Forecasts of an impending “robot apocalypse” have haunted intellectuals and caused some entrepreneurs to demand a universal basic e. But what if there’s something intrinsic to the human person that cannot be automated into oblivion? At theReligion & Liberty Transatlanticwebsite, Josh Herring reviews Jay W. Richards’ new book –The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines– which makes precisely this contention. Richards, the executive editor ofThe Stream, also discussed thistopic at Acton University. Herring...

During her packed June 20 lecture at Acton University, Anne Rathbone Bradley wrestled with plicated topic of crony capitalism. The audience was hushed as she laid out why this economic disease destroys the long-term incentive panies and governments to exercise good-stewardship. Her lecture sparked a lively debate about economic intervention and crony capitalism’s implications on regulatory policy. Bradley began her talk by rejecting the phrase because she asserted “cronyism” is really a distortion of capitalism; in many ways, cronyism is...

Freedom of the press is a ponent to a virtuous, flourishing society, as Pope Francis affirmed on June 20 when he called for greater liberty for the press. The e six months into the detention of two Reuters reporters by the Myanmar government. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslims by the military and Buddhist civilians in September of last year. They were invited to meet with a police officer, given some documents, and...

Last week the Supreme Court ruled in the case ofJanus v. AFSCMEthat government employees who are represented by a public sector union to which they do not belong cannot be required to pay a fee to cover the costs of collective bargaining. The ruling overturned a forty-year-old precedent first set inAbood v. Detroit Board of Educationthat allows government agencies to mandate union dues or agency fees as a condition of employment. Catholic social teaching has a lot to say about...

If you want to make a positive change in the world, what problems should you try to help solve? While that may seem like an easy question to answer. But a lot of what we think is having an impact does nothing to help—or can even be counterproductive. The nonprofit 80,000 Hours developed 3 questions you can use pare different global problems in terms of potential for impact. (Via: Marginal Revolution) ...

July 4, 2018will be America’s 242nd Independence Day, the day Americans celebrate our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Here are five facts you should know about America’s founding document and the day set aside for memoration. 1. July 4, 1776 is the day that wecelebrate Independence Dayeven though it wasn’t the day the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776), the day we started the American Revolution (that had happened back in April...

Economists’ appreciation for the School of Salamanca, andthe contribution that it made to their discipline, has grown in recent years. An economics professor has just released a podcast encapsulating the teachings of its best-known figure, the Jesuit theologian Juan de Mariana – and it takes just eight minutes of your time. Lucas M. Engelhardt, an associate professor of economics at Kent State University’s Stark Campus, discusses the Spanish thinker’s distinction between rulers and tyrants, the immorality of inflation, and the...

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. It is possible to sympathize with the protagonist, even as Rev. Ernst Toller’s desperation spirals deeper into darkness. The plot revolves around the recurring question: Can God forgive us? That is, can God forgive us for our myriad sins of omission mission?...

In post-9/11 America, the Islamic faith appears to many to be patible with freedom. What we know of the Muslim world consists largely of oppressive terrorist groups ruling their own fiefdoms with an iron grip, stifling the free market and political liberty. However, in his Acton University lecture, entitled “Islam, Markets, and the Free Society,” Mustafa Akyol argued that this is not the whole story. During his talk, he took a deep dive into the history of the Islamic world,...

Earlier this month, Pope Francis addressed a roomful of top oil executives panies such as BP and Norwegian Oil, imploring them to solve the energy deficit in developing nations, while issuing a challenge to keep that energy clean and renewable. “Our desire to ensure energy for all must not lead to the undesired effect of a spiral of extreme climate changes due to a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, harsher environments and increased levels of poverty,” Francis said. As Francis...