R.R. Reno speaks at a James Madison Program event at Princeton University, November 14, 2018 (Image: Princeton University).Can the “Strong Gods” Breathe Life into the Barren West?
Great Hall Ballroom in Versailles Palace (vichie81 at shutterstock.com)Michael Novak, Defender of the Common Good
Michael Novak, October 1, 2004 (Image Credit: Basso Cannarsa/Opale/Amaly.com).Capitalism and the Common Good According to Michael Novak: A Law and Liberty Symposium on First Things
Michael NovakNovak-as-Liberationist Won’t Fly
By Michael Matheson Miller
In his recent essay on the legacy of Michael Novak, First Things editor Rusty Reno has explained to longtime subscribers to Richard John Neuhaus’ old magazine where Reno is going with it and why. Observers such as John Zmirak and Joe Carter have wondered at several First Things pieces that shyly or openly make defenses of socialism.
Reno’s piece makes it clear that he disagrees with Michael Novak, and perhaps by implication Father Neuhaus, on the viability of a dynamic, open society—and the economic system that underpins such a system. He is looking for some alternative to the market economy. For him, that involves a number things including succumbing to the allure of what I’ll call “managerial capitalism.”
The merit of Reno’s piece is to provoke discussion about complex issues and to highlight some of the problems we face in the current system of global capitalism. I share some of his worries. Unfortunately, he seems to have let his desire to be provocative overcome a fair and reasonable assessment of Novak, and his analysis of the current state of affairs reveals less about Novak’s flaws than his own. Continue Reading Here
