Il titolo richiama un’urgenza nella scelta. Rinvia alla fine del tempo per prendere una decisione. Tale richiamo è un esempio della situazione in cui si trova l’umanità: dobbiamo adottare nuove attitudini se vogliamo garantire un presente più dignitoso e un futuro giusto alle generazioni future. Questa problematica è affrontata dalla Laudato Si’, che in questi giorni compie otto anni di esistenza e di interrogativi rivolti a tutta l’umanità. Viviamo in una crisi socio-ambientale, un fallimento morale che oltre a degradare e decimare le specie nella natura, opprime e toglie la vita a molti dei nostri fratelli e sorelle in modo ingiusto. Sia la natura che una gran parte dell’umanità gridano, chiedendo aiuto, mettendo in discussione il paradigma attuale e presentando la necessità di uno stile di vita nuovo che liberi, sia l’ambiente che l’umanità, in modo integrale. La teologia morale, in quanto scienza e in dialogo con le altre scienze, è chiamata a rispondere alla seguente domanda: cosa possiamo proporre come riflessione e fare in modo effettivo per risolvere questa richiesta socio-ambientale che interpella tutta la nostra generazione? Come Chiesa, come possiamo mostrare fiducia alle donne e agli uomini di oggi, e portare il Regno di Dio di fronte a…

This post asserts that the main cause of the current socio-environmental crisis is the dualistic anthropological conception that has prevailed in Western philosophy[i]. Indeed, Western culture has accentuated the separation between man and other creatures (ontic dualism), and has also divided the human being internally, making a clear separation between soul and body (ontological dualism). In this sense, the encyclical Laudato si’ affirms that “there can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology” (LS 118), and that we need to overcome those unhealthy dualisms, that “left a mark on certain Christian thinkers in the course of history” (LS 98).  1. Ontological dualism Ontological dualism distinguishes clearly between the body and the spiritual/rational dimension of man. The latter would be the most authentically human and, therefore, the body should be subordinated to it. The human being is described using “multiple oppositional pairs: body/soul, rationality/affectivity, need/freedom, nature/culture, instinct/morality, etc.” In the seventeenth century, Descartes makes a net separation between the rational soul and the body. The first would be the essence of man, who is characterized by his ability to think (res cogitans), while his body would be only a material addition that does not differ substantially from those of animals. Both…

Two recent crises have raised the question as to the legitimate use of coercive force: the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the first case the coercive force mainly took the form of legal restrictions on various human activities such as work and travel; in the second case, coercive force is being exercised primarily in the form of sanctions and financial support for Ukraine (which makes possible the other kind of coercive force Ukraine is using to expel the invader). In both cases there has been much debate about the ethics of such measures. The purpose of this post is to consider briefly the ethics of the use of coercive force in responding to the ecological and social crisis depicted in Laudato sì. In Chapter 5 of that document there are various discrete but firm references to the need for such force (for example, §§ 167,175,181). This need arises out of the simple fact that when some parties attempt to respond to the crisis by introducing change other parties tend to obstruct this process. It is not realistic to imagine that all parties will freely cooperate in effecting the necessary change. But is it ethically legitimate to…

Last year, dott. Giorgio Del Signore, Bursar of the Alphonsian Academy, prof. Leonardo Salutati and myself launched a research project in the Academy entitled “The Governance of Change – at a time of ecological transition”. We had hoped to organize a summer school on this theme last July, but maybe we should have been more active in seeking participants – some very suitable applications did arrive but they were insufficient in number. Still convinced of the importance of on-going reflection on this matter, with their agreement, I am writing this post to present a new proposal to all interested parties. The idea is to create a kind of sub-blog within the blog of the Alphonsian Academy. The broad theme of the sub-blog remains the governance of change, meaning by this the way in which an appropriate response to the social and ecological crisis depicted in Laudato sì can be effectively organized and managed. This encyclical can be understood as a sort of manifesto regarding this response. The narrower focus of the sub-blog will be on the open ethical questions raised by Laudato sì. These questions need on-going reflection and a constant effort at deeper understanding. While welcoming contributions from all…

The references of the encyclical Laudato si‘[1] to the Means of Social Communication (MSC) are contained in the fourth part of the first chapter (43-47), entitled “Decline in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society.” In this chapter, LS considers the negative effects of the current model of development (43), which promotes chaotic and unhealthy cities (44), privatizes beautiful spaces, reserving them for the rich (45), increases inequalities, breaks the bonds of social cohesion, and generates violence (46). Among all these challenges, the encyclical points out the influence of the MSC (47). A critical view of the MSC is evident here. They respond to the commercial interests of the multinationals that control them and promote the same capitalist model of development that has caused the current socio-environmental crisis. This critical approach to the MSC contrasts with the optimism of a UN document,[2] which affirms that “the guarantee of diffusion and access to information sources seems to be sufficient in itself for the promotion of a healthy sustainable development” [3] for the coming years. Laudato Si’, instead, affirms that the MSC can manipulate human perception, especially when they “become omnipresent” and when relationships with others are “replaced by…