PhD defence H.P.L. (Hans) van den Heuvel

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

Economics and theology rarely speak the same language. Yet they have much to say to each other, so economic theology holds. A shared foundation for that conversation is missing.

This dissertation looks for that foundation in two theologians. The Canadian philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) described how people arrive at insight and judgement, and also developed his own economic theory. The American-Canadian theologian Robert Doran (1939-2021), inspired by Lonergan, set out how values relate to one another and how blind spots arise.

Together they yield three building blocks: (1) an account of objectivity that does not bypass the researcher but asks for authenticity; (2) an economic analysis showing that investment reaches its purpose only when it raises everyday living standards; and (3) an ordering of values, from material needs to religious convictions, that reveals when an economic outlook has become one-sided.

On this theoretical foundation eight analytical questions were formulated and applied to three influential positions within economic theology: the democratic capitalism of Michael Novak, the liberation theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez and the radical theological critique of John Milbank. Each is enriched at various points by Lonergan and Doran.

That approach is both relevant and timely. As questions of climate, nature and the labour market break open existing systems and agreements, the values underlying them are called into question as well. The connection between economics and theology thus offers a new and additional perspective for policy and for the models on which it rests.