The Needs of the Many

Solidarity by any other name — including “social consciousness” — proves just as satisfying.

Recent research shows that more workers — especially young ones — are choosing meaningfulness over money in their careers. In a survey conducted jointly by three marketing firms last summer, 40% of about 1,000 participants said they were willing to take a pay cut to work for a “socially responsible” company. A larger study last year, this one of 3,500 people conducted by the MetLife Foundation, found that almost 50% of workers between 44 and 70 were interested in finding new jobs that contributed to positive social outcomes. Some biz whizzes talk about this blossoming concern for the larger community as an example of the power of “social capital.” The Catholic Church calls it solidarity — and says that, “also articulated in terms of ‘friendship’ or ‘social charity,’” (Catechism, No. 1939) it is “a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.”