Between 1776 and 1815, Britain was at peace for just 10 years, notes Samuel Gregg, Acton’s Director of Research. Reading the Scottish defense of free trade without this in mind is a mistake: It’s easy to forget that the tremendous intellectual creativity flowing from the Scottish Enlightenment occurred against a background of war. These included Britain’s participation in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), the Seven Years War (1756-1763), the American War of...

The Thanksgiving holiday gives us a unique opportunity to reflect on God’s overwhelming grace, abundance, and provision—spiritually, materially, and otherwise. But amid and throughout those reflections, how often do we pause and consider the relationships, channels, and institutions that God uses in the process? Do we acknowledge that the very foods on our Thanksgiving e from an in-depth exchange of human creativity, investment, and daily sacrifice? Are we thankful for the labor it took to grow and harvest, package and...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Trey Dimsdale, director of Program Outreach at Acton, speaks with Adam MacLeod, professor of law at Faulkner University, on the definition of a basic human right and how the concept is understood today. Then, Senior Editor at Acton, Rev. Ben Johnson, talks about Brexit with Rev. Richard Turnbull from the Center for Enterprise, Markets, and Ethics. They analyze the aftermath of Brexit and the events that led up to the split between Britain...

Note:This article is part of the ‘Principles Project,’ a list of principles, axioms, and beliefs that undergirda Christian view of economics, liberty, and virtue. Clickhereto read the introduction and other posts in this series. The Principle: #10B — Because it interferes with economic liberty, occupational licensing is almost always unjust and unnecessary. The Definitions:This principle has two key terms that need to be clearly defined: Economic liberty — The freedom to secure and protect one’s labor, resources, and private property...

Note:This article is part of the ‘Principles Project,’ a list of principles, axioms, and beliefs that undergirda Christian view of economics, liberty, and virtue. Clickhereto read the introduction and other posts in this series. The Principle:#14G — To alleviate and eliminate poverty, we need to identify and measure it correctly. The Definitions: Consumption — The use of goods and services by households. Poverty — The condition of not having sufficient resources to meet basic needs including food, clothing, and shelter....

The recent victory of the conservative populist Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential elections brought the name of the philosopher Olavo de Carvalho to the center of Brazilian political debate. Many have since stated that Carvalho is an intellectual precursor to the populist candidate – as someone who was able to reshape the Brazilian political discussion in ways that cleared an intellectual path for Bolsonaro’s electoral victory. It is not a coincidence that when Bolsonaro gave his victory speech, Carvalho’s...

On his show yesterday, Rush Limbaugh discussed the famous bet between Julian Simon and Paul Ehrlich in 1980 over the question of whether or not the Earth had sufficient natural resources to sustain the growing global population. Erlich — a biologist from Stanford University — had gained some notoriety through his issuance of dire public warnings about the potential catastrophic consequences of continued human population growth, and had authored a book on the subject that was gaining a good deal...

“How can human society form and raise up virtuous people?” asks Barton Gingerich in this week’s Acton Commentary. As Gingerich notes, Russell Kirk explored this perennial question in a 1982 essay titled, “Virtue: Can It Be Taught?” Kirk defined virtues as “the qualities of full humanity: strength, courage, capacity, worth, manliness, moral excellence,” particularly qualities of “moral goodness: the practice of moral duties and the conformity of life to the moral law; uprightness; rectitude.” Despite modern attempts to supplant vigorous,...

In our Sunday-school retellings of the Tower of Babel, we are often fixated on themes of human pride and failure, shrugging off the aspirations of the builders as frivolous or far-fetched. In a recent series at The Green Room, Greg Forster frames things a bit differently, highlighting the story’s hidden lessons about human destiny and redemptive purpose in a fallen world. Far from being a story about the limitations of human power, Forster argues, Babel is a story about humanity’s...

In an article written for Public Discourse, Samuel Gregg. Acton’s director of research, reviews Julian Jackson’s recent book about General Charles de Gaulle. The book municates the idea that “de Gaulle’s conception of France as a nation had a very specific character.” “De Gaulle” is a historical biography, not mentary on present-day debates concerning globalization or nationalism. “It’s difficult, however, not to reflect on these matters when reading this book,” writes Gregg, “given the central place accorded by de Gaulle...