In the field of art, two equally erroneous extremes should be avoided. One is cosmopolitanism, which strives to establish only one art form for the whole world without considering the characteristics proper to each people and each region. The other is nationalism, which rejects any outside influence, even when legitimate and necessary, in order … Read more
The Middle Ages, inappropriately called “Dark Ages,” was one of the times of greatest technological development, artistic and institutional creativity in history. This is the opinion of Prof. João Luís César das Neves, Chair of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Catholic University in Lisbon, Portugal. Christendom, he explained, … Read more
Excerpt from the talk, “Fostering an Organic Society: Principles and Examples” given by James Bascom at the 2013 TFP National Conference on October 27, 2013 The first principle is that within every man there are potentialities that must be developed. Every man is born with an enormous variety of qualities, propensities, and strengths that seek … Read more
In the book, Return to Order, there is a description of a legal order that came from Christendom. This order was tied to a higher natural law found in God’s law and to which all, rulers and ruled, were subject. This legal order, based on morality, favored order in society and prevented the unleashing of … Read more
The right to keep and bear arms is enshrined in our American Constitution and culture to the point that many think this right is uniquely American. However, the historical evidence is quite surprising. Pre-modern and pre-industrial cultures also promoted arms ownership. Organic Christian society recognized the natural-law right of the family to defend itself from … Read more
How does one stand out these days? Write a thank-you note. No, not a thank-you email, text message or tweet. Banish the multiple exclamation marks (!!!!!) or the CAPITAL letters and silly emoticons that attract attention but fail to convey meaning. All these things tend to get lost in the whirling and hectic schedules of … Read more
In face of a recession that never recedes, the assumption of a broad and growing prosperity for the middle class is in doubt. Gone are the heady days of the post-Cold War triumphalism of the nineties when optimistic observers believed that we might live forever in a kind of glorious consumerism. Instead, there is a … Read more
On April 12, Return to Order author John Horvat II visited at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas to address students on topics related to the book. Mr. Horvat spoke to one of the business school’s graduate classes that uses his book as a textbook. The students took advantage of the occasion for a question and answer session … Read more
Many authors have compared a living being with a machine to show the contrast between an organic society and an individualistic or mechanistic society. Indeed, compare the two. A living being grows and develops at its own speed according to its own inner dynamism and force that comes from the life of each cell. A … 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
