(Earlier Parts on "Labor, Dominion, and Alienation" here, "‘You Are Not Your Own,’ Exposing the Limits of Libertarian Self-Ownership and the Non-Aggression Principle" here, "Christ and Liberty: Retrieving the Freedom of a Christian in an Age of License" here and here, "Monetary Realism, Gold, Federal Reserve Notes, Credit, and Usury" here, and "Why Do We Work? The Role of Economic Freedom" here and here.)
I've waited nearly to the end of this series to post about the remarks of this year's keynote speaker, Brian Dijkema. Dijkema's day job is as Program Director at Cardus, a Canadian faith-based think tank. He spoke on "The Parameters and Practices of Social Justice."
One reason why I've held off on posting about Dijkema's presentation is that he did not also submit a paper. He assigned a variety of materials to read in advance and at the Convivium combined lecture and a guided discussion. His lecture was recorded and you can listen to it here.
Summarizing only two of Dijkema's remarks from my notes, he first elaborated on Abraham Kuyper's notion of sphere sovereignty and re-framed it in terms of fields of differentiated authority. In other words, the effectively unitary authority of Adam (and Eve) at creation has over the millennia been differentiated among the authorities of the family, the university, organized forms of capital and labor, religious institutions, social organizations, civil government, and, of course, the individual-in-the-market. The power of each now-differentiated field of authority is the legitimate means by which it can bring about its unique end.
Second, social justice, according to Dijkema, has to do with the relationships within and between the fields. Not all social justice, however, is a matter of public justice. Notably, within an authoritative field the scope of public justice is minimal. Families, clubs, churches, etc. are largely free to implement (or not) what justice requires of and for their members.
This brief summary does not do justice to Dijkema's remarks and so I encourage readers to listen to his full lecture. He is an engaging speaker with many more valuable insights.
I've waited nearly to the end of this series to post about the remarks of this year's keynote speaker, Brian Dijkema. Dijkema's day job is as Program Director at Cardus, a Canadian faith-based think tank. He spoke on "The Parameters and Practices of Social Justice."
One reason why I've held off on posting about Dijkema's presentation is that he did not also submit a paper. He assigned a variety of materials to read in advance and at the Convivium combined lecture and a guided discussion. His lecture was recorded and you can listen to it here.
Summarizing only two of Dijkema's remarks from my notes, he first elaborated on Abraham Kuyper's notion of sphere sovereignty and re-framed it in terms of fields of differentiated authority. In other words, the effectively unitary authority of Adam (and Eve) at creation has over the millennia been differentiated among the authorities of the family, the university, organized forms of capital and labor, religious institutions, social organizations, civil government, and, of course, the individual-in-the-market. The power of each now-differentiated field of authority is the legitimate means by which it can bring about its unique end.
Second, social justice, according to Dijkema, has to do with the relationships within and between the fields. Not all social justice, however, is a matter of public justice. Notably, within an authoritative field the scope of public justice is minimal. Families, clubs, churches, etc. are largely free to implement (or not) what justice requires of and for their members.
This brief summary does not do justice to Dijkema's remarks and so I encourage readers to listen to his full lecture. He is an engaging speaker with many more valuable insights.
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