Just how serious is the government debt of nations? Consider the following statistics. The International Monetary Fund’s 2012 figures find the gross government debt of Greece to be around 153 per cent of GDP. Other nations include Italy where the figure is 123, for Ireland 113, for Portugal 112 and for the United States 107. … Read more
Some believe that a simple solution to all our economic problems is to unfetter markets and everything will enter into order. Take away visible restraints and invisible hands will work their magic. The problem with such an outlook is that it has proven illusive. There have been relatively free sectors of modern economy. However, problems … Read more
On July 20, there was a book signing in Dundalk, Ireland near the border with Northern Ireland. It was the first stop of the book tour which will cover most of the island.
Modern men would hold that the purpose of life is to possess and enjoy an abundance of material goods. Such a materialistic view of life is to make economics the primary concern of men. Saint Thomas Aquinas holds that the purpose of human life in an organic Christian society is much different. The individual has … Read more
I received an email with a very interesting question from a reader of Return to Order. It occurred to me that others might have similar questions. The question can be summed up like this: Have you seriously considered the possibility of a web of conspiracy behind our visible government that directs many of the financial … Read more
Many people revel in the fact that they enjoy unlimited choices, especially in expanding possibilities using the Internet. These choices seem to make all the world accessible. However, the human mind is not made to deal with such a vast array of choices. It often causes overload and frustration. “Unlimited choice,” notes sociologists Barry Schwatz, … Read more
By calling the reader to embrace the cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, prudence and fortitude, Return to Order suggests a practical pathway to avoid the economic and spiritual crises that are looming before us and, by means of religious conversion, reestablish a right order for human flourishing. I hope that this work will receive the … Read more
The simple fact is that mass standardization can only be profitable to the point that it can aggregate consumers into large blocs. Hence, global markets must impose universal standardization upon products, for if this brand of economics is to survive as an exact deductive science to interpret markets, everything must be quantified. There is no … Read more
In a society where money rules the criteria to judge products often revolves around quantity and costs. The number of units matters much more than the quality of product. Mass production means much more than craftsmanship. Historian Carlo Cipolla finds such criteria to be deficient. He notes: “But if one states simply that the average … Read more
As part of the Fortnight for Freedom talk series for the diocese of Grand Rapids, Mich., author John Horvat delivered an evening address to a large crowd at the city’s St. Isidore’s Catholic Church. The event was co-sponsored by St. Isidore’s parish, St. Thomas the Apostle’s parish and the Acton Institute, all in Grand Rapids. … Read more
