Entitlement

Brief History of Entitlement

The history of entitlement has to be understood in the context of political and social theory, the history of philosophy and religious belief, and indeed the evolving and changing conception of the common good and the role of government over time.

Aristotle viewed politics as a branch of ethics, the application of practical wisdom to societal concerns. Both Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas thought that government did have a responsibility to its citizens, indeed a responsibility for shaping the moral character of its citizens. Aquinas argued for a balance of governmental authority, neither total governmental control nor for the opposite extreme, a total laissez-faire approach.

The teachings of the world religions on the obligations that people have toward others, on charity, on rights, and on the dignity of the human person paved the way for modern social welfare and for our understanding of entitlement and what it might entail. Certainly one of the strongest, clearest declarations about the importance of caring for one's fellow humans can be found in Judaism.

The great Jewish prophets such as Amos, Isaiah and others called for social justice and for people to fulfill their obligations to those in need. The work of Maimonides stressed these obligations to the needy. Tzedakah is a Jewish word that describes charity, or righteousness. In Judaism, charity and obligations to the needy are placed under the banner of justice. Tzedakah might be seen as a prelude to entitlement. Tzedakah was balanced by chesed, which is loving kindness. Jewish social service agencies provide many services to the needy.

For Christianity, caritas (love) played an important role. For Aquinas, charity was the greatest of the virtues. Augustine averred that “charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” Charity and justice must go together. For many government-run entitlement programs, loving kindness sometimes gets swallowed up in the bureaucratic rules and regulations and implementation of the programs themselves.

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