The European Union according to Jesus Christ

About the Book

This inquiry into the theological-political nature of power deals with the application to Europe of a new theory, in which the state is formulated as the synthesis of the economy and culture. Its chief aim is to answer the fundamental questions: What is the best political system for Europe? Upon which principles ought it to be founded? Does it concur with the past and the present of the Europeans? In addition, it unveils important political truths that remained up to now unidentified, yet their philosophical and theological sources were known for centuries.

A new concept and an age-old thinking method brought forth this universal political theory. 'Culture family' means either an association of distinct cultures sharing common roots, or the transnational society of their human carriers. Arguably, a sound approach to the political future of multicultural societies is impossible in the absence of this construct.

This book explains the genesis of the European culture family in accordance with Hegel's dialectical method, and identifies love as the principle and the end guiding life within it. Moreover, it includes a draft of the Charter of the Rights of the European Culture Family, so as to ensure that all concerned parties acknowledge them.

The other key idea underpinning The European Union according to Jesus Christ consists of a cross-domain, all embracing analogy. Just as the person and the work of Jesus Christ are essential to the redemption of mankind, so the entity and the duty of the state are crucial to the recovery of culturally and economically interconnected societies. The Definition of Faith of the Chalcedon Council and its political translation illustrate this similarity. In order to develop it thoroughly, 45 articles of the Summa Theologiae were translated into an equal number of political theses. Aquinas wrote this masterpiece in the 13th century, that is, during Europe's childhood. It is a comprehensive exposition of Christian theology and an excellent summary of the philosophy of Aristotle, one of the greatest thinkers ever. Thus the worth of the propositions incarnating the European version of the state according to Jesus Christ is assured.

About the Author

The author studied engineering at the University of Oporto, Portugal. He forged a twenty-five-year-long career in the oil industry while working with people from some forty nations and all walks of life.

The writer of The European Union according to Jesus Christ was personally exposed to events that shaped the political landscape of the 20th century. These include the revolution which restored democracy in his country and liberty in the former Portuguese colonies, the Gulf War and the downfall of the apartheid system in South Africa.

Besides engineering, the author has a lifelong interest in other fields of knowledge such as mathematics, physics, history, philosophy, theology, and politics. He has thus learned how to arrive at reliable answers to complex questions by examining them through different perspectives. Also, he keeps on being surprised by the frequency at which truths supposed to be valid only to a particular subject or discipline may successfully be applied to others.

He co-authored Planning, Scheduling, and Control Integration in the Process Industries, a book that has been published since 1995. Apology of the West is his first major work in a domain other than engineering. It contains fresh ideas on how the West will maintain the leadership of the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Osvaldo Salas is a member of the National Geographic Society, an American scientific and educational institution.