Sustainable Abundance for All
Catholic Social Thought and Action in a Risky, Runaway World
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2018
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Publisher's Description
What constitutes the good life and authentic Christian leadership in a high-speed technological society geared to perpetual economic growth? In a world of rapid change and heightened risks, how do we move beyond the tyranny of emergency and polarization toward a politics of engagement and time oriented to the long-term common good? Taking up key themes in the social teaching of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, Sustainable Abundance for All argues that life in a risky, runaway world requires new forms of Christian praxis that are both forward-looking and rooted in tradition. Among the issues addressed are pathways toward sustainable development in the Anthropocene, automation and the transition to post-jobs society, the proactionary-precautionary debate over new technologies, and the dangers of becoming "people of the device." Sustainable Abundance for All lays the groundwork for new kinds of Christian social action and prophetic witness in the twenty-first century.
Endorsements (5)
“Sustainable Abundance for All is Christian social ethics at its best. At this anxious moment, accelerating technological achievements come with possibly catastrophic risks—to the natural world, social structures, and even the human spirit. Ted Nunez explores the evolving wisdom of the Catholic social tradition on these matters, then leads that tradition, and his readers, out onto the contemporary cultural dance floor in search of new partners, and ultimately, a more passionately loving dance with our world.”
“Keenly aware of past influences that prompted technological development, the present fast-paced growth of technologies that have put the Earth community at risk, and projected large-scale catastrophes in the future, Nunez superbly analyzes Catholic social teaching from 1891 onward for its adequacy in addressing technological development and insightfully crafts an innovative faith-based approach for assessing technological risks, embracing technologies that are socially, ecologically, and economically compatible, and launching the quest for sustaining an abundantly gifted but imperiled planetary home. His ethics of responsible care, case studies of current problems, and a cleverly articulated analogy of taking the lead in dancing the tango further enhance this splendid contribution to the scholarly literature.”
“Ted Nunez roars through technologically accelerating American culture—where it’s tough to tell progress from regress from destruction—with a smarter Catholic social thought in his soul and Laudato Sì in his back pocket. Seeking ‘sustainable abundance’ where others see dystopia, he delivers a sharp analysis of our risky, runaway society and, with a tango-spiced ecosocial theology, distills new practices of Catholic social wisdom that should guide any serious discussion about the future of humanity and the planet.”
“Nunez offers us an informed, elegant, and prophetic vision for a future of sustainable abundance. Rooted in the tradition of Catholic social principles and aimed at the world-risking technocracy emerging around us today, this book evocatively invites us to the ‘adjacent possible,’ a future we confront not with despair but along axes of grace, joy, realism, and hope. A wonderful read, this book is an essential prod to creatively reimagine our economic and ecological tomorrow.”
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