We are living in times of deep transformation. Many of us feel that old certainties are crumbling and that the promises of modernity have not delivered what they offered. Professor José Pérez Adán, rector of ULIA, presents in his book Thinking about Society as if God Exists a necessary reflection: we have reached the end of a cultural stage, and it is time to reconsider the foundations of our common life.
Pérez Adán points out that modernity and postmodernity have built social thought on the premise that God does not exist. That starting point, he argues, has led to fundamental errors in understanding freedom, equality, and fraternity. Isn't it true that we have often seen these ideals emptied of meaning when separated from their divine root?
Freedom without reference to God can become license or an impossible burden. Equality without a common Father becomes a power struggle. Fraternity without recognizing that we are all children of the same Creator is reduced to a superficial sentiment. The author invites us to take a radical turn: to think about society as if God exists, not as a pious ornament, but as a true therapeutic gear for the social sciences.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9, NIV)
This beatitude reminds us that peace and reconciliation are possible when we recognize our divine filiation. Pérez Adán's proposal is not a return to the past, but an invitation to build a future where the social has a solid and hopeful foundation.
The Errors of Modernity: Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity without God
The rector of ULIA states clearly: “We have been mistaken about freedom, about fraternity as well, and, again, about equality.” These words, though provocative, invite us to examine our recent history.
Misunderstood Freedom
Modernity promised a freedom without ties, but that freedom has often become extreme individualism. Without a transcendent horizon, freedom loses its meaning and becomes a heavy burden. The apostle Paul reminds us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV). True freedom is not the absence of limits, but the ability to choose the good.
Equality without Foundation
The equality proclaimed by the French Revolution has remained an empty ideal when it is not recognized that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Without that foundation, equality becomes a struggle for power or a forced leveling that does not respect the dignity of each person. The psalmist exclaims: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3, NIV).
Fraternity without a Common Father
Fraternity is perhaps the most forgotten ideal. Without the recognition that we are all children of the same Father, fraternity is reduced to superficial solidarity or a mere agreement of interests. Jesus taught us to call God “Our Father,” thus establishing the foundation of true brotherhood. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:26, NIV).
A New Way of Doing Social Sciences
Pérez Adán does not limit himself to criticism; he proposes a new epistemology for the social sciences. His approach is to include God as a relevant variable, not as a decorative element but as a factor that transforms the understanding of social reality.
This implies recognizing that the human being has a spiritual dimension that cannot be ignored. Social theories that exclude
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