Practical Wisdom and the Literary Imagination: Wendell Berry, C. S. Lewis, and the Promise and Limits of Social Theory

Joshua Hochschild

1. Berry and Lewis critique modernity’s displacement of traditional relationships through technological and bureaucratic systems.
2. Catholic social teaching arises as a response to new social realities rather than presenting new moral principles.
3. The principle of subsidiarity emphasizes local governance and the importance of scale in human organization.
4. Berry’s vision integrates ecological ethics with a theological understanding of human dignity and community.
5. Literary imagination enriches socio-political discourse, as seen in Berry’s and Lewis’s works addressing modern challenges.

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“What happens when a cabal of secular progressive technocrats takes over an historic, traditional liberal arts college?”