Reflections on Science, Technology and Risk Regulation in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’

European Journal of Risk Regulation 4/2015

9 Pages Posted: 21 Dec 2015

Date Written: November 2015

Abstract

The Laudato Si encyclical letter has been accompanied by wide public attention, spurred by both the huge popularity of Pope Francis and the announced choice of devoting for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church an entire document to environmental issues. The scope of this article is to present some reflections inspired by the passages of the Laudato Si that have significance for understanding the ethical dimension governing science, technology and risk regulation.

The article is composed of three parts. After an introduction, there will be a brief presentation of the context of the Catholic social doctrine in which the encyclical letter Laudato Si must be placed. In the second part, the relevant passages of the encyclical which presents the views of Francis’ on science and technology issues, and the proposals to address these identified issues are discussed. In the third, and concluding, part, an attempt will be made to develop the ethical recommendations of this document within the sphere of risk regulation, highlighting the concrete impact that the Laudato Si could have in future public debates in Europe and worldwide.

JEL Classification: I18, K2, R38, O30, O32, O33, O38

Suggested Citation

Spina, Alessandro, Reflections on Science, Technology and Risk Regulation in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (November 2015). European Journal of Risk Regulation 4/2015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2705445

Alessandro Spina (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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