Religion & Liberty Online

Demographic decline: Ben Franklin’s two cents

November 28, 2018 • by Joshua Gregor

Demographic decline: Ben Franklin’s two cents

Not one of Benjamin Franklin’s better-known works, but one worth reading nonetheless, is a brief 1751 essay called Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, &c. Franklin covers a lot of ground in just a few pages, and brings up quite a few ideas worth commenting on, but I wanted to highlight one paragraph and its relevance for the “birth dearth” we see in the West today. Continue Reading...

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November 28, 2018

On #GivingTuesday, avoid benevolent harm

Now that the giving season is upon us we should ask, says Andrew Vanderput in this week’s Acton Commentary, “How can one’s charity actually undermine the causes or people they mean to champion?” Continue Reading...

November 28, 2018

Radio Free Acton: The legacy of C.S. Lewis; Marvel’s Daredevil

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, producer Caroline Roberts speaks with Michael Ward, a British Scholar and professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University, about the work of the 20th century writer C.S. Continue Reading...

November 27, 2018

French protesters demand: ‘Death to taxes’

As satiated Americans gathered around their Thanksgiving tables to count their blessings, incensed protesters gathered in roadways and intersections across France to count the cost of Emmanuel Macron’s punishing gas taxes. Continue Reading...

November 27, 2018

Jaime Balmes: Seven lessons and three pieces of advice for today’s politicians

The following article is written by Ignacio Ibáñez of Red Floridablanca and translated by Joshua Gregor. On behalf of Red Floridablanca, I would like to thank the Acton Institute for translating and publishing this series of articles, which I had the honor to coordinate, to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the death of Father Jaime Balmes (Vic, Spain, 1810-1848). Continue Reading...

November 27, 2018

What you should know about cyclical unemployment

Note: This is post #102 in a weekly video series on basic economics. Cyclical unemployment is a type of unemployment that is connected to the regular ups and downs—the cyclical trends in growth and recession—that occur within the business cycle. Continue Reading...

November 26, 2018

On #GivingTuesday, avoid benevolent harm

Everyone is familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now in its seventh year, #GivingTuesday has also become a permanent and popular fixture in the post-Thanksgiving landscape. #GivingTuesday occurs on the Tuesday immediately after Thanksgiving. Continue Reading...

November 26, 2018

Can private charity replace the social safety net?

After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday. The Tuesday following Thanksgiving has become the unofficial launch of the charitable season, when many people around the globe focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Continue Reading...

November 23, 2018

Why gratitude is the key to happiness

The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. Continue Reading...

November 23, 2018

When Black Friday rolls around: A pastor’s perspective

There are several of verses that put me in a critical mood when it comes to Black Friday and, to a lesser extent, Cyber Monday: Exodus 20:17, Luke 12:15, Psalm 37:21, and Proverbs 22:7, to name a few. Continue Reading...

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Religion & Liberty Online

connecting good intentions with sound economics

Demographic decline: Ben Franklin’s two cents

Demographic decline: Ben Franklin’s two cents

Latest Posts

On #GivingTuesday, avoid benevolent harm

Radio Free Acton: The legacy of C.S. Lewis; Marvel’s Daredevil

French protesters demand: ‘Death to taxes’

Jaime Balmes: Seven lessons and three pieces of advice for today’s politicians

What you should know about cyclical unemployment

On #GivingTuesday, avoid benevolent harm

Can private charity replace the social safety net?

Why gratitude is the key to happiness

When Black Friday rolls around: A pastor’s perspective

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