Michael John Novak Jr. (September 9, 1933 – February 17, 2017) was an American
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. The author of more than forty books on the philosophy and theology of culture, Novak is most widely known for his book ''
The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism'' (1982). In 1993 Novak was honored with an honorary doctorate at
Universidad Francisco Marroquín due to his commitment to the idea of liberty. In 1994 he was awarded the
Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, which included a million-dollar purse awarded at Buckingham Palace. He wrote books and articles focused on
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
, religion, and the
politics of democratization.
Novak served as
in 1981 and 1982 and led the US delegation to the
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1986. Additionally, Novak served on the board of directors of the now-defunct
Coalition for a Democratic Majority, a conservative anti-Communist faction of the
Democratic Party, which sought to influence the party's policies in the same direction that the
Committee on the Present Danger later did. Novak was George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the
American Enterprise Institute. In 2004, he claimed to be a lifelong Democrat, while noting that he has supported many
Republican candidates.
Early life, education, and family
Novak was born on September 9, 1933, in
Johnstown,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, to a Slovak-American family, the son of Irene (Sakmar) and Michael J. Novak. He was married to Karen Laub-Novak, a professional artist and illustrator, who died of cancer in August 2009. They have three children (Richard, Tanya, and Jana) and four grandchildren.
Novak earned a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree ''
summa cum laude'' in philosophy and English from
Stonehill College in 1956, a
Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the
Pontifical Gregorian University in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in 1958, and a
Master of Arts degree in history and philosophy of religion from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1966. Novak attended Harvard University to study philosophy and religion, intending to obtain a doctorate in philosophy of religion. Novak stated that he thought the philosophy department was too focused on
analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a broad movement within Western philosophy, especially English-speaking world, anglophone philosophy, focused on analysis as a philosophical method; clarity of prose; rigor in arguments; and making use of formal logic, mat ...
, neglecting religion. He left Harvard after receiving his master's degree and began work as a writer.
Early writings
Second Vatican Council
Novak worked as a correspondent for the ''
National Catholic Reporter'' during the second session of the
Second Vatican Council in Rome, where he also got the opportunity to fulfill a book contract for a fellow reporter who was not able to complete the project. The result was Novak's second book, ''The Open Church'', a journalistic account of the events of the second session of the council.
His writings at the time were criticized by the more conservative factions in the church, and apostolic delegate
Egidio Vagnozzi advised US churchmen to silence him.
Early books
Early in his career, Novak published two novels: ''The Tiber Was Silver'' (1961) and ''Naked I Leave'' (1970). At the time, he considered the modest $600 advance to be "a fortune."
''Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics''
Novak proposed that the
white ethnic was a distinct race of whites from
WASPs
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
who had attempted to erase their cultural heritage and assimilate them. He supported the notion of
separate but equal while rejecting
multiculturalism and
melting pot
A melting pot is a Monoculturalism, monocultural metaphor for a wiktionary:heterogeneous, heterogeneous society becoming more wiktionary:homogeneous, homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative bei ...
theory. He argues that
white ethnics will reject assimilation and live separately from other races. He argues that African Americans and white ethnics should unite due to their common class struggle while also denouncing "socialist" integration policies that "unfairly" supported women and African Americans to the detriment of taxpaying "white ethnics".
Stanford years
Novak's friendship with the
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
Robert McAfee Brown during the
Second Vatican Council led to a teaching post at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, where he became the first
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
to teach in the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
program. Novak taught at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
from 1965 to 1968, during the key years of student revolt throughout California. During this period, he wrote ''A Time to Build'' (1967), discussing problems of belief and unbelief,
ecumenism,
sexuality, and
war. In 1968, he signed the "
Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in
protest against the Vietnam War. In ''A Theology for Radical Politics'' (1969), Novak makes theological arguments in support of the New Left student movement, which he urged to advance the renewal of the human spirit rather than merely to reform social institutions. His book ''Politics: Realism and Imagination'' includes accounts of visiting American Vietnam War deserters in France ("Desertion"), the birth and development of the student movement at Stanford ("Green Shoots of Counter-Culture") and philosophical essays on
nihilism and
Marxism
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...
.
SUNY Old Westbury
Novak left Stanford for a post as dean of a new "experimental" school at the newly founded
State University of New York at Old Westbury,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
.
Novak's writings during this period included the philosophical essay ''The Experience of Nothingness'' (1970, republished in 1998), in which he cautioned the New Left that utopianism could lead to alienation and rootlessness. Novak's novel ''Naked I Leave'' (1970) chronicles his experiences in California and in the Second Vatican Council and his journey from seminarian to reporter.
Later career
After serving at Old Westbury/SUNY from 1969 to 1972, Novak launched the humanities program at the Rockefeller Foundation in 1973–1974. In 1976, he accepted a tenured position at Syracuse University as University Professor and Ledden-Watson Distinguished Professor of Religion. In the fall semesters of 1987 and 1988, Novak held the W. Harold and Martha Welch chair as Professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
In the spring of 1978, Novak joined the
American Enterprise Institute for Social Policy Research as a Resident Scholar, a position he held for more than a decade. He would later stay with the American Enterprise Institute as the George Frederick Jewett Chair of Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy, and as the Institute's Director of Social and Political Studies.
Novak was a frequent contributor to magazines and journals including ''
First Things'' and ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
''. In 1994, he was a signer of the document
Evangelicals and Catholics Together. On December 12, 2007, Novak declared his support for the presidential candidacy of
Republican Mitt Romney.
In 2012, he authored an article entitled 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy' in ''
The 4% Solution: Unleashing the Economic Growth America Needs'', published by the
George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Novak was a founding board member of the
Institute on Religion and Democracy. He was also a founding member of the
Board of Trustees of
Ave Maria University and was a member of the
Ave Maria Mutual Funds Catholic Advisory Board. A portrait of Novak by
Igor Babailov hangs in the Canizaro Library on campus.
In 2016 he joined the
Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics of the
Catholic University of America as a distinguished visiting professor.
Novak died of complications from
colon cancer February 17, 2017, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 83.
Bibliography
* ''Social Justice Isn't What You Think It Is'' (2015) ,
* ''Writing from Left to Right: My Journey From Liberal to Conservative'' (2013)
* ''The Myth of Romantic Love and Other Essays'' (with Elizabeth Shaw) (2012)
* ''Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation'' (with William E. Simon) (2011) ,
* ''All Nature is a Sacramental Fire: Moments of Beauty, Sorrow, and Joy'' (2011)
* ''No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers'' (2008)
* ''Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country'' (with Jana Novak) (2006) ,
* ''Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations is Not Inevitable'' (2004)
* ''On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding'' (2001)
* ''Business as a Calling'' (1996)
* ''The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'' (1993).
* ''Free Persons and the Common Good'' (1988)
* ''Tell Me Why'' (1998)
* ''The Open Church'' (1964, 2002)
* ''Joy of Sports'' (1976, 1994)
* ''Catholic Social Thought and Liberal Institutions'' (1984, 1989)
* ''This Hemisphere of Liberty'' (1990, 1992)
* ''Will It Liberate? Questions About Liberation Theology'' (1986)
* ''Toward the Future''
*''Toward a theology of the corporation'', Lanham, MD : University Press of America, 1981. ,
*''Confession of a Catholic'', Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1985, ,
* ''Moral Clarity in a Nuclear Age'' (1983) ,
* ''Ascent of the Mountain, Flight of the Dove''
* ''Character and Crime'' London: Brownson Institute, 1988. ,
* ''On Cultivating Liberty''
* ''The Fire of Invention''
* ''The Guns of Lattimer''
* ''Choosing Presidents''
* ''A Free Society Reader''
* ''Three in One''
* ''The New Consensus on Family and Welfare: A Community of Self-Reliance'' (Novak et al.) (1987).
* ''
The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism'' (1982). .
* ''Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics: The New Political Force of the Seventies'' (1972).
* ''The Experience of Nothingness'' (1970; revised and expanded 1998).
* ''Naked I Leave'' (novel, 1970).
* ''Belief and Unbelief, a Philosophy of Self-Knowledge'' (1965; 3rd ed. 1994).
* ''The Tiber was Silver'' (novel, 1962). ,
See also
*
American philosophy
*
Democratic capitalism
*
List of American philosophers
American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can neverthe ...
References
External links
*
Graduation speechat
Universidad Francisco Marroquín in 1993.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Michael
1933 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century Roman Catholics
Activists from California
American Enterprise Institute
American male non-fiction writers
American people of Slovak descent
American people of Slovenian descent
American political philosophers
American political writers
American Roman Catholic writers
The American Spectator people
American tax resisters
Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery
Busch School of Business faculty
California Democrats
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Catholics from Pennsylvania
Catholic philosophers
Deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States
Harvard University alumni
New York (state) Democrats
Pennsylvania Democrats
People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council
State University of New York at Old Westbury faculty
Stonehill College alumni
Templeton Prize laureates
Writers from Pennsylvania