The Finn-Gronbacher Debate

Abstract

As is known to readers of this journal, Gregory Gronbacher and Daniel Finn have engaged in an interesting dialogue about economic personalism. It is not my intention to review here all that they have written. My objective is to show that their dialogue not only touches upon key aspects of the Christianity—classical liberalism debate but also that it is fruitful in itself, since it leads to a series of additional considerations that enhance our understanding of economic personalism. These additional considerations will not be concerned with the details and divergences in Gronbacher’s and Finn’s respective positions. Instead, I will attempt to make clear the “horizons of understanding” that informs their writing. In doing so, it will be possible, using Gadamer’s terminology, to establish a fusion of horizons.