Sometimes it seems as though the only things that exercise modern souls are sex, scandal, and sin, but all around us, every day, there are indications that a not-insignificant portion of the population seeks something more. Continue Reading...
Latest Posts
November 23, 2022
Avalon Is Thanksgiving for America
Barry Levinson was one of the most successful directors in America around 1990, when he made Avalon, an immigrant Thanksgiving movie trying to sum up the transformation of the American family in the 20th century. Continue Reading...
November 22, 2022
The Catholic Church vs. Critical Race Theory
Two and half years ago, the police killing of George Floyd sparked rioting and heightened racial tensions across the United States, and many Americans began to hear the phrase “critical race theory” for the first time. Continue Reading...
November 17, 2022
Jimmy Lai Pushes to Halt National Security Trial
Mere days after bringing a veteran British litigator on his legal team, jailed Hong Kong entrepreneur Jimmy Lai is moving to halt the trial proceedings entirely.
In a pretrial interview, the 74-year-old Lai came before three National Security judges to review the charges brought against him. Continue Reading...
November 17, 2022
The Collapse of a Cryptocurrency Guru
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a piece for Acton on Elizabeth Holmes, the con artist behind Theranos, the fake tech startup promising a revolution in blood tests and, thus, the beginning of a solution to the problem of healthcare costs. Continue Reading...
November 16, 2022
Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” Is a Work of Bitter Greatness
Tom Stoppard’s new play, Leopoldstadt, is a triumph of the playwriting art. It’s also a triumph of marketing. That’s because its advertising and publicity campaign has sold the public on the idea that it’s a multigenerational saga. Continue Reading...
November 15, 2022
Better Economics for a Better, Not Perfect, World
As far as centuries go, the 20th was remarkable for many things, not least among which were wars fought on a scale unprecedented for their destructiveness, as well as convulsive debates about economics and economic policy. Continue Reading...
November 13, 2022
Jimmy Lai Gets Veteran U.K. Human Rights Lawyer
Although 74-year-old media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai faces life in prison under Beijing’s harsh National Security Law (NSL), he now has a new ally in his corner: veteran human rights lawyer Timothy Owen. Continue Reading...
November 10, 2022
Who Decides What Books Your Child Should Read?
At its best, a democratic polity ought to deal well with complexity, this complexity composed of clashing ideas and principles as well as the interests of multiple actors and stakeholders. Such a polity will seek proximate solutions that require constant fine-tuning. Continue Reading...
November 09, 2022
Is There an Argument for Anarchy?
Almost two-thirds of Americans believe that distrust of government is a major barrier to solving issues in public life. As we witness a marked decline of faith in both the government and the stability of our democracy, some are arguing that it’s the perfect time to take a serious look at the historic libertarian premise: Maybe government itself is the problem. Continue Reading...
