Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'evil'

January 17, 2024

Inhumane Letters and the Joy of Violence

Babel: Or The Necessity of Violence, An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators Revolution is a pernicious novel showcasing the ability of literature to make evil appear good. Evaluating Babel requires considering the purpose of literature; how can a novel be technically excellent, yet fail to achieve literature’s high calling? Continue Reading...
March 04, 2022

Natural law is human law

Perhaps the most confusing aspect of natural law is the phrase itself: “natural law.” For many people, the word “natural” implies human biology or the physical environment. For others, it means “instinct.” Continue Reading...
September 08, 2014

The Dangers of Sentimental Humanitarianism

Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, recently wrote about ‘Our Sentimental Humanitarian Age’ at the American Spectator. He argues that “soft liberalism is incapable of confronting the evil in man.” Sometimes, however, an event occurs that highlights the more fundamental crises that bedevil a civilization. Continue Reading...
June 24, 2011

The Diabolic Comedy

Jeffery C. Pugh has landed every blogger’s dream: the book deal for a best-of collection of his musings. Devil’s Ink: Blog from the Basement Office is an answer to the question “What if Satan kept a blog?”—one Continue Reading...
November 17, 2008

Trees, Evil, and Negative Externalities

It is a commonplace in discussions of environmental economics to consider so-called “negative externalities,” a technical term for the bad or damaging consequences of an activity that affects those outside the realm of economic decision-making. Continue Reading...
September 07, 2006

The Perfect, the Enemy of the Good

Voltaire had a saying: “The perfect is the enemy of the good,” or, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” It’s often repeated, especially in public policy circles, that the perfect the enemy of the good, implying that you should favor the realistic good that can be done rather than the unattainable perfect ideal. Continue Reading...