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Catholic Integralism: The Only Viable Post-Liberal Political Theology
“Integralism” is a word that has, slowly but surely, been crawling to the surface of political discourse on media platforms recently, as conservatives have begun to engage in heated debate about the merits of adherence to the axioms of classical liberalism. Conservatism in America has long been characterized — even before the fusionism of the Reagan era — by a firm appreciation of the principles of Enlightenment liberalism, especially as they are enshrined in the glorious founding documents of the United States of America. Among these principles is the sovereignty of the individual human being and his rights, which are his by nature, simply on account of who he is — and they are inalienable. The role of government, claims the old liberal — and claims the Constitution — is nothing other than to protect these inalienable rights from the interference of others, and to abstain from interfering in them itself, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so in order to maintain a maximal degree of pluralistic equality among men. This is liberalism — and it is also well-known as American conservatism.
In a recent article, which as attracted much controversy, socially conservative Catholic author, Sohrab Ahmari, has attacked what he calls “David Frenchism” — essentially the above form of liberalism — for failing to be a formiddable…
