Charity and solidarity in post-modern society

Abstract

Charity and solidarity are indispensable in post-modern society, but the notions of them must be grasped fully. Solidarity is not philanthropy or beneficence, but a value which produces what may be called the “relational common goods”. The of today’s society has given birth to a “third sector”, distinct from both the public and private ones, in which relations of interchange and communication are established. This makes it necessary to redefine the notion of the common good, understanding it as a good which can only be produced together, and which is not the sum of individual goods. Authentic solidarity, necessary for the Europe of the future, requires the birth of a “State of social autonomies”, in which is spread a culture of brotherhood and of the family.