The Principle of Subsidiarity: A Philosophical History & Argument from Phronēsis

Abstract

This thesis identifies the Aristotelian Thomistic origins of the principle of subsidiarity and traces its development through 19th–20th century Catholic social thought and up to the present day. Further, this thesis suggests that the principle can apply from the bottom-up, and it lays out a newly developed justification for subsidiarity on the basis of knowledge availability in society.