The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 THE ROOTS OF "ANTICAPITALIS"M" 665nich, February 1972) taken a firmstand against the myths of thebeneficient effects of the redistributionof wealth. As one of thearchitects of the Encyclical QuadragesimoAnno he emphasized thatPius XI was thoroughly cognizantwith this incontrovertible fact butthat, in the meantime, this knowledgehas been nearly lost and thattherefore demagogical ideas havelargely invaded Catholic sociologicaland economic thinking. Especiallyin the domain of "ThirdWorld" economic problems, thelearned Jesuit hinted, the hue andcry for "distributive justice" hasdone a great deal of mischief.It has become fashionable to attackfree enterprise on moralgrounds. There are people amongus, many of them well-meaning,idealistic Christians, who freelyadmit that "capitalism deliversthe goods," that it is far more efficientthan socialism, but that itis ethically on a lower plane. It isdenounced as egotistic and materialistic.Of course, life on earthis a vale of tears and no system,political, social or economic, canclaim perfection. Yet, the meansof production can only be ownedprivately, or by the State. Stateownership of all means of productioncertainly is not conducive toliberty. It is totalitarianism. It involvesstate control of all media ofexpression. (In Nazi Germany privateownership existed de jure,but certainly not de facto.) Theremark of Roepke is only too true,that in a free enterprise systemthe supreme sanction comes fromthe bailiff, but in a totalitariantyranny from the hangman.The Christian insistence onfreedom - the monastic vows arevoluntary sacrifices of a select few- derives from the Christian conceptthat man must be free in orderto act morally. (A sleeping, achained and clubbed, a druggedperson can neither be sinful norvirtuous.) Yet, the free worldwhich is practically synonymouswith the world of free enterprise,alone provides a climate, a way oflife compatible with the dignity ofman who makes free decisions, enjoysprivileges, assumes responsibilities,and develops his talentsas he sees fit. He is truly the stewardof his family. He can buy, sell,save, invest, gamble, plan the future,build, retrench, acquire capital,make donations, take risks. Inother words, he can be the masterof his economic fate and act as aman instead of a sheep in a herdunder a shepherd and his dogs. Nodoubt, free enterprise is a harshsystem; it demands real men. Butsocialism, which appeals to enviouspeople craving for securityand afraid to decide for themselves,impairs human dignity andcrushes man utterly. ~