Nulla Proportio in Concordantia: Catholic Political Theology and the Mystery of Consensus

The main question in this article is whether there is room for a genuine Catholic political theology in a contemporary liberal society. Catholic political theology faces the dilemma that it is either opposed to the autonomy of the political sphere as it has been given shape in liberal society by its totality claim, or that it is not, and thereby loses its plausibility as it does in the case of Catholic Social Teaching. The authors of this article assume that there is a way out of the dilemma, namely by applying the fundamental theological concept of ‘locus theologicus’ to political theology. By viewing the political as a locus theologicus, the question arises: Which political aspects of the theological tradition could qualify as having a critical function in modern liberal society? The proposal in this article is to consider Nicholas of Cusa’s theory of finding consensus. Cusa developed this theory during and in response to the Council of Basel (1431-1449) in his book De concordantia catholica. The experience of consensus is viewed in this text as an apophatic confirmation of God in the performance of political authority. The way in which Cusa develops the idea of consensus is in sharp contrast with modern liberal thinkers such as John Rawls. Cusa’s theory shares a resemblance with those of modern critics of consensus such as Chantal Mouffe and Jacques Rancière. While these authors do not formulate their criticism theologically, once brought into conversation with Cusa, one can find opportunities of seeing the mystery of consensus as a theological critique.     

Predictors of Perceived Susceptibility to Sport-Related Injury among Competitive Runners: The Role of Previous Experience, Neuroticism, and Passion for Running

Whether individuals take steps to protect themselves against sport‐related injury may depend on their perceived susceptibility to injury ( Williams‐Avery & MacKinnon, 1996 ). However, little is known about the determinants of perceived susceptibility to sport‐related injury. The purpose of the present study is to identify the relations of previous experiences with injury, neuroticism, and passion with perceived susceptibility to sport‐related injury among competitive runners. One hundred and seventy competitive runners reported the number of injuries sustained during the last year and completed the neuroticism scale of the NEO‐PIR and the Passion Scale. Separate regression analysis revealed that previous experiences with injury, neuroticism, and obsessive passion were significant positive predictors of perceived susceptibility, whereas harmonious passion was significantly and negatively related to perceived susceptibility. When considered simultaneously, previous experiences, neuroticism, and obsessive passion explained unique variance in perceived susceptibility to sport‐related injury. This study revealed that perceived susceptibility to sport‐related injury is dependent on several distinct variables. Thus, to be effective, injury preventive actions aimed at runners’ behaviour modification need to take into account that runners’ perceived susceptibility to sport has multiple predictors. L’adoption par les individus de comportements de prévention de la blessure en sport est liée à leur vulnérabilité perçue à celle‐ci ( Williams‐Avery & MacKinnon, 1996 ). Cependant, aucune étude ne s’est intéressée aux déterminants de cette dimension dans le contexte sportif. L’objectif de cette étude était d’identifier les relations entre les expériences passées avec une ou plusieurs blessures, le névrosisme, et la passion pour l’activité et la vulnérabilité perçue à la blessure chez des coureurs à pied. 170 coureurs compétitifs ont reporté le nombre de blessures contractées lors de la saison précédente, et ont répondu à l’échelle de névrosisme du NEO‐PIR, et à l’échelle de passion en sport. Des analyses de régression séparées révèlent une contribution positive des expériences passées avec la blessure, du névrosisme, et de la passion obsessionnelle sur la vulnérabilité perçue, alors que la passion harmonieuse contribue négativement à cette dimension. Une analyse de régression multiple intégrant l’ensemble des prédicteurs révèle un lien significatif et positif entre les expériences passées, le névrosisme, la passion obsessionnelle et la vulnérabilité perçue à la blessure. Cette étude confirme que la perception de vulnérabilité est dépendante de dimensions variées et distinctes. Les actions de prévention de la blessure axées sur les changements de perception de vulnérabilitéà la blessure à des fins de modification des comportements doivent prendre en considération les prédicteurs de cette dimension afin d’être efficaces.