Editing Magnifica Humanitas: A Plain-Language Overview (section)

== The two construction projects ==

One of the easiest ways to understand the entire encyclical is through two biblical images Leo uses repeatedly.

The first is the '''Tower of Babel'''.

Babel represents a great human project built around power, domination, pride, and the desire to overcome every limit. It is technically impressive, but its apparent greatness ultimately produces division.

The second is the '''rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah'''.

Jerusalem is rebuilt piece by piece through shared responsibility. Different people contribute to a common work. The result is not simply a monument to power, but the restoration of a community.

Leo effectively asks us:

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'''Which kind of world are we building?'''
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An enormously powerful technological civilization can still be a Babel.

A technically less spectacular society may be far more advanced in the things that finally matter if its institutions, technologies, and economy allow people to flourish together.