Is Globalization Good: A Critical Analysis
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Attendees heard from guest lecturer Professor Paul St. Amour, Ph.D. as well as a response from J. Michael Stebbins, Ph.D.
Paul St. Amour received his B.A./M.A. in philosophy from Boston College and his Ph.D. from Fordham University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Joseph's University, in Philadelphia.
Globalization has its advocates and its detractors, and debates among them seem interminable. These debates are important because they influence trade policy, immigration, working conditions, standards of living, political autonomy and integrity, environmental sustainability, etc. The humanization of the global economy will require persons who ask and answer a broad range of questions regarding past and present performance, and who have insights grasping possibilities for future improvement.
This presentation focused on the philosophical and economic writings of Bernard Lonergan, who provided an explanatorily and powerful heuristic for the critical analysis of globalization. Lonergan distinguished natural, technical, economic, political, and cultural "schemes of recurrence" and clarified how these are related. We considered the possibility that insight into the normative relations obtaining between these levels of order might provide an indispensable key for the responsible guidance of the global economy going forward.
Categories: Faith and Service
