Heinrich Pesch

Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch, S. J.
Born	(1854-09-17)17 September 1854 Cologne, German Confederation
Died	Valkenburg, Netherlands
Influences	Rerum novarum
Influenced	Oswald von Nell-Breuning, Gustav Gundlach, Goetz Briefs, Franz Müller

Heinrich Pesch, S.J. (17 September 1854 – 1 April 1926) was a German Roman Catholic ethicist and economist of the Solidarist school. His major work, Lehrbuch der Nationalökonomie, is generally regarded as a source for Pope Pius XI's social encyclical Quadragesimo anno.

Biography

Pesch was born in Cologne in 1854. After studying law at Bonn under Erwin Nasse, Pesch entered the Society of Jesus in 1876. He made his novitiate with exiled German Jesuits in the Netherlands. For his studies of philosophy (1878–1881) Pesch was sent to Bleijenbeek, also in the Netherlands. He completed his theological studies at Ditton Hall (1884–1888). While in England Pesch lectured for a few years at the Stella Matutina school. He was ordained priest in 1888.

From 1892 until 1900 Pesch was spiritual director at the Mainz seminary, where he wrote his first book Liberalism, Socialism and Christian Order. Through lectures of the publicist Rudolf Meyer Pesch became acquainted with the teachings of Marx and Rodbertus. After a renewed study of economics under Schmoller, Sering and Wagner in Berlin (1900–1902), Pesch moved to Luxembourg and worked on his major opus Lehrbuch der Nationalökonomie.

This fundamental work proposes a third way of socio-economic reflection as the basis of the national economic order, which is neither liberalism nor socialism, but rather what will be called "Solidarism". It gives priority to the dimension of social solidarity, which must grow thanks to the evolution of consciences (work of the Church) and be supported by the political authorities in charge of the welfare of the people. The economic order must be essentially solidary and accompanied by a social system of work organization.

Pesch was the teacher of Oswald von Nell-Breuning and Gustav Gundlach.

He died in Valkenburg, Holland, in 1926.

Works

Major publications

• Liberalismus, Socialismus und Christliche Gesellschaftsordnung, Vol. 2, Herder (1900)
• Lehrbuch der Nationalökonomie, Freiburg im Breisgau, Herder (1905–1923; 5 vols.)
• Die Soziale Befähigung der Kirche, Verlag der Germania (1911)
• Ethik und Volkswirtschaft, Herdersche Verlagshandlung (1918)

Works in English translation

• "Christian Solidarism." In: Joseph N. Moody (Ed.), Church and Society. New York: Arts (1953)
• Heinrich Pesch on Solidarist Economics: Excerpts from the Lehrbuch Der Nationalökonomie. Translated by Rupert J. Ederer. University Press of America (1998)
• Liberalism, Socialism and Christian Social Order, Translated by Rupert J. Ederer. Edwin Mellen Press (2000–2006; 5 vols.)
  • Book 1: The Philosophical Roots Of Economic Liberalism
  • Book 2: The Free Market Economy Or Economic Order?
  • Book 3: Private Property As A Social Institution
  • Book 4: The Christian Concept Of The State
  • Book 5: Modern Socialism
• Teaching Guide to Economics, Translated and Edited by Rupert J. Ederer. Edwin Mellen Press (2002–2003; 10 Vols.)
  • Book One: Foundations for Economic Life (2 vols.)
  • Book Two: Economic Systems and the Nature and Dispositional Causes of the Wealth of a Nation (2 vols.)
  • Book Three: The Active Causes in the Ongoing Economic Process (2 vols.)
  • Book Four: The Satisfaction of a Nation’s Wants as the Purpose of the National Economy and Production (2 vols.)
  • Book Five: General Economics (2 vols.)
• Ethics and the National Economy, Translated with an introduction by Rupert Ederer, IHS Press (2003)

See also

• Social Justice
• Heinrich Pesch House

References

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Further reading

• Briefs, Goetz. "Economics of Heinrich Pesch," Social Order 3, December 1953.
• Ederer, Rupert J. "Juan Donoso Cortes, Heinrich Pesch and Solidarism: An Ethical Economic System," Social Justice Review 72, July 1981.
• Mulcahy, Richard E. "Economic Freedom in Pesch," Social Order 1, April 1951.
• Nell-Breuning, Oswald Von. "Peschian Interest Theory," Social Order 1, April 1951.
• Schuyler, J. B. "Pesch and Christian Solidarism," Catholic Mind 42, June 1944.
• Yenni, J. "Pesch's Goal of the Economy," Social Order 1, April 1951.

External links

• Author page at Edwin Mellen Press
• Works by Heinrich Pesch at JSTOR
• Works by Heinrich Pesch at Hathi Trust
• The Longest Economics Textbook
• Rediscovering Heinrich Pesch and Solidarism
• The Legacy of Solidarist Economics in the United States