The Idea of Democratic Capitalism is intended as an introduction to the works of Michael Novak, offering a general framework within which to illustrate the development of the American theologian and political scientist's thought. This framework is based on the idea of establishing a renewed relationship between the spirit of entrepreneurship or economic initiative and the modern Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, as set out in the social encyclicals of John Paul II: Laborem Exercens, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and Centesimus Annus. Novak belongs to a tradition of thought stretching from Polybius and the Federalist Papers to the US Constitution and the Church's social doctrine. This doctrine is an original method of analysing social realities, not a self-contained system. It is a point of reference for developing a civil philosophy engaging with the social sciences and contemporary political and economic thought open to the Christian anthropological perspective. The book is divided into seven parts: A brief biographical and bibliographical profile of the author; an introductory overview outlining the essential aspects of the historical and cultural context in which Novak's work developed; three central chapters devoted to the themes of order and history within the ideal of 'democratic capitalism', the redefinition of the notion of 'social justice,' and the spirit of initiative or entrepreneurship. Novak presents this as a human virtue that responds to the call of the Creator; and a concise analysis of the influence of Novak's work in the social sciences and a bibliography of his works.
