Tradistae Reading Lists

It could also be said of Jerome that…“by assiduous reading and constant meditation he made his heart a library of Christ”. Jerome spared no effort in expanding his own library, which he always viewed as an indispensable workshop for understanding the faith and the spiritual life; in this way he serves as a fine example also for the present time. But he did not stop there. For him, study was not limited to the years of his youthful training, but a continual commitment, a daily priority…

—Pope Francis, Scripturae Sacrae Affectus (30 September 2020)

“Sermons of the Saints”

Each of these books contains a collection of sermons from great preachers and Saints of social justice. Saint Basil and Saint John are Doctors of the Church from the 4th century. Saint Oscar Romero was the archbishop of San Salvador, martyred in 1980. 

• On Social Justice | Saint Basil the Great
• On Wealth and Poverty | Saint John Chrysostom
• The Scandal of Redemption | Saint Oscar Romero

“Introductions to Integralism”

For the confused: 

• “Integralism in Three Sentences” | The Josias

For the curious:

• “A Catholic Showdown Worth Watching” | The American Conservative
• “The Eclipse of Catholic Fusionism” | American Affairs
• “The Tradinista Project: A Brief History” | Tradistae

For the committed:

• “Integralism and Gelasian Dyarchy” | The Josias

“Three Is Company”

Find two (or more) friends for a reading group. Then read and discuss three essays per week (or per month for those with busy schedules) on each of the three topics.

Week/Month One: Distributism

• Intro: Robin Hood Economics | Plough
• Theory: What is Distributism? | The University Concourse
• Clarification: Catholic Economics Roundtable: Distributism | Tradistae
• Discussion: How should ownership work in a just economy, and how can we move towards it?

Week/Month Two: Integralism

• Intro: An Integralist Manifesto | First Things
• Theory: The Good, The Common Good, and the Highest Good | The Josias
• Clarification: What States Can’t Do | New Polity
• Discussion: What is the purpose of law, and how should law be enforced?

Week/Month Three: Ecology

• Intro:  Pope Francis’s dream | The Week
• Theory: We Have Never Been Disenchanted | Hedgehog Review
• Clarification: Laudato Si’ on Ecological Conversion | Tradistae
• Discussion: How should humanity think about God’s creation, and how should we interact with the world we live in?

Postlude: The Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker Movement | Catholic Worker

“Reject Modernity / Return to Tradition”

The following books provide an understanding of how human thought has been changed by modernity, looking at four different aspects: 

• Spiritual: The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity | Eugene McCarraher 
• Philosophic: After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory | Alasdair MacIntyre (PDF)
• Political: Why Liberalism Failed | Patrick Deneen
• Racism: The History of White People | Nell Irvin Painter

The following books provide an understanding of how modernity happened, looking at four different catalysts:

• The Protestant Reformation: Luther and His Progeny: 500 Years of Protestantism and Its Consequences for Church, State, and Society | Various
• The Transition to Capitalism: The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time | Karl Polanyi (PDF)
• The Rise of the Nation-State: Migrations of the Holy: God, State, and the Political Meaning of the Church | William T. Cavanaugh
• Slavery in the New World: Capitalism and Slavery | Eric Williams (PDF)

The Tradistae Curriculum

Friends of Tradistae are encouraged to read all of the Easy Essays on our website, beginning with the explanation of the project: “Re-Introducing Easy Essays“. The entire list of can be found here. Easy Essays are made for everyone, not just academics, and are all under 500 words. Because the project is ongoing, this reading program is a work-in-progress, which will be updated to include new essays. Those wishing to form a reading group may consider selecting just one section at a time to read and discuss.

Section I: Introducing Key Concepts

• Positive Freedom versus Negative Freedom
• What is the Purpose of Law? 
• What is The Good?
• The Common Good Is Good for All of Us
• Use-Value Versus Exchange-Value

Section II: Remembering the Ideals of Christendom

• Society Before Capitalism: The Premodern World
• Society Before Capitalism: The Subsidiary State
• The Working-Class in Christendom (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913)
• Thomistic Economics: C—M—C versus M—C—M

Section III: Demystifying the History of Modernity

• The Myth of Modern Progress
• The Myth of Liberal Neutrality
• What is Liberalism?
• The Definition of Capitalism 
• The Modern Origins of Race Theory

Section IV: Analyzing Late Stage Capitalism

• Sex Sells: Abortion, Capitalism, and the Sexual Revolution 
• For Capitalists, Pregnancy is a Disease, Abortion is the Cure
• Racism is a Tool to Divide the Working-Class

Section V: Imagining the Kingdom of God on Earth

• What is Intentional Community?

Section VI: Listening to the Popes

• Pope Leo XIII’s Condemnation of Americanism
• Gaudium et Spes: By the Grace of God, We Can Build a Better World
• The Papal Condemnation of Capitalism 
• Laudato Si’ on Integral Ecology and the Common Good
• Laudato Si’ on Global Inequality and the Technocratic Paradigm

Section VII: Following the Forerunners

• [under construction]