Crown and Crozier
In Crown and Crozier, we invite leading thinkers to explore how the human experience is shaped by the interplay between Church and State, and what this means for tackling the great challenges of today. Join us as we examine what’s at stake for us as citizens and as a society in the dynamic engagement between civil and religious authority. The common good, basic freedoms, dignity of the person, administration of justice, self-government, the preservation of truth, goodness and beauty - all this and more hangs in the balance.
Crown and Crozier
Defending the Morality of Capitalism ~ Yuval Levin
In this episode, Dr. Yuval Levin offers a spirited defense of capitalism on moral grounds, recognizing that the most serious criticisms against capitalism aren’t necessarily about prosperity and wealth, but about the perceived moral failings of the economic system.
This approach is actually consistent with the original case for capitalism, articulated by Adam Smith himself, who was first and foremost a moral philosopher.
Along the way, we talk about the essential virtues within Smith’s philosophy; who coined the term “capitalism”; the need for social institutions like families and churches to temper economic appetites; the breadth of common ground between Adam Smith and Catholic social teaching; buying and selling as moral actions; and the enduring truth that man does not live by bread alone.
Dr. Levin is the Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute - one of the leading conservative think tanks in Washington, DC.
He is also the founder and editor of National Affairs, senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and an opinion writer at The New York Times.
In addition, he served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush, and as the executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics.
Resources
Yuval Levin (official AEI biography)
American Enterprise Institute, The Morality of Markets
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (Britannica.com summary)
Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991)
podcast@crownandcrozier.com
www.crownandcrozier.com
twitter.com/crownandcrozier
Please note that this podcast has been edited for length and clarity.