Il capitalismo democratico e i suoi critici

Democratic Capitalism and Its Critics

Abstract disponibile solo in lingua inglese

This essay is the afterword to the 1991 edition of The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism. The author reiterates the motivations which, ten years ago, led him to identify democratic capitalism – seen as an independent system and not as the sum total of its socialist and capitalist parts – as the best solution to the problems of underdevelopment and poverty which afflict vast areas of the world. The events which have taken place in the ex-communist countries since 1989 prove the validity of the thesis. Novak feels that a distinguishing feature of capitalism is not so much the market or profit as continuous innovation and discovery. The new breed of anti-capitalism which is now emerging in the shape of environmentalism and primitivism underestimates another equally fundamental feature, namely the moral dimension of capitalism, founded on reciprocal respect between men. This and this alone enables the latter to fully develop the creativity with which God has endowed them.