Table Of ContentMichel Schooyans
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Translated by
Rev. John H. Milles C.&Cy S/LD
THE TOTALITARIAN TREND
OF LiBERALISM
BY
Michael Schooyans
Copyright byCentral Bureau, 1997
Copyright for the revised French édition
Ladérivetotalitaire du libéralisme
Maison Marne, 1995
AilRights Reserved
Coverart byChrisPelicano
ISBN 1-887567-05-4
Publishedby
Central Bureau, CCVA
3835 Westminster Place
St. Louis MO 63108
Printed by
St. Martin dePorres Lay Dominican Community
"I am inclined to think that
if faith be wanting in a man,
he must be subject;and if
he be free, he must believe/'
de Tocqueville
Democracy inAmerica, II
(NewYork: Knopf,1945) 22.
Table of Contents
Introduction xiii
Foreword to the Second Edition xvii
Letter of PopeJohn Paul IIto the Author xix
PARTONE
AWorldinCrisis
I - Countries under Development 1
II - The Developed Countries 11
m - Communist Countries 21
IV - Relationship among Countries under
Development and Developed countries 25
V - International Organizationand the StratégiesofFear ... 37
parttwo
Underdevelopment, Bad Development, Pseudo-Development
I - The Confusion between Liberty and Liberalism 65
II - New Ideology,New Idol 77
III - Corrélationbetween Underdevelopment and
BadDevelopment 85
IV - Where does the Maltus QuestionStand? 99
V - Tobe a SlaveToday 111
VI - MedicalizingSocial Problems? TheCaseofBrazil 119
VII - AWidespread "Scientific" Ségrégation 131
VIII - Marixsm Leninism and Pseudo-Development 141
IX - An Identical Stake: the Destruction ofMan 149
Vi THETOTALITARIAN TREND OF LiBERALISM
partthree
What is to be Done? 169
I - Born for Liberty 171
II - Christiansand the Duty ofInventing 189
III - A Great Design for the Church 209
IV - The Missionary VitalityofTheology 221
Bibliography 241
Index of Persons 253
Index of Subjects 259
Introduction
Right off, it would be appropriate to eut short any misunder-
standing regardingthe titleofthis work.Theliberalism ofwhichwe
are speaking hèreis not simply an économie System or a sortofpo
litical régime. It isabove aila stateofmind,itselfthe resuit ofan an-
thropology thatwewillhâvetoexamine carefully. This stateofmind
is characterizedby an ensemble ofpresuppositions about man, Soci
etyandtheworld; this anthropologyinclines onetomake individual
Liberty the be ail and end ailofman.
Itisfirstofailthisoriginal liberalism withwhichweareconcerned
in this work. The state of mind that underlies libéral options in the
économie and political orderoffers advantagesthat areimportant to
acknowledge. How can we deny that the libéral climate favors the
affirmation and blossoming of the individual conscience? How can
we notbe aware ofthe factthatthis climate directs the spiritofinitia
tive and enterprise? How canweunderestimateitsstimulatinginflu
ence onscientific research, technical progress, materialwell-being? Is
therea context which betterpermits our maintaining alertour criti-
cal vigilance before thesuffocating supervision oftheState?
Nevertheless, this liberalism, as effectiveas it may be, rests upon
two axiomatic presuppositions curiously eluding criticism: material-
ism and individualism. Nowthèse twopresuppositions hâveasa cor-
ollary atruncated vision of social relationships. One tends to reduce
them torelationships offorce, relationships ofstruggle inopposition
to men eager to appropriate goods and increase their profits.
Add to that a no lesstruncated conception ofliberty; thisiscon-
fused with the total autonomy, pure and simple, ofthe individual,
regarding himself, others andvalues.
The complex political économie System resulting from thèse pre-
mises is provided with avery convenient justification. It takes on the
form of apostulate according to which rival spécial interests finish by
/f
Vlll theTOTALITARIANTRENDof LiBERALISM
attaining a harmony that achieves the gênerai interest and assures
justice. But such a postulate is inadmissible: it leads to a totalitarian
trend thatissuesin thecrushing oftheweakest bythestrongest.
This trend is totalitarian in its nature, its end and its means. In its
nature, forit attacks the Ego oftheweak, in thetwofold physical and
psychic dimension ofthe Ego; in its end, for it aimsat consolidating
and extendingthe dominationoftheaffluent on a planetaryscale; in
its means, for it utilizes the most diverse scientific and technical disci
plines, making an especial appeal, today, to demography and bio
médical techniques. This ideology is instilled in every milieu with-
out exception and in doing so makes use of the most modem and ef
fectivepropaganda techniques.
We can understand spontaneously and without difficulty how
the socialist ideology feeds totalitarian projects. Often denounced,
contemporary history moreover offers many examples of this trend.
But one expression of totalitarianism can hide another one. The de
veloped Western world, fortified in its attachment to liberty and sat-
isfied in having thwarted the stratégies of some despots, spontane
ously thinks itself immunized against every totalitarian project that
could arise from within. It cannot imagine totalitarianism except as
corning from outside. The thought of a threat of colonization, it
thinks, doesn't concern but the Third-World.
It believes it is vaccinated against such a threat. Its vigilance is,
therefore, immobilized, inhibited and paralyzed. In one sensé it is
alienated, for it does not take into account — it cannot take into ac
count — the fact that the totalitarian péril to which it is exposed
sinksitsrootsin the politicaland économie Systemofwhich itisheir,
beneficiary and agent.
Ourintentionis to assist in this difficult awakening ofawareness,
for it involves the future ofhuman society. We want to show that the
toleration dynamic, issueofaperversion ofliberalism, benefits, ifwe
dare to say so,fromunexpected collusions, evenin international or-
ganizations, and that it producesnew slaves.
* * *
Our exposition willfollow différent steps.First, wewillpointout
some particularly revealing data about theworld situation from the
last twenty-five years. Taking into account the fact that after the
putsch ofAugust 1991, nothing will remain thesame asbefore, we
will inquire into the East-West cleavage and show why it islogical
that the North-South cleavage is more important today. It willthus
become clear that the thème "total war" has been reinterpreted: it
was first applied to East-West relations; but now it isindispensable
Introduction jx
for comprehending theNorth-South relations and thechange inthe
nature of international organizations.
The signs of the totalitarian trend will clearlyappear at the end
of this inquiry, and we will analyze them in the second section. There
we will examine, first of ail, the link betweeen the foundation oflib
éral ideology and "baddevelopment." Wewill do the same for socialist
ideology: what are the links betweenit and pseudo-devélopment"? Fol-
lowing this twofold examination,we will indicate the link that exists,
on the one hand, between thèse two idéologies, thèse two models of
truncated development, and, on the other hand, underdevelopment.
In the last section we will try to outline a path ofhope. For, on the
theoretical level, the libéral model is more easily corrected than the
socialistmodel.And thereasonissimple: itisa questionofthedifférent
conception we observe in thèse two currents regarding the place and
rôleofman in society. Certaincentralthèmesofexistential phenom-
enology and personalism, will be particularly fruitful at this stage of
ourproject.Theywillallowustounderstandwhymanhasnoreasonto
yield to a fatalism justifying every reactionary current—and whyit
is not in vain that he retains in his heart the hope oflibération.1
* * *
In finalizing this work, wehâve benefited from the critique and
suggestions of many colleagues who hâve let us profit from their
compétence. Especially dowe wish to thank Mr. Fernand Bézy, law-
yerand economist, professor at theCatholic University ofLouvain,
Miss Isabelle Borremans, political scientist, Miss Marie Hendrickx,
theologian and philosopher, Dr. Philippe Schepens, surgeon, and
above ailMr. Benoît Patar, philosopher andeconomist. Without their
friendly collaboration and encouragement, this study would not
hâve seen the light of day.
Thiswork isnot,first ofail, the resuitofa careful enquiryintothe
works of learned spedalists. Itis above ail the extension of direct con
tactwith mentowhomtheauthorhascontracteda debt ofgratitude.
It is only right to acknowledge that our first field of expérience
was Latin America, especially Brazil. But we hâve always had
equallyinmind the concrète situations ofAsia,Africa and Europe.
If one should lose sight of the constant référence to this diversified
background, the following pages will lose much oftheir significance.
September 8,1991
1We hâvegoneintothèse problemsin Démocratieet libération chrétienne. Principes
pourl'action politique (Paris: Lethielleux,1986).
FOREWORD
to the Second Edition
This éditionisdifférent in importantwaysfromthe first. Firstof
ail, it includes thereproduction ofa personal letter addressed tothe
author byHis Holiness, PopeJohn Paul II after thepublication ofthe
first édition. Besides,in the first section, the statistical data has been
updated onthe basis of the most récent available sources. The same
istrueofthebibliography. One chapter deyoted totheGulfWar and
to South Africahas been omitted, because it was no longer as topical
asit was five years ago. One will also notice in thelastsection new
références incorporated into the text; they refer the reader tothe en-
cyclical Evangelium Vitae of March 25, 1995. Finally, the text of the
first édition initsentirety was reprinted after being revised andcor-
rected.
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
October23,1995
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