A review of The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die by Niall Ferguson, Allen Lane, London, 2012. Niall Ferguson’s The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die is intriguing since the title reflects what should be an obvious connection: Social institutions do affect economies. Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied … Read more
As the author of the book, Return to Order, I am constantly looking for examples of organic solutions for today’s complicated problems. It is one way I can practically illustrate so many of the ideas found in the book. I look for spontaneous expressions of culture that are often destroyed by today’s mass standardization. I … Read more
A review of Catholicism and the Shaping of Nineteenth Century America by John Gjerde, edited by S. Deborah Kang, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012. Part of the fascination of history is its ability to explain why things are the way they are. History goes beneath the surface of events and manages to unearth all … Read more
Education and religion are often seen to be incompatible. There is an underlying notion inside the liberal education establishment that religious belief is backwards and contrary to enlightenment. Schools have long been viewed as gateways to a glorious secular and technological future, free of religious superstition. After all, the purpose of education is to make … Read more
A colleague told me of an intriguing incident at a conference of accountants that were studying recent changes in tax regulations. One speaker gave a talk on recruiting new staff and how to deal with turnover. An attendee then asked a question remarking that from the context of her presentation, it seemed companies were facing … Read more
There can be no doubt about the intention of the Founders regarding the basis of American law. America was founded upon a notion of all law subject to a higher law, that is, natural law. Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society Where Weve Been, How We Got … Read more
If the pace of life seems overwhelming, it might well be because we have assumed so many of the jobs once held by others. This is the position of Craig Lambert in his book, Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs that Fill Your Day (Berkeley, Calif., Counterpoint Press, 2015). The Harvard sociologist takes a look … Read more
Frenetic intemperance is a term we coined to describe a restless and reckless spirit inside certain sectors of modern economy that foments a drive to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify all desires. Perhaps the most obvious example of frenetic intemperance is that of the speculative bubble of the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis. It is … Read more
The beneficent action of how Christianity greatly favors the welfare of the State is described by Saint Augustine, who comments: “Let those who say that the teachings of Christ are harmful to the State find armies with soldiers who live up to the standards of the teachings of Jesus. Let them provide governors, husbands and … Read more
Upon describing organic society, questions remain as to how we might build such a society. The answer is quite simple. We must do it in the same manner as our ancestors did at the dawn of this civilization. We must understand, as they understood, that it is not enough that we follow the Ten Commandments … Read more
