Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Economics

July 25, 2018

The folly of ‘following your passion’

If you’re a young person in America, you’ve undoubtedly been bombarded by calls to “follow your passion,” “pursue your dreams,” or “do what you love and love what you do.” But do these sugary mantras truly represent the path to vocational clarity, economic abundance, personal fulfillment, and human flourishing? Continue Reading...
July 11, 2018

Chafuen celebrates Catalan critic of socialism

Jaime Balmes was a young Catalan priest who died 170 years ago and is largely forgotten today. But Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, believes that Balmes deserves more attention for his economic ideas and his critiques of socialism.  Continue Reading...
July 11, 2018

Corporations: moral, immoral, or amoral?

Is the free market moral? To hear its opponents describe it, the free market is an unethical system that exploits workers, consumers and the environment to make a quick buck. To critics such as Marx, capitalism leaves “no other bond between man and man than naked self-interest,” replacing human connections with cost-benefit analyses and supply-and-demand charts. Continue Reading...
July 10, 2018

Deregulation: When to wash a pig

You could be prosecuted on the federal level if you “make any incision” on hog carcasses before all “hair, scurf and dirt, including all hoofs and claws, (is) removed from hog carcasses and the carcasses thoroughly washed and cleaned.” Continue Reading...
July 06, 2018

People v. money: The flaws of Democratic Socialism

“This race is about people versus money,” said 28-year-old Democratic Socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who last Tuesday usurped the nomination from high-ranking House Democrat, John Crowley. Her viral campaign video also accused the reigning King of Queens of not breathing the same air or drinking the same water as his constituents. Continue Reading...
July 03, 2018

Acton University: Why Fair Trade isn’t fair

Imagine: You are in the grocery store, searching for the perfect bag of coffee- not too expensive, but still rich in flavor and good quality. As you are turning away with the coffee you have just chosen, there on the shelf is a bag of coffee with the Fair Trade logo. Continue Reading...
July 03, 2018

First Reformed: The toxic mess of syncretism

There’s a lot to process in Paul Schrader’s latest film, “First Reformed.” The first half of the film sets up as a powerful, even brilliant, study of spiritual desolation and the cross-currents of modern idolatry and traditional religion. Continue Reading...