Page 45 - Reflexions of African Bishops and Priests

now preponderant: the cultural inheritance and the un- tions. Pope John Paul II wrote about this in 1981 in his
earned increment of association: Encyclical letter Laborem Exercens (On human work):
Cultural inheritance “Through his work man enters into two in-
“The original conception of the classical heritances: the inheritance of what is given to the
economist that wealth arises from the interaction whole of humanity in the resources of nature, and
of three factors – land, labour, and capital, was a the inheritance of what others have already de-
materialistic conception which did not contem- veloped on the basis of those resources, primarily
plate and, in fact, did not need to contemplate, the by developing technology, that is to say, by pro-
preponderating importance which intangible fac- ducing a whole collection of increasingly perfect
tors have assumed in the productive process of instruments for work. In working, man also ‘enters
the modern world. The cultural inheritance, and into the labour of others.’” (No. 13.)
what may be called the ‘unearned increment of as- In his new encyclical Caritas in Veritate (no. 69),
sociation’ probably include most of these factors, Benedict XVI also talks about technology: “Technol-
and they represent not only the major factor in the ogy enables us to exercise dominion over matter,
production of wealth, but a factor which is increas- to reduce risks, to save labour, to improve our
ing in importance so rapidly that the other factors conditions of life… Technology, in this sense, is
are becoming negligible in comparison.” “(...) the a response to God’s command to till and to keep
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simple fact is that production is 95 per cent a mat- the land (cf. Gen 2:15) that he has entrusted to hu-
ter of tools and process, which tools and process manity, and it must serve to reinforce the coven-
form the cultural inheritance of the community not ant between human beings and the environment, a
as workers, but as a community (...).” 5 covenant that should mirror God’s creative love.”
“Men associate together in industry because Also in Caritas in Veritate (no. 27), the Holy Father
there is a true unearned increment in association – wrote that “hunger is not so much dependent on
a telephone system requires a population to give it lack of material things as on the shortage of social
a value; ten men pulling on a rope can accomplish resources.” As the Pope pointed out, it is not pro-
that which ten separated men could never achieve. duction that is lacking, “lack of material things”, but
With the growth of machine production and the distribution that is defective. One must therefore have
utilisation of non-human sources of energy, this recourse to “distributive justice”, to distribution through
unearned increment is growing enormously more a dividend.
important than the earned increment (...).” 6 “The social doctrine of the Church has un-
These two major factors of production belong to ceasingly highlighted the importance of dis-
all of society: “It is both pragmatically and ethically tributive justice and social justice for the market
undeniable that the ownership of these intangible economy (no. 35) …Economic life undoubtedly
factors vests in the members of the living com- requires contracts (wages given in exchange of
munity, without distinction, as tenants-for-life. Eth- work, for example), in order to regulate relations
ically, because it is an inheritance from the labours of exchange between goods of equivalent value.
of past generations of scientists, organisers, and But it also needs just laws and forms of redistri-
administrators, and pragmatically because the de- bution governed by politics, and what is more, it
nial of its communal character sets in motion dis- needs works redolent of the spirit of gift.” (Caritas
ruptive forces, threatening, as at the present time, in Veritate, no. 37)
its destruction.” 7 A dividend for an economy of gift
Karl Marx claimed that work created all wealth and Those who have studied the Social Credit philoso-
Adam Smith said that capital (money invested in an en- phy know that wages and salaries are not sufficient to
terprise) also contributes to production. However, both buy all of production and that it is not everyone who
ignored what C.H. Douglas called the “cultural inherit- is hired into the workforce. (Because of machines that
ance”, the double inheritance of natural resources and replace human labour, etc.) That is why Social Credit
inventions of past generations that are responsible for proposes to give a monthly dividend (sum of money)
more than 90% of today’s production in developed na- to every human being, over and above the wages and
salaries of those who have a paid job. This is because
4 Douglas C.H.; Social Credit, The Institute of Economic each human being is truly co-owner and co-heir of
Democracy, Canada, (1924), 5 edition, 1979, p. 189-190 the two largest factors of production: natural resour-
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5 Douglas C.H.; Economic Democracy, W. & J. Barr Pty, ces (such as the sun, water, rain, wind, minerals, all of
Australia, (1920), 5 edition, 1974, p. 95 which are gifts of God to all men) and progress, (mean-
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6 Douglas C.H.; These Present Discontents and The Labour
Party and Social Credit, Cecil Palmer, London, 1922, p. 13 ing the legacy of the inventions of past generations).
7 Douglas C.H.; Social Credit, The Institute of Economic (continued on page 40)
Democracy, Canada, (1924), 5 edition, 1979, p. 190
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