§ Cell № 22 of 81
Row 3, Col 4
Economic: Social-lib
Governance: Statist
Coords: X-1 · Y+2
Economic: Social-lib
Governance: Statist
Coords: X-1 · Y+2
Descriptor
Distributist
“Widely held property, small ownership.”
Exemplar ↓
§ 01
The Idea
What Distributist actually means.
Distributism advocates for widespread small-scale ownership of property, opposing both laissez-faire capitalism and state socialism.
Inspired by Catholic social teachings, Distributism aims to distribute wealth through family-run farms, businesses, and worker cooperatives instead of state-controlled or corporate monopolies. Portugal under António de Oliveira Salazar's Estado Novo resembled Distributism, promoting Catholic values, corporatist labor structures, and a heavily regulated economy while maintaining private property.
§ 02 · Tenets
Core commitments.
01
Property ownership as widely distributed as possible.
02
Subsidiarity — decisions at the smallest competent level.
03
Family and guild as primary economic units.
04
Hostility to monopoly capital and state collectivism alike.
05
Catholic social teaching as moral foundation.
§ 03 · Position
Where it sits on the grid.
Economic axis — X-1
SOCIAL-LIB
Full collectivisationUnfettered markets
Governance axis — Y+2
STATIST
Total controlNo state at all
§ 04 · Reading List
Canon & critics.
§ Canon
- What's Wrong with the WorldG. K. Chesterton1910 · ~280 pp
- The Servile StateHilaire Belloc1912 · ~190 pp
- Small Is BeautifulE. F. Schumacher1973 · ~320 pp
§ Critics
- The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith1776 · ~950 pp
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