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December 13, 2005

Crushing the spirits of the young in France

Roger Cohen’s column in today’s International Herald Tribune slams the French economic system by telling the story of Rachid Ech Chetouani, a young French Muslim. (Unfortunately, the column is behind the New York Times Select firewall and available only to subscribers. Continue Reading...
December 13, 2005

Journal of Markets & Morality, volume 8, issue 2

Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 8 • Number 2 The latest issue of Journal of Markets & Morality features a new controversy between Michael T. Dempsey and Robin Klay and John Lunn: What Bearing, If Any, Does the Christian Doctrine of Providence Have Upon the Operation of the Market Economy? Continue Reading...
December 12, 2005

Milton’s still the man

New Perspectives Quarterly has a great interview with Milton Friedman, who at 93 years of age still exhibits more economic clarity than whole academic faculties and episcopal justice and peace commissions. Continue Reading...
December 12, 2005

Festivus, Chrismukkah, whatever

Is secularism gutting holiday season? Five answers in Saturday’s roundup of Faith and Policy columnists in the Detroit News, including Acton’s Rev. Robert A. Sirico. Notably, Rev. Edgar Vann, pastor of Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit, cites the decision of a some churches to “succumb to the secularization of the sacred by deciding to close their doors on Christmas Sunday.” Continue Reading...
December 12, 2005

Christian reason and the spirit of capitalism

Here’s a far-ranging essay that has a central thesis which is quite possibly fatally flawed but still touches on some very important points: “A series of developments, in which reason won the day, gave unique shape to Western culture and institutions. Continue Reading...
December 09, 2005

Anything UN can do, ICANN do better

I wrote previously about the result of the recent world information summit that resulted in ICANN’s continuing governance over Internet domain registration worldwide. Fast Company Now provides us a link to the letter from Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Continue Reading...
December 09, 2005

Pascal wagers, Kant bets

You probably have heard of Pascal’s Wager, but have you heard of Kant’s Bet? Immanuel Kant, the 18th century moral philosopher, famous for his discussion of the categorical imperative, has an interesting section bearing on economics in his Canon of Pure Reason (which comes at the conclusion of his Critique of Pure Reason). Continue Reading...
December 08, 2005

‘The War on Christmas’

“Happy Holidays” has become the accepted greeting in December. Even the White House has embraced “Happy Holidays” over the more traditional and Christian “Merry Christmas.” Understandably, many people are upset about the use of the word “holiday” rather than “Christmas.” Continue Reading...
December 08, 2005

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of a crisp image

An interesting piece today by George Will, outlining what he calls a new government entitlement program that is being batted around the House and Senate: $990 million (according to the House) or $3 billion (according to the Senate) to subsidize digital converters for television sets. Continue Reading...