Laudato Si Test

What is "practical relativism?" Give a precise definition as the word is used by Benedict and Francis. Then give three examples of how practical relativism can play out in the economy; that is, describe the horrifying, immoral behaviors that cannot be stopped by leaving the market to work by itself.

"Practical relativism" is when people place their own needs first and all others become "relative" or "mere opinion, and everything is suggested to personal interests and convenience. 1.) Alone the market will be open to horrendous crimes like human trafficking and sexual exploitation. 2.) Few large corporations will come to control the market and everyone below them will fall into poverty. 3.) There will be mass degradation of the environment for the purpose of maximizing profits.

E.C. In Mr. L's little essay about culture, Robert Barron and Laudato Si, he comments upon various ideas which students draw from our culture. Describe one example of an idea taken from the culture, and then point to the difficulties or problems with that idea.

"Wars in the name of religion." There are many difficulties and problems with this idea. First, there is no historical evidence to support the claim that religion is the reason for all wars in history, the word's biggest wars (WWI and WWII) were not caused by religious motivation. We do not have a perfect method of examining human motivations, and past events in people's lives can make them claim one motivation when they truly have another. Human feelings and human behavior are advanced fields that require extreme intellectual caution.

Name either of the great tropical river basins of the world

1. Amazon River Basin 2. Congo River Basin

List 5 physical outcomes—changes in the planet—that have been described by scientists and described in Ch. 1 of the Pope's encyclical. Answer in five complete sentences.

1.) In chapter one of Laudato Si the Pope describes the destruction of biodiversity due to the killing of microorganisms, which endangers the base of the food chain. 2.) In chapter one of Laudato Si the Pope describes the large amount of coral reefs literally falling apart around the world due to artificial water, without the reefs many species die without an ecosystem to thrive in. 3.) In chapter one of Laudato Si the Pope describes the clearing of the Congo River Basin and the Amazon River Basin, these "lungs of the Earth" are essential for our oxygen supply. 4.) In chapter one of Laudato Si the Pope describes the death of many poor people around the World because of the polluted water they are forced to drink. 5.) In chapter one of Laudato Si the Pope describes that our growing communities and businesses are causing a major problem, the destruction of ecosystems.

Encyclical

A letter from the Pope to Bishops and all persons of good will, in which items from scripture and tradition are applied to specific moral, political issues of a specific time

Hermeneutics

A method of interpretation

Paradigm

A pattern, example, or model

Culture

Customs, common sayings, the things we see as "given"

E.C. In Article 47, how does Francis contrast Ignatian thinking with internet-driven thinking?

Francis talks about current human relations being replaced by screens and devices. Our devices make relationships easy to eliminate in a whim without truly 0experiencing other people and nature.

What is Guardini's remark about human use of power in today's world?

Guardini said, "In fact we have not been trained to use power well," and Guardini also said, " Power is never considered in terms of the responsibility of choice that comes with freedom."

Name someone Pope Francis refers to as a source for his ideas, either in the text itself or in his footnotes

Guardini, a German Jesuit Theologian

Summarize the Pope's major message taken from the Bible. Explain what he wants to reject and what he wants to emphasize

He wishes to reject the old way of understanding Genesis 1:28 and wants to see greater emphasis upon the broader context of biblical teaching, especially from Gen 2:15. Specifically the Pope wants there to be greater emphasis upon the passage, Gen 2:15 "till and care for the Earth," and not the passage from Gen 1:28 "Increase and multiply and you shall subdue the Earth."

Sister/Mother

Metaphorical label for the Earth. The sister cries out because of the damage we have caused by abusing the goods God has endowed her.

What is the common understanding of technological inventions which increase our power over the planet?—in particular what do people inevitably see as progress?

People inevitably see any increase in knowledge and power as an increase in progress.

What is the common (mis-)understanding about how environmental problems, especially food supply, will be solved through operation of the economy?

Some maintain that current economics and technology will solve all environmental problems, and argue that global hunger and poverty will be resolved simply by market growth. For them, maximizing prophets is enough, but by itself the market cannot guarantee integral human development.

Positivism/Scientism

The belief that the scientific method alone is a valuable way of reaching reliable conclusions, and everything not susceptible to scientific method is a matter of mere "opinion," and no ones opinion is more valid than another's.

What is the common belief about how technological innovation will affect environmental challenges?

The common belief is that there is no reason to worry about the overuse of the Earth's resources because someone will come along and invent a new way to get the same outcome without the resources needed in the past.

Explain the principle of the common good. What is the fundamental respect which the notion of the common good is built upon? What is his recommended view of the future and how does it contrast with common political ways of seeing things?

The common good is a fundamental principal of social ethics. At the base of common good is the belief in the dignity of human persons and all that's needed for them to be whole and fulfilled. The common good of all includes the good of future generations, and this idea contrasts that of the common greed driven political way of seeing things.

Monoculture

The cultivation of a single crop in a given area

How does technological innovation interact with the free market economy?

The economy accepts every advance in technology with a view to profit, without concern for its potentially negative impact upon human beings.

Acidification

The poisoning of oceans due to chemicals in human waste

Rapidification

The speed with which human activity has developed contrasts with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

What must we understand and acknowledge about technological products?

We must understand and acknowledge that technological products are NOT neutral.

What is his statement in Art. 56 about the "deified market"; who/what is victimized by the market?

Whatever is weak and vulnerable, such as teh environemnt or the poor, cannot protect itself from the "defied market."