Acton Line

Latest Episodes:

The Intellectual Life Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

“The feminine genius,” a term coined by Pope St. John Paul II, has become something of a buzzword in the Catholic world. But has the fullness of femininity been exhausted? In a new collection of seventeen essays entitled With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life, written by Catholic women of diverse backgrounds and vocations, you will find a call to pursue what is too often excluded from our picture of femininity: the intellectual life. Following Mary, the “Seat of Wisdom,” who “treasured” the words of the shepherds and “pondered them in her heart,” With All Her Mind shows how the feminine genius involves both affectivity and active intellectual engagement. With practical advice and personal testimonies and featuring a foreword by celebrated scholar Tracey Rowland, this collection opens readers to the endlessly unique ways for a woman to follow the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all her soul, with all her heart, and with all her mind.

In this episode, Acton’s research project coordinator Sarah Negri, is joined by guests Dr. Jennifer Frey and Amanda Achtman, two of the seventeen contributors to With All Her Mind. They discuss the importance of having an intellectual life both as women and as human beings in general, touching on such topics as the value of contemplation for both intellectual and spiritual formation, the integrity of the human person, leisure and work in the academic realm, the nature of a liberal education and interior freedom.

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About Jennifer Frey

About Amanda Achtman

With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life (Ed: Rachel Bulman)

Leisure: The Basis of Culture (Josef Pieper)

Waiting for God (Simone Weil)

The Spirit of the Liturgy (Romano Guardini)

Tertio Millenio Seminar on the Free Society

Christian philosopher takes helm of new Oklahoma Honors College dedicated to the classics

“Canada’s Orwellian Euthanasia Regime” (Amanda Achtman)

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Are Artists Really Free to Express Themselves? Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

In March 2021, Winston Marshall was the banjo player and guitarist for Mumford & Sons, the highly popular and award-winning folk rock ensemble.

That same month, Marshall shared a seemingly innocuous tweet offering praise for guerrilla journalist Andy Ngo, and his book “Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.”

“Congratulations Andy Ngo. Finally had time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.”

As is the common story with Twitter, a firestorm ensued, with Marshall facing a swarm of criticism for the tweet, prompting Marshall, under pressure, to issue an apology. But Marshall later reconsidered the propriety of that apology, penning an essay on Medium defending his praise for Ngo and his book, and announcing he was leaving his band.

Since then Marshall has launched a podcast, Marshall Matters, and written for outlets such as Bari Weiss’s Common Sense, a precursor to her current The Free Press publication, on issues relating to freedom of speech and expression in the arts and beyond. Marshall also credits his Christianity for helping to sustain him through this incident and other rocky paths in his life.

Marshall also helps run Hong Kong Link-Up, which helps to connect Hong Kongers newly arriving in London with people who can help them get settled in a new country.

Today, Eric Kohn speak with Winston Marshall about the climate of free speech and free expression in music and the arts, his life and music, his support for the people of Hong Kong in their struggle for human freedom, and more.

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@winstonmarshall Linktree

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The Legacy of Ed Koch Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

If money is the mother’s milk of politics, then rhetoric is its currency. And few political characters of the late 20th century had a sharper wit than former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

Consider this gem from Koch: “If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.”

Over this career in politics, Koch found himself sparring with numerous people, politicians and celebrities and even, occasionally, the voters. To be sure, Koch saw this as part and parcel of his role as a political and an elected official. As he said, “You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it's good for one's self-respect to be a punching bag.”

But Koch also saw his role in picking political fights as having a larger purpose than his own political advantage: he was a stalwart defender of the Jewish people and the state of Israel, and a tireless booster of New York City.

In a new essay in the February 2023 issue of Commentary Magazine, Tevi Troy looks at five battles Koch picked and the bigger reasons for them. In conclusion, Troy finds Koch “was, at his best, a happy warrior.”

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s Director of Marketing & Communications, speaks with Tevi Troy, a visiting fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, about Ed Koch’s life, legacy, and the lessons we can learn from him on what battles to pick for greater causes and why.

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Ed Koch, Ten Years Gone | Commentary

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The Errors of the 1619 Project (Rebroadcast) Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Since debuting in the New York Times Magazine on August 14, 2019, the 1619 Project has ignited a debate about American history, the founding of the country, and the legacy emanating from the nation’s history with chattel slavery.

The project’s creator and editor, Nikole Hannah-Jones, has described the project as seeking to place “the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” Components of a related school curriculum have been adopted in major cities like Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Buffalo, New York.

For her work on the project, Hannah-Jones was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. A book collecting all the essays debuted at number one on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list in November 2021. Now, the 1619 Project has been reimagined as a television docuseries from Lionsgate and Hulu.

But the project has also come in for heavy criticism from historians and economists of all political and philosophical persuasions for inaccuracies in “matters of verifiable fact” in history and economics. In response to these critics, Hannah-Jones has declared the project not a work history, but instead a work of journalism.

One of the project’s most frequent critics is Phil Magness, Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research.

In this episode, which is a rebroadcast of an interview from August 2020, I talk with Phil Magness about the objectives of the 1619 Project, the economic history of slavery, the project’s historical errors, and why many Americans seem to have such a difficult time accepting the complicated totality of our own history.

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Company Culture and the Human Person: A Compelling Vision Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Colin Duff, a co-founder and head of operations at Styx Golf, delivers a speech on how to align company culture with the human experience to create a compelling vision for employees. He stresses the significance of identifying a gap in the market and developing a unique value proposition, as Styx Golf did by providing high-quality minimalist designed golf gear at a reasonable cost. Additionally, he highlights the importance of being attentive to customer feedback and making updates to the product, as the company did with their new version launch in April 2021. He also stresses the need for a defined and compelling company culture that prioritizes employee well-being and supports the company's growth goals. He emphasizes the importance of transparency, authenticity and shared responsibility to foster an environment where employees can flourish.

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Russell Kirk: A Consensus of First Principles Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

In their own time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Russell Kirk occupied different ends of the political spectrum. Their philosophies inspired the two most powerful movements of the age: the Nonviolent Movement (which led the larger Civil Rights Movement) and the modern Conservative Movement. Without King and Kirk modern American Social Justice liberalism and modern American conservatism as we know them would not exist. And yet, for all of their differences, our modern politics suffer because contemporary liberalism and conservatism lack the grounding in virtues, communitarian values and faith in an ordered universe that both Kingian Nonviolence and Kirkian Conservatism held fast to. Is it possible that by reacquainting ourselves with these lost traditions we could summon the better angels of left and right and restore a politics of virtue for the modern age?

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s Director of Marketing & Communications, talks with John Wood, Jr., National Ambassador for Braver Angels about the overlap in first principles between Dr. King and Russell Kirk and reducing partisan polarization in our divisive times.

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Braver Angels

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The Social Teaching of Pope Benedict XVI Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—scholar, teacher, theologian, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and finally supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church until his resignation in 2013—died on December 31, 2022, at the age 95.

Whether the subject was Islam, ecumenism, the rise and decline of the West, or simply "Who is Jesus Christ?,” Benedict opened up discussions once considered taboo and caused even hardened secularists to rethink some of their positions.

For today’s episode of Acton Line, in remembrance of Pope Benedict XVI’s life and legacy, we’re airing a lecture from Sam Gregg, currently senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, illustrating how much the pope changed the focus of Christian engagement by addressing political, social, and economic issues.

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Pope Benedict XVI: 1927-2022 | Joshua Gregor, Acton Institute

Faith and Reason in the Life and Work of Benedict XVI | Kevin Duffy, Acton Institute

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Taxes, Spending, and Powerball Winnings Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

On November 7, 2022, the jackpot for the Powerball lottery reached an astonishing $2.05 billion. Even after the federal and state governments take their piece of that, the winner will still be the recipient of a life-changing amount of money, more than enough to last an entire lifetime. But if the winner of that $2.05 billion Powerball jackpot was the United States federal government, they'd burn through that enormous sum of money in just over a week.

How did the federal budget get this large? What does that budget say about our political system and the desires and priorities of the public and politicians?

In this episode, Eric Kohn sits down with Dr. David Hebert, chair of the economics department and associate professor of economics at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, to discuss his recent article for the American Institute for Economic Research using the Powerball to explain the size and scope of the federal budget.

David Hebert graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Hillsdale College in 2009, and then attended George Mason University, where he earned a master's in 2011 and a doctorate in 2014. During graduate school, he was an F.A. Hayek fellow with the Mercatus Center and a fellow with the Department of Health Administration and Policy. He also worked with the Joint Economic Committee in the U.S. Congress. Since graduating, he has worked as an assistant professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, and Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He was also a fellow with the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, where he authored a comprehensive report on federal budget process reform.

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Taxes, Spending, and Powerball Winnings by David Hebert | AEIR

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Who Was Lord Acton? Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

The Acton Institute is named in honor of John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1834–1902), 1st Baron Acton of Aldenham, a historian of freedom. Known as “the magistrate of history,” Lord Acton was one of the great personalities of the 19th century. Widely considered one of the most learned Englishmen of his time, Lord Acton made the history of liberty his life’s work.

The most notable conclusion of Acton’s work is that political liberty is the essential condition and guardian of religious liberty. He thereby points to the union of faith and liberty, which has been the Acton Institute’s inspiration. In describing the Institute’s purpose, Acton’s president emeritus, Rev. Robert Sirico, has said: “Acton realized that economic freedom is essential to creating an environment in which religious freedom can flourish. But he also knew that the market can function only when people behave morally. So faith and freedom must go hand in hand. As he put it, ‘Liberty is the condition which makes it easy for conscience to govern.’”

So who was Lord Acton?

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing & communications, sits down with Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian, a research associate, and editor of the book Lord Acton: Historical and Moral Essays, to discuss Lord Acton: his work, his beliefs, his life, and his legacy.

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Lord Acton: Historical and Moral Essays | Dan Hugger

Lord Acton: A Study in Conscience and Politics | Gertrude Himmelfarb

Lord Acton: Historian and Moralist | Samuel Gregg

Selected Writings of Lord Acton | J. Rufus Fears

The Pope and the Professor: Pius IX, Ignaz von Dollinger, and the Quandary of the Modern Age | Thomas Albert Howard

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The Beatles and Economics (Rebroadcast) Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

The Beatles will go down in history as one of the most prolific music acts of all time. Their music is still played in our homes and around the world and has influenced pop culture on a global scale.

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton's Director of Communications, sits down with Samuel Staley to discuss his new book The Beatles and Economics: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and the Making of a Cultural Revolution.

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Book | Beatles & Economics

Pope John Paul, George, and Ringo on the harms of high taxes

Music contained in this episode:

Getting Better | The Beatles | 1967

I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles | 1963

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | 1967

Here Comes the Sun | The Beatles | 1969

Everything in its Right Place | Radiohead | 2000

Come Together | The Beatles | 1969

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) | The Beatles | 1965