Acton Line
584 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 201 ratingsDedicated to the promotion of a free and virtuous society, Acton Line brings together writers, economists, religious leaders, and more to bridge the gap between good intentions and sound economics.
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Episodes
Daniel Darling on using social media for good
September 02, 2020 13:42 - 46 minutesOn February 4th, 2004, a sophomore at Harvard University by the name of Mark Zuckerberg launched TheFacebook. At the time, the social networking website was limited to only students at Harvard. And while other social networking platforms like MySpace and Friendster predated the launch of Facebook, it was that February day in Cambridge, Massachusetts that the age of social media was truly born. Today, Facebook boasts 2.5 billion active users, is available in 111 languages, and is the 4th most ...
Using social media for good with Daniel Darling
September 02, 2020 13:42 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBOn February 4th, 2004, a sophomore at Harvard University by the name of Mark Zuckerberg launched TheFacebook. At the time, the social networking website was limited to only students at Harvard. And while other social networking platforms like MySpace and Friendster predated the launch of Facebook, it was that February day in Cambridge, Massachusetts that the age of social media was truly born. Today, Facebook boasts 2.5 billion active users, is available in 111 languages, and is the 4th mos...
COVID-19 pandemic economics with Dr. David Hebert
August 26, 2020 20:14 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBThe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has brought with it enormous costs. These include, first and foremost, an enormous cost in the terms of human life, with more than 178,000 deaths from the coronavirus in the United States alone, and at least 814,000 deaths worldwide, as of late August 2020. But also, with the pandemic have come significant economic costs, fiscal costs, and personal costs to our happiness and quality of life. Why is living under quarantine so hard for people? ...
Dr. David Hebert on COVID-19 pandemic economics
August 26, 2020 20:14 - 56 minutesThe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has brought with it enormous costs. These include, first and foremost, an enormous cost in the terms of human life, with more than 178,000 deaths from the coronavirus in the United States alone, and at least 814,000 deaths worldwide, as of late August 2020. But also, with the pandemic have come significant economic costs, fiscal costs, and personal costs to our happiness and quality of life. Why is living under quarantine so hard for people? In...
Kevin Williamson on socialism as religion
August 19, 2020 13:18 - 35 minutesFrom accusations of embracing socialism leveled at the Obama administration by the Tea Party movement to the rise of self-proclaimed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders as the second highest vote-getter in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party primaries, socialism has been an emerging movement and topic of conversation in the American body politic. While polling data suggests that socialism is generally still viewed far less favorably than capitalism or free markets overall, the younger Millenni...
Socialism as religion with Kevin Williamson
August 19, 2020 13:18 - 35 minutes - 64.5 MBFrom accusations of embracing socialism leveled at the Obama administration by the Tea Party movement to the rise of self-proclaimed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders as the second highest vote-getter in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party primaries, socialism has been an emerging movement and topic of conversation in the American body politic. While polling data suggests that socialism is generally still viewed far less favorably than capitalism or free markets overall, the younger Millen...
Rise of the national conservatives with Matthew Continetti
August 12, 2020 18:06 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBThe conservative movement in America has always been evolving. From the old right of the progressive era to the conservative intellectual movement identified with William F. Buckley Jr. and National Review to the Reagan revolution to today, the political right in America has changed with the challenges it has faced and with the context of the times in which it has existed. The current iteration of the conservative movement is today more nationalist, more populist and more skeptical, if not ...
Matthew Continetti on the rise of the national conservatives
August 12, 2020 18:06 - 45 minutesThe conservative movement in America has always been evolving. From the old right of the progressive era to the conservative intellectual movement identified with William F. Buckley Jr. and National Review to the Reagan revolution to today, the political right in America has changed with the challenges it has faced and with the context of the times in which it has existed. The current iteration of the conservative movement is today more nationalist, more populist and more skeptical, if not op...
Phil Magness on critiquing the 1619 Project
August 05, 2020 16:24 - 47 minutesSince debuting in the New York Times Magazine on August 14, 2019, the 1619 Project has ignited a debate about American history, the founding of the country and the legacy emanating from the nation’s history with chattel slavery. The project’s creator and editor, Nikole Hannah-Jones, has described the project as seeking to place “the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” Components of a related school curriculum have bee...
Critiquing the 1619 Project with Phil Magness
August 05, 2020 16:24 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBSince debuting in the New York Times Magazine on August 14, 2019, the 1619 Project has ignited a debate about American history, the founding of the country and the legacy emanating from the nation’s history with chattel slavery. The project’s creator and editor, Nikole Hannah-Jones, has described the project as seeking to place “the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” Components of a related school curriculum have b...
Jordan Ballor on Richard Baxter & 'How to Do Good to Many'
July 29, 2020 15:44 - 36 minutesRichard Baxter, the English Puritan churchman and theologian, was perhaps one of most prolific English language author in the seventeenth century. His writings were wide ranging from doctrinal theology to devotional classics. And his practical theology was a model of German sociologist Max Weber’s understanding of the protestant work ethic. Baxter’s worldly aestheticism was focused on service to others across sectarian divides. His book, How to Do Good to Many: The Public Good is the Christia...
Richard Baxter and How to Do Good to Many
July 29, 2020 15:44 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBRichard Baxter, the English Puritan churchman and theologian, was perhaps one of most prolific English language author in the seventeenth century. His writings were wide ranging from doctrinal theology to devotional classics. And his practical theology was a model of German sociologist Max Weber’s understanding of the protestant work ethic. Baxter’s worldly aestheticism was focused on service to others across sectarian divides. His book, How to Do Good to Many: The Public Good is the Christ...
The intersection of faith and economics with Russ Roberts
July 22, 2020 17:02 - 45 minutes - 62.5 MBSince 2006, economist Russ Roberts – the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution – has hosted the podcast EconTalk, a weekly deep conversation with economists and thinkers from other disciplines on ideas related both directly and indirectly to economics and the economic way of thinking. Economics is a powerful analytic tool which can empower us to choose more wisely as both individuals and groups. Such tools, however, should not be confused as either ends in themsel...
Russ Roberts on the intersection of faith and economics
July 22, 2020 17:02 - 45 minutesSince 2006, economist Russ Roberts – the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution – has hosted the podcast EconTalk, a weekly deep conversation with economists and thinkers from other disciplines on ideas related both directly and indirectly to economics and the economic way of thinking. Economics is a powerful analytic tool which can empower us to choose more wisely as both individuals and groups. Such tools, however, should not be confused as either ends in themselve...
Religious liberty at the Supreme Court
July 15, 2020 18:41 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBThe latest term of the Supreme Court, which wrapped up on July 8th, saw the Court decide several cases with major implications for religious liberty. While the outcomes of Espinoza v. Montana, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania have been largely viewed as victories for advocates of expanding religious liberty in America, the court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and holding that an employer ...
David French on religious liberty at the Supreme Court
July 15, 2020 18:41 - 55 minutesThe latest term of the Supreme Court, which wrapped up on July 8th, saw the Court decide several cases with major implications for religious liberty. While the outcomes of Espinoza v. Montana, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania have been largely viewed as victories for advocates of expanding religious liberty in America, the court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and holding that an employer w...
Rebroadcast: Ryan Anderson on a primer on religious liberty
July 08, 2020 19:40 - 26 minutesThis week we’re rebroadcasting a conversation about religious liberty with Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, that was first released on the podcast in April of 2015. In the intervening five years since we first aired this episode, much has changed in our conversations on religious liberty – but much is still the same. While the focus is no longer on Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act as it was in 2015, religious liberty is front...
Rebroadcast: A primer on religious liberty
July 08, 2020 19:40 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBThis week we’re rebroadcasting a conversation about religious liberty with Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, that was first released on the podcast in April of 2015. In the intervening five years since we first aired this episode, much has changed in our conversations on religious liberty – but much is still the same. While the focus is no longer on Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act as it was in 2015, religious liberty is fro...
Are we in a revolutionary moment?
July 01, 2020 21:01 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBSince late May, many parts of the United States have grappled with unrest. Anger over George Floyd's death sparked protests, with looting and violent riots breaking out as well. Protesters have also been defacing and tearing down statues across the country, including statues of confederate leaders as well as monuments to George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and even abolitionists. The Capitol Hill autonomous zone (CHAZ), also dubbed the Capitol Hill organized protest (CHOP), was a six block a...
Dr. Samuel Gregg on Are we in a revolutionary moment?
July 01, 2020 21:01 - 34 minutesSince late May, many parts of the United States have grappled with unrest. Anger over George Floyd's death sparked protests, with looting and violent riots breaking out as well. Protesters have also been defacing and tearing down statues across the country, including statues of confederate leaders as well as monuments to George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and even abolitionists. The Capitol Hill autonomous zone (CHAZ), also dubbed the Capitol Hill organized protest (CHOP), was a six block a...
Jimmy Lai on his fight against Chinese oppression
June 24, 2020 19:57 - 40 minutesAt the age of 13, Jimmy Lai escaped China to experience freedom in Hong Kong and grew to be one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile media moguls. Through his work, Lai founded the anti-Beijing newspaper Apple Daily and became an outspoken critic of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying him as one of Hong Kong’s most important pro-democracy voices. In this exclusive interview, Acton’s President and Co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico speaks with Lai about his entrepreneurial work and his bravery in...
The story of Jimmy Lai's fight against Chinese oppression
June 24, 2020 19:57 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBAt the age of 13, Jimmy Lai escaped China to experience freedom in Hong Kong and grew to be one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile media moguls. Through his work, Lai founded the anti-Beijing newspaper Apple Daily and became an outspoken critic of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying him as one of Hong Kong’s most important pro-democracy voices. In this exclusive interview, Acton’s President and Co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico speaks with Lai about his entrepreneurial work and his bravery in...
How China is destroying Hong Kong's freedom
June 17, 2020 19:49 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MBWhen Hong Kong was released from British rule and handed over to China in 1997, the United Kingdom and Beijing struck a deal that guaranteed the freedom of Hong Kong's citizens; the territory was to remain free from mainland China's authority for fifty years. This arrangement is often referred to as "one country, two systems." Hong Kong established its own governmental and economic systems and flourished, growing into one of the most prosperous regions in the world and becoming a hub of inter...
Helen Raleigh on how China is destroying Hong Kong's freedom
June 17, 2020 19:49 - 34 minutesWhen Hong Kong was released from British rule and handed over to China in 1997, the United Kingdom and Beijing struck a deal that guaranteed the freedom of Hong Kong's citizens; the territory was to remain free from mainland China's authority for fifty years. This arrangement is often referred to as "one country, two systems." Hong Kong established its own governmental and economic systems and flourished, growing into one of the most prosperous regions in the world and becoming a hub of inter...
Ryan Patrick Hanley on François Fénelon, the forgotten philosopher
June 10, 2020 22:10 - 45 minutesIn 18th century France, the most-read book after the Bible was a work on political philosophy written by the Roman Catholic archbishop François Fénelon. Unfortunately, Fénelon's writings on economics, politics, and theology have largely been forgotten as only a fraction of his work has been translated into English. Fénelon was an important voice in France; during the enlightenment, he fought for the reform of France's political and economic institutions. His works are a critical resource for ...
An introduction to François Fénelon, the forgotten philosopher
June 10, 2020 22:10 - 45 minutes - 42 MBIn 18th century France, the most-read book after the Bible was a work on political philosophy written by the Roman Catholic archbishop François Fénelon. Unfortunately, Fénelon's writings on economics, politics, and theology have largely been forgotten as only a fraction of his work has been translated into English. Fénelon was an important voice in France; during the enlightenment, he fought for the reform of France's political and economic institutions. His works are a critical resource for ...
Anthony Bradley on George Floyd, police reform, and riots
June 03, 2020 21:14 - 46 minutesThe tragic and disturbing footage of George Floyd's unjust death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has been circulating for over a week. Floyd's death on May 25 has sparked protests across the country and even the world, but it's also sparked many violent riots in which people have been brutally killed and communities decimated. How can we helpfully approach policing reform and how should we respond to the current widespread rioting? Anthony Bradley, professor of religion, theology ...
Is it time for a universal basic income?
May 27, 2020 20:22 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBFor over two years, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang campaigned across the country, building a coalition along the political spectrum. The main promise driving Yang's campaign was his "freedom dividend," a guaranteed income of $1,000 per month for every American citizen. This "dividend" is a form of universal basic income, an idea that's been around for centuries and one that's gaining popularity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who support versions of univ...
Rev. Ben Johnson on the universal basic income
May 27, 2020 20:22 - 29 minutesFor over two years, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang campaigned across the country, building a coalition along the political spectrum. The main promise driving Yang's campaign was his "freedom dividend," a guaranteed income of $1,000 per month for every American citizen. This "dividend" is a form of universal basic income, an idea that's been around for centuries and one that's gaining popularity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who support versions of univ...
Lyman Stone on the decline of religiosity in the US
May 20, 2020 15:13 - 38 minutesReligion plays, and has always played, a crucial role in American life. In the past 75 years, however, religiosity has been in rapid decline. What's causing the decline? In a new study from the American Enterprise Institute, demographer Lyman Stone helps answer. Lyman joins this episode to uncover his findings, including the history of religious life in the United States dating back four hundred years ago and how secular education is likely playing a large role in declining religiosity. Hoste...
Lyman Stone on the decline of religiosity in the United States
May 20, 2020 15:13 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBReligion plays, and has always played, a crucial role in American life. In the past 75 years, however, religiosity has been in rapid decline. What's causing the decline? In a new study from the American Enterprise Institute, demographer Lyman Stone helps answer. Lyman joins this episode to uncover his findings, including the history of religious life in the United States dating back four hundred years ago and how secular education is likely playing a large role in declining religiosity. See...
What is Christian humanism? A conversation with Bradley J. Birzer
May 13, 2020 21:46 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBBradley J. Birzer, professor of history and the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, joins this episode of Acton Line to speak about his newest book, "Beyond Tenebrae: Christian Humanism in the Twilight of the West." What is Christian humanism and what role does it play in the Republic of Letters? What does it mean to live as a Christian humanist? Birzer helps lay down some of the foundational ideas in his book and explains the role Christian humanism has played t...
Bradley J. Birzer on Christian humanism
May 13, 2020 21:46 - 43 minutesBradley J. Birzer, professor of history and the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, joins this episode of Acton Line to speak about his newest book, "Beyond Tenebrae: Christian Humanism in the Twilight of the West." What is Christian humanism and what role does it play in the Republic of Letters? What does it mean to live as a Christian humanist? Birzer helps lay down some of the foundational ideas in his book and explains the role Christian humanism has played t...
Rev. Robert Sirico on the church's response to COVID-19
May 06, 2020 18:30 - 25 minutesAs the United States continues to wrestle with the fallout of COVID-19, many people are falling back on their faith and the church for peace. Many churches have decided to hold services online, and local governments have also stepped in and put parameters around church attendance to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Some actions taken by local governments have been appropriate, but some others leave us wondering if the government has overstepped. How can we tell the difference between me...
Stephen Barrows on COVID-19 and job loss
April 29, 2020 20:53 - 27 minutesThe United States has been in a state of emergency since mid-March as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to slow the spread of the virus, states have implemented various measures, including shelter-in-place orders, forcing millions of Americans to stay at home. Millions of individuals have now been furloughed or laid off permanently, and many are struggling to put food on the table. The economy cannot remain closed indefinitely. How do we begin facing the tough questions evoked by th...
COVID-19 and job loss: Where do we go from here?
April 29, 2020 20:53 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBThe United States has been in a state of emergency since mid-March as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to slow the spread of the virus, states have implemented various measures, including shelter-in-place orders, forcing millions of Americans to stay at home. Millions of individuals have now been furloughed or laid off permanently, and many are struggling to put food on the table. The economy cannot remain closed indefinitely. How do we begin facing the tough questions evoked by th...
Kerry McDonald on a Harvard prof's call to ban homeschooling
April 22, 2020 18:34 - 30 minutesHomeschooling is growing in popularity. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education has shown that it's grown at a rate of over 60% in the last decade, as many families are deciding that educating their children at home is better than sending them to public or private schools. But Harvard University has a different opinion. In Harvard Magazine's May/June 2020 issue, one Harvard Law School professor calls for a ban on homeschooling, saying it may keep children from "contributing positively to a ...
Responding to a Harvard prof's call to ban homeschooling
April 22, 2020 18:34 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBHomeschooling is growing in popularity. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education has shown that it's grown at a rate of over 60% in the last decade, as many families are deciding that educating their children at home is better than sending them to public or private schools. But Harvard University has a different opinion. In Harvard Magazine's May/June 2020 issue, one Harvard Law School professor calls for a ban on homeschooling, saying it may keep children from "contributing positively to a ...
Randy Barnett and David French on 'common-good Constitutionalism'
April 17, 2020 13:27 - 1 hourOn March 31, The Atlantic published an article titled "Beyond Originalism," written by Adrian Vermeule, professor of Constitutional law at Harvard Law School. In this piece, Vermeule argues that "the dominant conservative philosophy for interpreting the constitution has served its purpose and scholars ought to develop a more moral framework." Originalist interpretations of the Constitution simply no longer serve the common good, Vermeule says. What does he mean by this, and is he correct? In ...
Rebroadcast: Russell Kirk and the genesis of American Conservatism
April 08, 2020 17:53 - 25 minutesRussell Kirk has long been known as perhaps the most important founding father of the American Conservative movement in the second half of the 20th century. In the early 1950s, America was emerging from the Great Depression and the New Deal, and was facing the rise of radical ideologies abroad; the American Right seemed beaten, broken, and adrift. Then in 1953, Russell Kirk released his masterpiece, "The Conservative Mind." More than any other published work of the time, this book became the ...
How to talk about rights in our polarized age
April 01, 2020 17:03 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBToday, our most contentious controversies are about morality. We disagree about questions of efficiency and democracy, but across political aisles, we also disagree about what's right to do and who we're becoming as a people. How can we have productive debates with people whose worldviews are very different from ours? Adam MacLeod, professor of law at Faulkner University, addresses this question in his new book titled "The Age of Selfies: Reasoning About Rights When the Stakes Are Personal." ...
Adam MacLeod on how to talk about rights in our polarized age
April 01, 2020 17:03 - 33 minutesToday, our most contentious controversies are about morality. We disagree about questions of efficiency and democracy, but across political aisles, we also disagree about what's right to do and who we're becoming as a people. How can we have productive debates with people whose worldviews are very different from ours? Adam MacLeod, professor of law at Faulkner University, addresses this question in his new book titled "The Age of Selfies: Reasoning About Rights When the Stakes Are Personal." ...
A hopeful message in a time of crisis from Rev. Robert Sirico
March 25, 2020 19:54 - 18 minutesIn this episode, Acton's President and Co-Founder, Rev. Robert Sirico, offers some thoughts on what the role of the government should be during a crisis. When we're confronted with unique crises, especially like the Coronavirus pandemic the world is facing now, there are justified government interventions. We can't discount, however, the principle of subsidiarity as well as the division of labor and voluntary action. How can we wisely approach these principles in the reality of our current co...
How Communist China's virus coverup caused a pandemic
March 18, 2020 15:40 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBAs of March 18, 2020 Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, has infected over 200,000 people worldwide, and has killed more than 8,000 people globally. What responsive measures should have been taken by China that weren't? How did the People's Republic of China put the world in danger by failing the people of Wuhan, and who in China risked their lives and even the lives of their family members to raise the alarm for your sake? Helen Raleigh, a senior contributor at The Fe...
Helen Raleigh on how Communist China's coverup caused a pandemic
March 18, 2020 15:40 - 30 minutesAs of March 18, 2020 Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, has infected over 200,000 people worldwide, and has killed more than 8,000 people globally. What responsive measures should have been taken by China that weren't? How did the People's Republic of China put the world in danger by failing the people of Wuhan, and who in China risked their lives and even the lives of their family members to raise the alarm for your sake? Helen Raleigh, a senior contributor at The Fe...
Rebroadcast: Samuel Gregg on the life and impact of Michael Novak
March 11, 2020 16:04 - 33 minutesIt’s now been three years since Michael Novak passed away. Novak was Roman Catholic theologian, philosopher and author, and was a powerful defender of human liberty. In this episode, Acton's Samuel Gregg shares Novak’s history, starting with his time on the left in the 1960s and 70s and recounting his gradual shift toward conservative thought that culminated in the publication of his 1982 masterwork, "The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism." In this book, Novak grounded a defense for a free mark...
The biggest problems of national conservatism
March 05, 2020 17:59 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBIn recent years, a rift has opened within American conservatism, a series of divisions animated in part by the 2016 presidential election and also by a right concern with an increasingly progressive culture. Among these divisions is a growing split between self-professing liberal and illiberal conservatives as some on the right scramble to give explanation for a culture which has become hostile to civil society and traditional institutions, most notably the family. One movement which has grow...
Stephanie Slade on the biggest problems of national conservatism
March 05, 2020 17:59 - 29 minutesIn recent years, a rift has opened within American conservatism, a series of divisions animated in part by the 2016 presidential election and also by a right concern with an increasingly progressive culture. Among these divisions is a growing split between self-professing liberal and illiberal conservatives as some on the right scramble to give explanation for a culture which has become hostile to civil society and traditional institutions, most notably the family. One movement which has grow...
John D. Wilsey on Who was John Foster Dulles?
February 26, 2020 21:15 - 46 minutesIf you've traveled to Washington, D.C. before, it's likely that you've flown through Washington Dulles International Airport, named after President Eisenhower's Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. In fact, over 60,000 people travel through Dulles airport every day, but not many people know much about its namesake. John Foster Dulles served in the early years of the Cold War and pursued a vigorous foreign policy meant to isolate and undermine international and expansionist Communism. Under...
The man vs. the myth: who was John Foster Dulles?
February 26, 2020 21:15 - 46 minutes - 64.5 MBIf you've traveled to Washington, D.C. before, it's likely that you've flown through Washington Dulles International Airport, named after President Eisenhower's Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. In fact, over 60,000 people travel through Dulles airport every day, but not many people know much about its namesake. John Foster Dulles served in the early years of the Cold War and pursued a vigorous foreign policy meant to isolate and undermine international and expansionist Communism. Under...