- 03 Nov 2010 08:04
#13542200
I suppose, in many ways, I am ultimately a Distributist. At the very least, I feel comfortable enough to identify with that political ideology here on PoFo, on Facebook, and in other instances of social interaction where a quick, catch-all phrase is required to explain just what my political leanings are. While I do not swallow everything Distributism has to offer wholesale (nor would I think the men and women instrumental in its creation would want me to), it is the political and economic system that I feel the most synthesis with between what it says about the world, and what I believe about the world.
I would like, if people are keen, to have a discussion in this thread on Distributism. I realize that is rather broad, but as it is a relatively minor and unknown ideology, I think that, for the time being, a broad discussion on Distributism would be much more fruitful and productive than discussing a minor aspect of a minor ideology would be.
To begin, I'll very briefly outline its origins, a skeletal idea of what the ideology is, and what successes we've seen with it already today. Finally, I will post a "Distributist Reading List" for the benefit of the community (you'll be happy to know that a lot of it is available legally online!)
Where'd it come from? - A Brief History of Distributism... No, really, it is brief.
Distributism has fairly modern origins, in one regard, though the Distributist would argue that, in many ways, Distributism has its routes in medieval times, and even in ancient, subsistence-based agricultural societies. At its basis, Distributism is based on Christian (primarily Catholic) theology, in that there is the concept of the Imago Dei. This, more or less, means that human beings have intrinsic value based on the sheer fact that they are, well, human beings.
Distributism's modern origins, however, begin at Rerum Novarum ("Of New Things"), a papal encyclical written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. (yep, those bad guys from "The Da Vinci Code"). Rerum Novarum was also titled, "Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour." In essence, there were four main themes to Rerum Novarum:
Shortly after it was published, two English authors, Gilbert Keith Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc, sought to apply Rerum Novarum and see what sort of system they could work out - a third way - that would combat both the socialism and the unfettered capitalism that had and would rob men of their autonomy. To make a long story short, what they got was Distributism.
A Quick Summary on Distributism
First of all, what is Distributism? It has been called a "Third Way" (a common term, I know) between Socialism and Capitalism. In Capitalism, any man may - theoretically - own either resources or tools. Yet, only men of exceptional talent and/or opportunity (or fortunate birth) ever have a chance at this. Most men will look for employment among increasingly fewer owners, selling the one commodity they do have: their labor. A Socialist state is identical to a Capitalist state, save in this: the government is the sole owner of capital. So, Distributists are capitalistic in that we see private property and a free-market as important economic factors and ideals. But we are socialistic in that we do not believe that a small, distant oligarchy should control all the means of production, and that a man should be forced to sell his labour and time in exchange for a wage, rather than be a creative participant in the economy.
Perhaps the best summary of all that is in the words of Chesterton, ""Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists."
Ok, sounds good... But what would it look like?
Like socialists, Distributists - as the name suggests - want to see wealth more fairly distributed. But rather than the opaque notion that the workers "own" the means of production via the party and the State, the Distributist desires to see the most amount of people owning their own property. In a Distributist economy, the means of production are owned by families, co-ops and guilds, etc. In that respect, it is almost corporatist. And, indeed, the idea of Guilds is a significant factor in Distributism.
Guilds are, in many ways, exactly like the Medieval guilds of old. Though I realize the term "medieval" might scare some folks, so feel free to imagine them more along the lines of local unions, vocational schools, chambers of commerce, and professional societies all mixed into one.
The last time Western society had something like the guilds was before the Protestant Reformation. In America today, there are very strong unions (NEA) and professional associations (AMA), but they are a ghost of what the old guilds did. First, guilds were primarily local, rather than national organizations with local chapters. The guild would make sure that there were enough skilled members of a trade to exist in the area. If not enough members existed to meet demand, membership would be expanded to an apprentice of the guild to be a full member. The apprentice would pay back the investment made in his training by either a lump payment (which might have been already made), or by garnishment of wages for a predetermined period of time.
Alright, Sounds Peachy. But It's Utopian! - The Successes of Distributism Today
Features of our modern economic systems that derive at least in part from the Distributist philosophy include:
Perhaps one of the more significant Distributist success stories is the Mondragon Corporation. A quick blurb from the Wikipedia page:
The Mondragon Corp. operations on the Distributist foundations of worker ownership of the means of production, a guild-like system for crafts and trades, etc.
A Distributist Reading List
Here are some of the key texts pertaining to Distributism as a theory.
Key Texts
Rerum Novarum (1891) papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII
Quadragesimo Anno (1931) papal encyclical by Pope Pius XI
Laborem Exercens (1981) papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II
Centesimus Annus (1991) papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II
What's Wrong with the World (1910) by G. K. Chesterton (Or here)
The Outline of Sanity (1927) by G. K. Chesterton
Utopia of Usurers (1917) by G. K. Chesterton
The Servile State (1912) by Hilaire Belloc
An Essay on The Restoration of Property by Hilaire Belloc
Other Distributist or Distributism-related texts
The Long Loneliness (1952) an autobiography by Dorothy Day
Conclusion
So, gang, that's all I have to say for now... Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Nintendo Tricks?
I would like, if people are keen, to have a discussion in this thread on Distributism. I realize that is rather broad, but as it is a relatively minor and unknown ideology, I think that, for the time being, a broad discussion on Distributism would be much more fruitful and productive than discussing a minor aspect of a minor ideology would be.
To begin, I'll very briefly outline its origins, a skeletal idea of what the ideology is, and what successes we've seen with it already today. Finally, I will post a "Distributist Reading List" for the benefit of the community (you'll be happy to know that a lot of it is available legally online!)
Where'd it come from? - A Brief History of Distributism... No, really, it is brief.
Distributism has fairly modern origins, in one regard, though the Distributist would argue that, in many ways, Distributism has its routes in medieval times, and even in ancient, subsistence-based agricultural societies. At its basis, Distributism is based on Christian (primarily Catholic) theology, in that there is the concept of the Imago Dei. This, more or less, means that human beings have intrinsic value based on the sheer fact that they are, well, human beings.
Distributism's modern origins, however, begin at Rerum Novarum ("Of New Things"), a papal encyclical written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. (yep, those bad guys from "The Da Vinci Code"). Rerum Novarum was also titled, "Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour." In essence, there were four main themes to Rerum Novarum:
- Rights of labour unions
- Opposition to Marxism and socialism
- Opposition to unfettered capitalism, which was thought to be a source of "misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class"
- The affirmation of the right to private property
Shortly after it was published, two English authors, Gilbert Keith Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc, sought to apply Rerum Novarum and see what sort of system they could work out - a third way - that would combat both the socialism and the unfettered capitalism that had and would rob men of their autonomy. To make a long story short, what they got was Distributism.
A Quick Summary on Distributism
First of all, what is Distributism? It has been called a "Third Way" (a common term, I know) between Socialism and Capitalism. In Capitalism, any man may - theoretically - own either resources or tools. Yet, only men of exceptional talent and/or opportunity (or fortunate birth) ever have a chance at this. Most men will look for employment among increasingly fewer owners, selling the one commodity they do have: their labor. A Socialist state is identical to a Capitalist state, save in this: the government is the sole owner of capital. So, Distributists are capitalistic in that we see private property and a free-market as important economic factors and ideals. But we are socialistic in that we do not believe that a small, distant oligarchy should control all the means of production, and that a man should be forced to sell his labour and time in exchange for a wage, rather than be a creative participant in the economy.
Perhaps the best summary of all that is in the words of Chesterton, ""Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists."
Ok, sounds good... But what would it look like?
Like socialists, Distributists - as the name suggests - want to see wealth more fairly distributed. But rather than the opaque notion that the workers "own" the means of production via the party and the State, the Distributist desires to see the most amount of people owning their own property. In a Distributist economy, the means of production are owned by families, co-ops and guilds, etc. In that respect, it is almost corporatist. And, indeed, the idea of Guilds is a significant factor in Distributism.
Guilds are, in many ways, exactly like the Medieval guilds of old. Though I realize the term "medieval" might scare some folks, so feel free to imagine them more along the lines of local unions, vocational schools, chambers of commerce, and professional societies all mixed into one.
The last time Western society had something like the guilds was before the Protestant Reformation. In America today, there are very strong unions (NEA) and professional associations (AMA), but they are a ghost of what the old guilds did. First, guilds were primarily local, rather than national organizations with local chapters. The guild would make sure that there were enough skilled members of a trade to exist in the area. If not enough members existed to meet demand, membership would be expanded to an apprentice of the guild to be a full member. The apprentice would pay back the investment made in his training by either a lump payment (which might have been already made), or by garnishment of wages for a predetermined period of time.
Alright, Sounds Peachy. But It's Utopian! - The Successes of Distributism Today
Features of our modern economic systems that derive at least in part from the Distributist philosophy include:
- cooperative enterprises
- microenterprises
- income tax deductions for interest paid on home mortgage loans
- Employee Stock Ownership Programs and
- credit unions
Perhaps one of the more significant Distributist success stories is the Mondragon Corporation. A quick blurb from the Wikipedia page:
Wikipedia wrote:The MONDRAGON Corporation is a federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain. Founded in the town of Mondragón in 1956, its origin is linked to the activity of a modest technical college and a small workshop producing paraffin heaters. Currently it is the seventh largest Spanish company in terms of turnover and the leading business group in the Basque Country. At the end of 2009 it was providing employment for 85.066 people working in 256 companies in four areas of activity: Finance, Industry, Retail and Knowledge. The MONDRAGON Co-operatives operate in accordance with a business model based on People and the Sovereignty of Labour, which has made it possible to develop highly participative companies rooted in solidarity, with a strong social dimension but without neglecting business excellence. The Co-operatives are owned by their worker-members and power is based on the principle of one person, one vote.
The Mondragon Corp. operations on the Distributist foundations of worker ownership of the means of production, a guild-like system for crafts and trades, etc.
A Distributist Reading List
Here are some of the key texts pertaining to Distributism as a theory.
Key Texts
Rerum Novarum (1891) papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII
Quadragesimo Anno (1931) papal encyclical by Pope Pius XI
Laborem Exercens (1981) papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II
Centesimus Annus (1991) papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II
What's Wrong with the World (1910) by G. K. Chesterton (Or here)
The Outline of Sanity (1927) by G. K. Chesterton
Utopia of Usurers (1917) by G. K. Chesterton
The Servile State (1912) by Hilaire Belloc
An Essay on The Restoration of Property by Hilaire Belloc
Other Distributist or Distributism-related texts
The Long Loneliness (1952) an autobiography by Dorothy Day
Conclusion
So, gang, that's all I have to say for now... Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Nintendo Tricks?
7.50,-2.41
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