Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'philosophy'

November 21, 2012

Acton Commentary: Sacrifice and Self-Interest

In this week’s Acton Commentary, I take a look at the relationship between sacrifice and self-interest. One of the common complaints against market economies is that they foster selfishness. But as Paul Heyne points out, it is crucially important to distinguish between self-interest and selfishness: “Many of the most eminent and sophisticated theorists in the economics profession make no effort to distinguish between self-interest and selfishness or between rational behavior and greedy behavior.” Continue Reading...
November 09, 2012

ResearchLinks – 11.09.12

Article: “The Ethics of Digital Preservation” Peter Johan Lor and J.J. Britz. “An ethical perspective on political-economic issues in the long-term preservation of digital heritage.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 61, no. Continue Reading...
October 12, 2012

ResearchLinks – 10.12.12

Panel: “Why Morality-Free Economic Theory Doesn’t Work” “Why Morality-Free Economic Theory Does Not Work: A Natural Law Perspective in the Wake of the Recent Financial Crisis.” The recent worldwide financial crisis has revealed a serious flaw in current thinking about markets and morals. Continue Reading...
October 11, 2012

Monday: Calihan Scholarship Deadline

Don’t miss out on your chance to apply for a scholarship for the spring 2013 semester! If you or someone you know would like to be considered for a Calihan Academic Fellowship, the deadline to submit application materials is Monday, October 15. Continue Reading...
October 09, 2012

Video: Do You Have Free Will?

At the online Prager University, lecturer Frank Pastore asks: “Do you have the ability to shape your own destiny? Is there a difference between your mind and your brain? Or is free will just a convenient delusion? Continue Reading...
October 05, 2012

ResearchLinks – 10.05.12

Call for Papers: “Economics, Christianity & The Crisis: Towards a New Architectonic Critique” The 2008 credit crisis is not only a crisis in economics, but also a crisis in the basic concepts and assumptions that underlie our thinking about economics, economics as a science. Continue Reading...
September 21, 2012

ResearchLinks – 09.21.12

Book Note: “As If God Existed” Maurizio Viroli. As if God Existed: Religion and Liberty in the History of Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Religion and liberty are often thought to be mutual enemies: if religion has a natural ally, it is authoritarianism–not republicanism or democracy. Continue Reading...
August 30, 2012

Abel the Righteous Entrepreneur

Check out this video, which is interesting on a number of levels (HT: James R. Otteson): Hazony points to some really important ideas in this short video. In many ways the culture war, so to speak, really comes down to a clash of worldviews about what work is and ought to be. Continue Reading...
August 10, 2012

ResearchLinks – 08.10.12

Call for Papers: “Our Entrepreneurial Future: East, West, North, and South” The Association of Private Enterprise Education Annual Conference, Maui, Hawaii, April 14 – 16, 2013. “Our Entrepreneurial Future: East, West, North, and South.” Continue Reading...
July 20, 2012

ResearchLinks – 07.20.12

Review Essay: “Was Robert Bellarmine Ahead of His Time?” John M. Vella, Homiletic & Pastoral Review Despite his rehabilitation in the last quarter of the 19th century, Bellarmine’s intellectual legacy remains mixed. Continue Reading...