The Family Cannot Be Substituted by the State

Return to Order Why the State Cannot Substitute the Family 1

The child can have no better guardian than the family which watches over him more than any state agency can do. Carle Zimmerman notes: “The parent who prevents a baby from swallowing a safety pin, keeps him from high places, warns a child daily about crossing the street, and inspects the evacuation functions of a … Read more

When Architecture Disregards Reality

Return to Order Hotel #341

If there is anything that characterizes modern architecture, it is its denial of locality and culture. Modern architects proclaim their freedom from traditional restraint by putting up their eccentric structures wherever they wish. They tend to disregard many of the cultural elements of the people nearby. Traditionally, architecture was the legitimate expression of a people … Read more

Capitalism Does Not Exist…

Return to Order How Money Should Be an Expression of Culture 2

With all the talk against capitalism, it would be helpful to have a good definition of the term. However, such a definition does not exist. The term’s origin comes from enemies of the free market. Jesuit economist Bernard Dempsey notes: “The answer is that there is no such thing as capitalism. The word is incapable … Read more

Piketty’s Tower of Jell-O

Return to Order Piketty's Tower of Jell-O

It was with some delight that I read the introduction of Thomas Piketty’s book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Right from the beginning, he announced that he would not be bound by “the childish passion for mathematics.” Rather, his approach would include the social sciences since “economics should never have sought to divorce itself from … Read more

When Regulations Become a Prison

Return to Order A Brutal Pace of Life: The Fruit of Intemperance 1

There are those who believe that the only way to stop the excesses of markets is to build a massive framework of rules and regulations to bar every possibility of abuse. Such structures make economies resemble prisons rather than free markets. Their promoters fail to recognize that this is a moral problem not a regulatory … Read more

Death by Regulation

Return to Order Death by Regulation 2

Some people wonder why it is so hard to do business in America.   One reason is the massive wave of regulation that has engulfed many industries over the last few years. One prime example is the 848-page Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of July 2010 (also called the Dodd-Frank Act). It is … Read more

What Does An Organic Neighborhood Look Like?

Return to Order The Marvelous World of Our Lady’s Flowers 3

Many people ask what an organic society would look like. They want to know how and where people would live. They want concrete examples of neighborhoods and towns that embody the organic principles that are expounded in Return to Order. They would be surprised to learn that some of these principles are still alive and … Read more

The Falsity of Utilitarianism

Return to Order The Falsity of Utilitarianism 2

The nineteenth century ushered in the philosophy of utilitarianism that was supposed to free man from ignorance and irrational behavior. It seems any means might be used to achieve this end – including falsity. Stephen M. Klugewicz and Lenore T. Ealy write: “Veracity was not either Mill’s main goal in retelling history. Indeed, John Stuart … Read more

The Problem of Hollow Elites

Return to Order The Problem of Hollow Elites 2

There are those who normally play a leadership role in society by representing the community. Such representative characters are those leaders who perceive the ideals, principles, and qualities that are desired and admired by a community or nation, and translate them into concrete programs of life and culture. Their importance cannot be underestimated since they … Read more

What Makes a Craftsman?

Return to Order The Stability of Generations 2

In a society where honor rules, the craftsman has a special place. He is not a person who makes things mechanically without skills or thought. Rather he is an expert who develops sophisticated skills that communicate an artistic element to that which is produced. What makes a craftsman? Richard Sennett writes that the standard measure … Read more