Equality

I agree, I think, with Eduardo that we ought to care about -- that, as Catholics, we ought to care about -- more than how individuals are doing, in absolute terms, and that inequalities -- even in a context where few people are, in absolute terms, deprived -- can signal problems in the life and well being of the community.  That said, I think Eduardo might be coming down a bit too hard on Tyler Cowen, to whom he responds in his post.  Cowen does not contend that we should not care about inequality, does he?  True, he asks "why we should care [about inequality] at all," and I think Eduardo provides some powerful reasons.  In the end, though, Cowen's claim is this:  "What matters most is how well people are doing in absolute terms. We should continue to improve opportunities for lower-income people, but inequality as a major and chronic American problem has been overstated."   

I guess I'm willing to regard this last, less extreme claim as a useful and valuable corrective to those who regard the existence of inequalities as conclusive proof of social injustice or of exploitation by some of others.

There are, we know, costs to equality; ham-handed (or heavy-handed) to guarantee it through regulation can easily conflict with freedoms that one does not have to be a knee-jerk libertarian to value.  And, we know -- the American Bishops acknowledged -- that inequalities are a necessary result of an economy that is productive enough to provide decent opportunities and widespread well being.  There are going to be tricky balances to strike.  I agree with Eduardo that "solidarity" is a theme that should guide us in striking that balance, but I wouldn't think keeping our eye on the "absolute well being" -- at the median or at the low end -- is a bad idea.