Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? by Trent Horn

Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? Reviews

• 
  The Nutmeg

  EXCELLENT discussion of socialism--what it is (and what it isn't), where it came from, and why it's wrong. A totally absorbing read that taught me a lot! There's also a good discussion of capitalism--why it works so well, and why it's morally acceptable.
  
  The appendix on distributism was also intensely interesting. The authors are very critical of GKC's system, and I see where they're coming from. So I definitely need to do some follow-up research.
  
  Not sure how quickly I'll get to that area of study, however, because this book has whetted my appetite for all the post-WWII history I never had much of a taste for. Cold War and Russia and Cuba and POLAND. Gimme gimme gimme.
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  TJ Jakubowski

  This is a great read - a clear explanation that’s not too academic but still exposes the reader to original sources.
• 
  Noah Sell

  Great Book. Easily digestible and concise. Catholics should spread this book amongst the faithful ahead of this 2020 election
• 
  J

  Fast and easy read. Short chapters and nice formatting. Very accessible. Read easily over a few days.
  
  This book is highly relevant to the culture today! I know many left-leaning catholic friends who have all but embraced socialism as a "catholic" concept. This book explores the history of socialism, Catholic teaching regarding socialism and uncovers the lie in modern "catholic" arguments for socialism including:
  - Since the early Christians kept their property in common, so should we.
  - Jesus would be in favor of an economic system that guarantees everyone food, health care and education.
  - The Church, especially Pope Francis, teaches that Catholics must find a "third way" between the extremes of Communism and capitalism.
  - Socialism would work if it were done right, like in Sweden.
  
  The book then goes on to explore capitalism; how it is a tool that can be used in communion with catholic teaching (unlike socialism) but how it can also be misused. Strong warnings about given about pitfalls and sins that can occur within capitalism. A heavy dose of Catholic social teaching is included, which personally challenged me and gave me a lot to think about.
  
  Most Catholics know vaguely that the Church opposes socialism, but this books offers a much deeper understanding of what socialism is (and isn't) and why the Catholic Church opposes it. You might be surprised. I certainly was. It is an adjustment to look at things through the lens of Catholic teaching and wisdom, versus the polarizing and shifting political language of the modern day. Beauty and genius have been developing in the Catholic Church under the guide of the Holy Spirit for two millennium. And, there is nothing new under the sun. What a blessing the Catholic Church is!
  
  I was surprised to find authentic catholic support for guilds and unions. Growing up, I witnessed a ton of corruption within unions. Hello, Jimmy Hoffa. Modern unions constantly seem to be whining and trying to cast themselves as victims for ridiculous reasons. Total entitlement. I can see how they were useful and necessary in other time periods or cultures, but they seem very powerful and corrupt in the US today.
  
  I was also surprised to find support for distributionism among some respected Catholic thinkers, like CK Chesterton. It seems to me that economies of scale yield better results for everyone with mass production. I personally prefer dealing with Mom&Pop boutique shops, but I recognize this is a luxury. Access to cheap mass produced items is a public necessity especially for the poor. Or so I would think.
  
  Another concept that I struggled with was the "fair wage". Apparently the Church teaches that a fair wage is one that represents the work done AND makes it manageable to support a family - even a large one. Is it really the restaurant owners responsibility to financially support a dishwasher with 6 children? What about someone who doesn't invest his time or energy in gaining skills or better employment to support himself and his family? How much is his responsibility and how much is his employers?
  
  For example - If two people incur tens of thousands of dollars in college debt but then drop out before graduating, have many children with the wife staying home and the husband refusing to work jobs that are "beneath" him while accepting public assistance - is society really responsible to support them to the level that they have iPhones and can keep up with the Jones? This is the position of one family I know. They keep tabs on what material possessions others have and constantly complain about a lack of social equality. They see any disparity as fundamentally unfair. They seem to lack any sense of personal responsibility or ownership of their life decisions.
  
  These are just my thoughts. I still have a lot to learn from the wisdom of the Catholic Church and this book has given me much challenging food for thought.
  
  I find it fascinating to think about the spiritual consequences of different political models. All systems are not equal. Some are inherently incompatible with the Catholic faith. But even those compatible with faith can be misused. Catholics must always be on guard against vice and sin, if they want to grow into a deeper relationship with God.
  
  There is so much negativity about America right now. This book compelled me to be grateful for America and our system of government.
  
  One typo found on page 24 (once vs. one). Some light/circular thinking spotted in other places. This book is very accessible and intended for use by the common man. Serious academics or devoted socialists will be able to find small things to attack, although the overall premise is solid.
  
  My favorite quote (on page 66) from Pope Leo XIII's critique of socialism in Rerum Novarum concerning the universal distribution of good by the state is pretty clear: "There is no need to bring in the state ... man precedes the state, and possesses, prior to the formation of any state, the right of providing for the substance of his body". Also, he states that the duties of parents to provide for their children "can be neither abolished nor absorbed by the state". When socialist seek to give the state the parent's duty to provide for children they "act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home".
• 
  Ward Jaeger

  I feel the need to justify myself. I do enjoy listening to Trent Horn on occasion, and I agree that socialism is impractical with regards to fallen human nature. But this book is a poor argument against Catholic socialism, due to the way it is presented.
  
  First off, the book has little sense of structure. The chapters jump around from history to papal teachings to economics and back again, without much indication as to where they will go next. This would be fine if each chapter were self-contained, but they are in fact not. Instead of taking the time to consider the all implications or counterarguments that a point raises, authors often simply write that they will talk about these "in the sections to come". This allows them to make random affirmations without having to back them up immediately; it's a sort of verbal divide-and-conquer, in which the premises can be assumed true before even proven. To cite one instance in chapter seven, by following Pope Leo XIII's argument in Rerum Novarum, the authors say that the natural right to private property is supposed to enable us to fulfill our moral responsibilities. The example given is the duty of parents toward their children, which "stands in contrast to Marx's call to abolish... the family (which we'll examine in more detail in chapter ten)." Not good form.
  
  Secondly, I feel like the historical analysis of socialism actually obscures the argument. Multiple times, it is affirmed that socialism is irreconcilable with a Catholic perspective. If this is the case, then why should we even spend time talking about the particular instances of socialism in the world? Instead, an argument should be made to prove the philosophy's inherent evil, using Catholic principles as premises; anything else is superfluous. Perhaps the authors thought it important to give the historical context for the papal documents they cite. But the actual effect is making the entire first half of the book feel like a historical overview, rather than a coherent argument. The same can be said for all the pragmatic arguments against socialism, especially when considering how advances in technology and AI could (in theory) eliminate human self-interest from the equation.
  
  Thirdly, in my opinion, there is never a rigorous argument for why private property is a natural right. This seems to be the biggest issue when Catholicism and socialism collide. Granted, in a capitalist system, the government ought to protect the right for people to own things; there is no way how anyone could live otherwise. But what makes this a right *natural* to human beings, rather than merely a legal right that justice dictates given the circumstances? Like mentioned above, the book claims that it is based partially on "the ability to carry out moral duties", but this isn't adequately defended. It is also based on the fact that the individual has a right to the fruit of his labor, but this is exactly what socialists deny; they say he only has a right to what he needs to survive.
  
  The strongest part was definitely part four, a brief defense of capitalism as a viable, morally permissible alternative; I found it very interesting! However, this section doesn't further the argument that Catholics can't be socialists. Another plus is the accessibility to readers who do not normally read philosophy; there is minimal abstract reasoning or "hairsplitting" here.
  
  There is certainly some truth to be found in this book, but I don't think it was worth sifting through the clarity and structural issues. I would recommend reading the papal encyclicals cited instead.
• 
  Michael

  A concise but thorough walkthrough of why a Catholic in good standing can never be a “true Socialist”. A bit simplistic in terms at times, nevertheless this book is solidly sourced and relies on the teachings of the Magisterium to refute all objections to the notion an orthodox Catholic cannot be an adherent to Marxist inspired socialism. I found some arguments to be particularly helpful-including that socialism obscures the natural truth that we all are made with different abilities and strengths and God desires for us to help others but if we had equal abilities that would be impossible. Socialism is defined in this book as the collectivist attempt to remove all elements of free enterprise in order to make public all property and institute state control of the means of production. Socialism is not the same as social democracy or social services, which can fit well within the Catholic social doctrine framework.
• 
  Emily Meixner

  An excellent read. Trent Horn lays out the underlying problems inherent to socialism, with historical, philosophical, and theological arguments for why the system ultimately fails. However, he also points out the problems and dangers that often accompany capitalism, citing Saint John Paul II’s critique of consumerism, materialism, and utilitarianism that can accompany capitalist economies. The appendix is devoted to defining the economic system of distributism, and addressing some of the problems that lay within it.
• 
  Pat aka Tygyr

  I have read several books with this similar theme. This was the easiest to understand. It wasn't dummied down, it just was written in a clear manner. I recommend this book to anyone interested in why Catholics cannot be socialists.
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  Sara W

  Excellent overview of the history and theory behind past and present socialist movements, as well as a peek into what the Church has had to say throughout the decades. This book makes this critical information accessible to anyone, and is an excellent first book on the topic.
• 
  Connie

  I enjoy listening to Trent Horn on EWTN. This was a good explanation of why Socialism doesn’t isn’t the answer to Catholic social teachings about how to take care of the poor. It made sense to me anyway.
• 
  Duane Prejean

  Better than I expected it to be.
• 
  Darren Cary

  The book is written simply for anyone to understand, and it fulfills the expectations of the title.
  
  Socialism is an evil.
• 
  Maiella

  The summary of Catholic teaching and especially Papal encyclicals was well done. However I was disappointed in the conclusion and final chapters.
• 
  Luke Anderson

  A bit basic and overly simple at times but very clear and well written. In particular the explanation of intrinsic evil in socialism compared to the potential evil in capitalism was new to me and very interesting.
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  Timothy Trout

  Trent spends the whole book arguing with people he has a feud with on Twitter and not engaging with modern socialists. He never even considers the idea of market socialism which is on the rise, probably because his research into the matter seems to include little more than bloggers. The whole text is an exercise in cherry picking papal encyclicals in order to make the kindest possible assumptions of capitalism and the worst assumptions of what they say regarding socialism. He fails to address whether what is meant by socialism today is actually what is meant by socialism in the encyclicals. Overall, this is unserious drivel that I wouldn’t bother spending time on. Surely there must be better opponents of socialism then Horn fit to write a book on this matter and I would recommend looking for them.
• 
  Elizabeth Buerke

  I really learned a lot about economics and what capitalism and socialism really are. I definitely agree with Trent Horn and Catherine Pakaluk on this issue.