Folia Theologica 11. (2000)
Eugene Csocsan de Váralja: The Just Income Distribution
120 E. CSOCSAN de Váralja virtues, but it decides only about the means by which the goals could be achieved”.28 Prudence considers the given circumstances and decides accordingly, and it is possible, that it would decide differently by the changes of circumstances. It should be noted meanwhile, that economic transactions usually also require purchasing power as well. The virtue of prudence however presupposes a certain development of intellectual ability as well as the possession of the cardinal virtues, which direct the person to the right goals. As the various individuals might lack these, and might be even the prisoners of various passions and sentiments, it is far from certain that each individual's each decision and transaction had been the right choice. These conditions open ample room for the influence of advertising and propaganda. The subjective estimations and the changes in the rarity of the goods brings waves into the price levels, which in turn induces competition among the sellers. According to the Quadragesimo anno “the right order of the economy can not tolerate completely unlimited competition”29 but the competition “if kept within limits, is justified and might be useful”30 It has been pointed out by Pius XII in the Christmass message of 1951, that “The Christian order is the solidaristic competition of free peoples and persons”.31 According to the teleological theory of value analysed above the essence of economic value stems from the proportional analogy of human 28 Ad prudentiam non pertinet praestare finem virtutibus moralibus, sed solum disponere de his quae sunt ad finem. IId IIde qu. 47 a. 6. 29 Quemadmodum unitatis societatis humanae inniti non potest oppositione “classium”, ita rei oeconomicae rectus ordo non potest permitti libero virium certamini ....Quadragesimo anno, AAS 1931, (a. XXIII), page 206. 30 liberum certamen, quamquam dum certis finibus continetur, aequum sit et sane utile, rem oeconomicam dirigere plane nequit; Quadragesimo anno, AAS 1931, (a. 1931, (a. XXIII), page 206 Liberum certamen certis ac debitis limitibus saeptum, magis etiam oeconomicis potentatus publicae auctoritati in iis, quae ad eius manus spectant, efficaciter subdantur oportet. Quadragesimo anno, AAS 1931 (a.XXIII) page 212. 31 1’ordine cristiano, in quanto ordinamento di pace è essentialmente ordine di libertà. Esse è il concerto de pace solidale di uomini e di popoli liberi per la progressiva attuatione, in tutti i campi della vita degni scopi assequati da Dio ail’ umanità. Già per la decimaterza 24th December 1951, AAS 1952 (a. XXXXIV), page 13.
