Every era comes with novelties and uncertainties, but perhaps our present time, characterized by continuous changes due to abundant scientific and technological discoveries, brings about even more questions.

It is strange, however, or perhaps it is not strange at all, that compared to the second half of the 19th century—with Positivism stemming from complete trust in science—today, these great possibilities rather unsettle than relax or excite us. Or at least they produce complex, controversial and ambivalent emotions in us.

This may happen because, compared to a few centuries ago, we have more life experience, and we know that people’s happiness, or their well-being, their balance does not depend, except partially, on speed or achieved comforts.

Human beings need—especially and above all—to remain in deep relationship with nature: internally (their anthropology) and externally (the environment of which they are a part).

This is why we have the feeling, the fear that a society of increasingly autonomous and intelligent machines may lead us to lose our way rather than enlighten our lives. It risks leading us too far from what we were designed for and dangerously overturn our economies, our relationship with our work and our relations.

Therefore, to begin to respond to this fundamental question of our time, we have dedicated this month of January 2025 to a reflection on work and economy: two words that inevitably encounter, in this historical transition along with other two important, central words that deserve careful attention. These are “intelligence” and “artificial.”

Now a de facto pair, but also an oxymoron to be approached with caution and seriousness. Hence our interview with journalist Monica Mondo, who hosts an interesting program entitled AlgorEtica on Tv2000—the Italian channel of the CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference). She not only precisely deals with artificial intelligence but also with work and economy. She does so with intelligence and wisdom, both of which are not artificial but strictly human.

The series “Severance” recently returned with its second season on Apple TV+, also addresses the dangerous pairing between technology and work. With its ethical and philosophical science fiction, it narrates the dangers of hyper-technology in our professional lives and does so with refined style and unsettling twists, through a hyperbole that we do not reveal here but explain in our article/reflection on the series and its related themes.

We have also retrieved a review of a film released some time ago titled “Cento domeniche” (One Hundred Sundays): a good, educational and emotional work that talks about honest workers betrayed by opportunistic banks, now unable to build that virtuous relationship with the most vulnerable, necessary for community building.

An economy, as described in “Cento Domeniche,” that kills. A violent economy, just as violent is the reality of Congo, where there is war and where the economy itself is dominated by the presence of precious materials, which tempt many and create conflicts and divisions.

Yet, there are people and realities— as we recount in the interesting article by Paolo Balduzzi—who tirelessly work to build peace in Congo, and a common well-being made of fraternity and democracy.

Those youth who share the same purpose work together, who believe in an economy that does not kill, but rather brings true life. It is the economy inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi and friendly to the earth, peace and humanity. It is the economy present in the pact signed by Pope Francis in Assisi with the youth, summarized in the acronym Economy of Francesco.

We closely follow their work and here we present to you some articles in which we describe it.

Enjoy the reading!