Pursuit of a neo-Malthusian vision eventually turns into worship of Molech, says Jordan Ballor in this week’s Acton Commentary. The latest Marvel blockbuster,Avengers: Infinity War, has opened to popular acclaim and record-breaking box office numbers. It is truly a spectacle, and one that expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into uncharted territory. But amid the special effects and the glamor, the plot that drives the action is an old one, and no pelling because of its antiquity. Thanos, the Mad Titan,...

In plex and globalized economy, it can be hard to remember that trade and markets are fundamentally about relationships—channels for human interaction in pursuit of goods and services. That basic reality may be easier to seeand feelat the local farmer’s market or the neighborhood diner, but it nonetheless translates across more intricate and extensive networks of exchange. Likewise, when es to what occurswithinandthroughoutthose trading relationships, it isn’t just a petty transfer of material stuff—and that’s true from the bottom to...

What are the details of the royal wedding, and where can I watch? The royal wedding of Prince Harry, 33, to actress Meghan Markle, 36, will take place inside St. George’s Chapel, Westminster, on Saturday, May 19 at 12 noon London time (7 a.m. Eastern, 4 a.m. Pacific). You can watch it online in numerous locations, including via BBC America’s livestream. How does this wedding break from tradition? Meghan Markle is the first biracial person to marry into the Royal...

This Friday, May 25, Irish voters will decide in a national referendum whether to repeal Article 8 of the Constitution, which “acknowledges” the rights of all living human beings in Ireland, including unborn children, and encourages lawmakers to enact “laws to defend and vindicate that right.” The new language would allow the right to abortion (or, in the proposed wording, “termination of pregnancies”). What does it mean if the Republic of Ireland repeals a constitutional provision that does not claim...

There’s ascene in the The Officein which Oscar, an accountant, attempts to explain a budget surplus to his boss, Michael Scott. “Why don’t you explain this to me like I’m an 8-year-old,” Michael says. When Oscar explains it in a simpler manner, his boss remains perplexed. “Why don’t you explain this to me like I’m 5,” Michael says. The world, like accounting, can plicated. Sometimes it helps to have concepts or ideasexplained to us like we’re a child—not because we’re...

Violations of religious liberty, including physical assaults against church buildings, increased in 2017, according to a report from a watchdog based in Spain. Socialists perpetrated many of these attacks – which ranged from vandalism to attempted fire-bombings with Molotov cocktails – to protest both the Roman Catholic Church’s stance on social issues and its impact on economics. These assaults also include attempts to have the government seize church property. At the Acton Institute’sReligion & Liberty Transatlanticwebsite,Spanish writer Ángel Manuel García...

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, host Caroline Roberts speaks with Rev. Ben Johnson, senior editor at Acton, about his article in the latest issue ofReligion & Libertyon the problem of child marriage. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker and film critic Titus Techera discuss the impact and legacy of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” 50 years on. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Read “To end child marriage, change the economic...

When historians and economists look back at our era (starting around the time of the “Great Recession” in 2007) they’ll be hard-pressed to understand why so much of the policy debates centered around an issue of relatively minor importance that has existed since the beginning of humanity: e equality. The standard that really matters—and yet is relatively ignored—is consumption. In economics, consumption is the use of goods and services by households. Ensuring people have an e sufficient to meet their...

Note: This is post #79 in a weekly video series on basic economics. Why are some countries rich and others poor? There are various factors that interact in a dynamic and changing environment. And the final answer to the puzzle differs depending on the perspective you’re looking from, says Alex Tabarrok of Marginal Revolution University. In this video, Tabarrok examines different pieces of the wealth puzzle to show how they fit together. (If you find the pace of the videos...

Earlier today, the Vatican releasedOeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones,a statement on “ethical discernment regarding some aspects of the present economic-financial system.” The document outlinessound general principles, says Acton research director Samuel Gregg, but also reflects the Church’s present struggle prehend modern finance: Over the past decade, various Vatican offices have producedseveraldocumentsaddressing the vexed topic of finance and banking. Given the turmoil and scandals characterizing the world’s financial sectors over the past two decades, such interventions are to be expected, even ed....