Elise Hilton

Communications Specialist at Acton Institute. M.A. in World Religions.

Posts by Elise Hilton

More on Cardinal Turkson: ‘A Vatican document to make Socrates proud’

John L. Allen, Jr., at the National Catholic Reporter, took note of the address recently given by Cardinal Peter Turkson, just as Acton did.  Allen’s blog post, which referenced Acton’s Samuel Gregg and his National Review Online piece,  noted that the Cardinal posed some very specific and probing questions for business people who wish to integrate their spiritual life and work life: Am I creating wealth, or am I engaging in rent-seeking behavior? Continue Reading...

‘I’m Rich and You’re Not. So There.’

Scientific American has announced that rich people aren’t nice.  In fact, they are less compassionate, more unfair and greedier than poor people. These allegations are based on the findings of two Berkeley psychologists, Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner. Continue Reading...

‘A Budget is Not Just About Numbers’

Back in 2011, then-Bishop Timothy Dolan pointed out that our nation’s budget is not simply a matter of numbers and balanced books.  “It reflects the very values of our nation. As many religious leaders have commented, budgets are moral statements.” Continue Reading...

‘The Transformative Power of Work’

Cardinal Peter K. Turkson, in a recent address to French businesspeople, spoke about integrating faith and work. In its exercise of business, therefore, humanity would become a ‘rock’ that sustains creation through the practice of love and justice. Continue Reading...

Consumers Acting Badly

I found this video on NPR’s ‘Planet Money’  intriguing.  A young woman reflects on the cost of her wedding dress, which she’s obviously worn once.  She recognizes that there is enormous emotional attachment to this garment, but there is something going on in terms of how much she spent; she just can’t quite put her finger on it.  Continue Reading...

“Monumental” Oversights?

Kirk Cameron, actor and Christian, is touting his newest production, the documentary Monumental. The aim of the film, according to its website, (http://www.monumentalmovie.com/) is to follow Cameron’s journey “as he seeks to discover America’s true ‘national treasure’ – the people, places, and principles that made America the freest, most prosperous and generous nation the world has ever known.” Continue Reading...

Call of the Entrepreneur Continues to Air on BIZ TV

Acton Institute would like to invite you to tune into BIZ TV for showings of The Call of the Entrepreneur, the first documentary released by ActonMedia. BIZ TV will be presenting the film today (July 29) at 5:00 pm EST, tomorrow (July 30) at 8:00 am EST, and Sunday, July 31 at 7:00 pm EST. Continue Reading...

Zero-Sum Game Economic Fallacy

Imagine this:  a teacher tells her high school students that they are going to enjoy a chocolate cake, while learning about food distribution and economics.  (As a former high school teacher, I assure you, most of the students heard nothing past the word, “cake”.) Continue Reading...