So far, we've discussed the common good, and we've established that well-ordered societies pursue that good cooperatively. In this next installment--the third in our short, five-part look at politics--we turn to the topic of natural rights.
When the state positions itself as the source of rights, it will begin to see itself as existing to guarantee the very rights that it bestows. There's plenty that feels intuitive in this line of thought, but it can quicky go awry if we forget that the dignity we have--and the "rights" that come from that dignity--come to us because we are children of God. The truth is that our rights come from God, not from actions of the state, and real heartache can occur when states try to play God, Fr. Hugh warns. As an antidote to this line of thought, he and Fr. Ambrose urge us to return to a divine understanding of rights, and explore some cases in which our society may be getting rights wrong.
This is the third video in a five part series on Catholic Political Thought. Learn more and see other episodes here.
