Open AccessThe Catholic Doctrine of ‘Integral Human Development’ and its Influence on the International Development Community (abstract)
Author(s) -
Ludovic Bertina
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international development policy/revue internationale de politique de développement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1663-9383
pISSN - 1663-9375
DOI - 10.4000/poldev.1402
Subject(s) - doctrine , humanity , human development (humanity) , sociology , environmental ethics , character (mathematics) , development (topology) , social change , epistemology , political science , law , philosophy , mathematics , mathematical analysis , geometry
In 1967, Pope Paul VI posited the notion of ‘integral human development’, which, as developed by his successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, broke with the modern project of purely economic and technological development, resulting in an original understanding of ‘development’. The papal doctrine, as conventional conceptions of development, is in favour of economic growth, technological innovation and the implementation of social programmes. As ‘integral human development’, however, emphasises the religious goal of reconciling humanity and God through the creation of a human family over these more material social and economic issues, it cannot be equated to secular development theory. This chapter highlights the unique character of this doctrine and examines its influences on the theoretical framework of the international development community