Luigi Taparelli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1793-11-24)24 November 1793 |
| Died | 21 September 1862(1862-09-21) (aged 68) |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | University of Turin |
| Philosophical work | |
| Era | 19th century |
| Region | |
| School | Thomism Traditionalism |
| Institutions | Oblates of the Virgin Mary Society of Jesus |
| Main interests | Religion,sociology |
| Notable ideas | Social justice,subsidiarity |
Luigi TaparelliSJ (bornProspero Taparelli d'Azeglio; 24 November 1793 – 2 September 1862) was an Italian scholar of theSociety of Jesus andcounter-revolutionary who coined the termsocial justice and elaborated the principles of subsidiarity as part of his natural law theory of just social order.[1][2][3] He was the brother of the ItalianstatesmanMassimo d'Azeglio.[4]
His father,Cesare Taparelli, was at one time ambassador ofVictor Emmanuel I of Sardinia to theHoly See, and his brother,Massimo, was one of the Italian ministers of State. Cesare was a member of the associations Amicizia cristiana and Amicizia cattolica, and a main contributor toL'Ape, the first Catholic journal in Italy.[5] Luigi was educated under thePiarists atSiena and in the Atheneo ofTurin. He attended themilitary School of St Cyr atParis for some months, but he was not destined to be a soldier. He entered theSociety of Jesus at Rome, 12 Nov. 1814. He was the first rector of theRoman College after its restoration to the Jesuits byLeo XII. He taughtphilosophy for sixteen years atPalermo.
Taparelli cofounded the journalCiviltà Cattolica in 1850 and wrote for it for twelve years. He was particularly concerned with the problems arising from theIndustrial Revolution. He was a proponent of reviving the philosophical school ofThomism, and his social teachings influencedPope Leo XIII's 1891encyclical,Rerum novarum (On the Condition of the Working Classes).[6]
In 1825, he became convinced that the philosophy ofThomas Aquinas needed to be revived, thinking that thesubjective philosophy ofRené Descartes leads to dramatic errors in morality and politics. He reasoned that whereas different opinions on the natural sciences have no effect on nature, unclearmetaphysical ideas about humanity and society can lead to social chaos.
TheCatholic Church had not yet developed a clear philosophical view regarding the great social changes that were appearing in the early nineteenth century inEurope, which led to much confusion among the ecclesiastical hierarchy and laity. In response to this problem, Taparelli applied the methods ofThomism to these social problems in a coherent manner.[7][3]
After thesocial revolutions of 1848, the church decided to enter the conflict raging between thelaissez-faireliberal capitalists and thesocialists. Up until then, the church relied primarily on evangelical charitable activities. In 1850, Taparelli, until then a liberal and revolutionary, was granted permission byPope Pius IX to co-foundCiviltà Cattolica withCarlo Maria Curci. In particular, he attacked the tendency to separate morality frompositive law, and also the "heterodox spirit" of unconstrained freedom of conscience which destroyed the unity of society.[8][9]
His major ideas includesocial justice andsubsidiarity. He viewed society as not a monolithic group of individuals, but of various levels of sub-societies, with individuals being members of these. Each level of society has both rights and duties which should be recognized and supported. All levels of society should cooperate rationally and not resort to competition and conflict.
His chief work, "Saggio teoretico di diritto naturale appogiato sul fatto", i. e. "A Theoretical Essay on Natural Right from an Historical Standpoint" (2 vols., 7th ed., Rome, 1883), was in a way the beginning of modernsociology. It was translated intoGerman (Ratisbon, 1845) and twice intoFrench (Tournai, 1851; Paris, 1896). Herein was developed the position, at once widely accepted in conservative circles on the Continent, that the normal origin of civil government was by extension of paternal power through the patriarchal head of a group of families. This essay was later abridged into "An Elementary Course in Natural Right" (6th ed., Naples, 1860; also in French, Tournai, 1864; and inSpanish, Paris, 1875), which was in use as a text-book in theUniversity of Modena. Next in importance is his "Esame critico degli ordini rappresentativi nella società moderna", i. e. "Critical Examination of Representative Government in Modern Society" (2 vols., Rome, 1854; in Spanish, Madrid, 1867). Besides his striking monographs on "Nationality" (Rome, 1847), "Sovereignty of the People" (Palermo, 1848; Florence, 1849), and "The Grounds of War" (Genoa, 1847) he left a long list of articles in the Civiltà Cattolica chiefly on subjects inpolitical economy and social rights, as well as an equally long list of book reviews on kindred topics, which were acute and penetrating essays.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Aloysius Taparelli".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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