Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'natural law'

April 29, 2026

The Millennia-Long History of American Liberty

One of the first hurdles in designing a course is assigning readings. Digital databases, book scanning, and ebooks have empowered teachers to assemble any combination of chapters, journals, and primary sources, but having so many choices can be as paralyzing as it is liberating. Continue Reading...
March 25, 2026

Harvey Mansfield’s Rational Control

It’s difficult to avoid terms such as “legendary” and “distinguished” when referring to Harvey Mansfield’s long career at Harvard University. Of course, his reputation is based on more than his famous resistance to grade inflation or his barbed criticisms of Harvard. Continue Reading...
February 06, 2026

John Locke on the “Iron Laws of the World”

On January 5 in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff to president Donald Trump, defended the administration’s alarming embrace of military intervention in Venezuela and imperialistic aspirations more broadly on the global stage: The United States of America is running Venezuela. Continue Reading...
August 27, 2025

How Robert George Applies Natural Law to Public Policy

“Contrary to what many influential voices in our culture, politics, and even our institutions of higher education would have you believe, the truth about even the most controversial matters can be objectively known, and cannot be altered by one’s subjective feelings or ‘lived experiences.’” Continue Reading...
July 03, 2024

Liberty: An Ideal Rooted in Our Very Humanity

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The idea of equality lies at the very foundation of the American republic. Building our social lives, channeling our economic pursuits, and establishing our political institutions on the principles enunciated in our Declaration of Independence unleashed the entrepreneurial potential of our people that created prosperity for the greatest number. Continue Reading...
August 12, 2022

The Sandman is a lesson in natural law

On August 5, The Sandman dropped on Netflix. For Neil Gaiman’s existing fanbase, this show was the fulfillment of decades of longing to see a beloved story brought to life. Rumors have circulated over the years that Gaiman’s 75-issue comic series (variously collected in 10 graphic novels and the three-volume Absolute Sandman) would come to the screen, but such projects never materialized. Continue Reading...
April 27, 2022

John Calvin and God’s civil government

John Calvin (1509–1564) was a towering figure of the Protestant Reformation. The author of the magisterial Institutes of the Christian Religion, published in numerous editions between 1536 and 1559, Calvin was a second-generation Reformer. Continue Reading...