignity, human beings cannot become products, hence the importance of marriage as outlined in the biblical tradition.
Surest guarantee of man’s dignity is faith in God the Creator. Scientific rationality needs the balance of religious rationality―nature and history.
Three strands of philosophical thought in Ethics: Deontological (Kant), Utilitarian (Bentham, Mill), Character (Aristotle, mention of Anscombe and MacIntyre).
Technological reasoning more on the Utilitarian side; biblical reasoning on the Deontological (Protestant) or Character (Catholic) side.
Enlightenment in Marx: materialistic determinism, however sprung from irrational evolution.
Enlightenment and Christianity coexisting as cultural sources in Europe. Political parties at the core of European integration, Social Democrats (centre-left) and Christian Democrats (centre-right).
What is similar to our situation in Australia to that in Europe?
Which of the three Ethical perspectives permeates our everyday life in Australia and the West?
Ratzinger bringing into perspective cultural foundation through historical analysis―Bible to the public sphere in this setting.
Number of practising Catholics in selected countries:
Timor-Leste: 84.5%
Uganda: 58.1%
Poland: 47.8%
Burundi: 44.7%
Angola: 43.7%
Paraguay: 41.1%
Philippines: 38.5%
El Salvador: 38.3%
Colombia: 37.4%
Mexico: 36.5%
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 36.2%
Ecuador: 32.5%
Cameroon: 29.5%
Bolivia: 28.7%
Ireland: 27.3%
Italy: 26.5%
Peru: 26.4%
Dominican Republic: 25.9%
Guatemala: 25.7%
Venezuela: 25.6%
Tanzania: 24.8%
Honduras: 24.4%
Slovakia: 24.0%
Nicaragua: 23.2%
Chile: 21.4%
Croatia: 21.3%
Costa Rica: 19.6%
Lebanon: 18.8%
Panama: 18.7%
Spain: 18.3%
Portugal: 16.0%
Nigeria: 13.8%
Haiti: 12.2%
Lithuania: 11.8%
Kenya: 10.6%
Austria: 9.3%
Cuba: 8.4%
Madagascar: 7.7%
Argentina: 7.0%
Rwanda: 6.0%
Canada: 4.7%
Brazil: 4.5%
Vietnam: 4.5%
Ivory Coast: 4.4%
Australia: 4.2%
France: 4.0%
Germany: 3.8%
United States: 3.2%
United Kingdom: 2.2%
[Source: World Values Survey (WVS) and the European Values Study (EVS) global research project. "Practising" means individuals who both self-identify as Roman Catholic and state that they attend religious services at least once a week (excluding weddings, funerals, and christenings).]
What can such small minorities do?