Emma Goldman, Surprisingly, Sounds Just Like St. Thomas here

“In cases of need all things are common property, so that there would seem to be no sin in taking another’s property, for need has made it common.” (ST II-II, 66, 7) – St. Thomas Aquinas

The right to property is not absolute.  Human need trumps it because human beings are more important than things.

A smart Catholic says, “How about that.  Emma Goldman figured out a Catholic truth here.”

A stupid Catholic says, “Eek! Catholic Social Teaching sounds like Emma Goldman and *she* was a radical leftist!  Catholic social teaching is radical leftism!”

It’s the difference between, on the one hand, navigating by listening to the Church and evaluating human wisdom in light of it and, on the other hand, navigating by tribal affiliations and shibboleths.  Thomas did the former and so was able to mine the work of pagans like Aristotle and Muslims like Averroes for all sorts of good stuff.  The Reactionaries of his time did the latter and so condemned him for being ritually impure and tainted by his associations with pagans and Muslim thinkers.

Guess who won that argument?