What is Subsidiarity? Why it's Good.
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Subsidiarity, the Answer to Gloablism
Subsidiarity is the idea that political and social problems should be solved at the smallest or simplest level (such as the family), before involving larger organizations (such as the federal government).
The smaller, the better.
If an activity can be completed at the local level, a larger, centralized organization shouldn’t be involved. The individual and the family are the basis of civil society. The larger units of governance should be utilized only when necessary. This has come into focus recently as “parental rights” has become a hot topic. However, the debate about the “state’s” involvement in raising children is hardly new. The following statement about subsidiarity is from Pope Pius XI:
“On this point [the rearing of children] the common sense of mankind is in such complete accord, that they would be in open contradiction with it who dared maintain that the children belong to the State before they belong to the Family and that the State has an absolute right over their education. Untenable is the reason they adduce, namely, that man is born a citizen and hence belongs primarily to the State, not bearing in mind that before being a citizen, man must exist; and that existence does not come from the State, but from the parents.”
What G.K. Chesterton Thought About Subsidiarity
G.K. Chesterton wrote: “The way to make a living thing is to make it local.” He believed that the citizen finds meaning, dignity, and strength when given the freedom to succeed or fail. The laboratory for these experiments is the family, the small business, and the town. This is subsidiarity. Chesterton believed subsidiarity empowered communities to make decisions that were the best for their needs. He saw it as a better option than allowing a distant authority to dictate policies that didn’t apply to the community in question. National progress is hollow without strong local communities full of citizens striving to build a better life.
Additional Reading
This book talks at length about subsidiarity and why building a local community is key to preserving faith, heritage, creativity, beauty, and rational politics. Inspired by G. K. Chesterton, the authors propose wise methods for strengthening marriages and educating children in modernity.
