Acton Lecture Series Explores Love, Happiness
It may only be spring, but it’s already been an exciting year for the Acton Lecture Series, which has drawn almost 350 attendees so far. The series began with Jeffrey Tucker, author and chief liberty officer of Liberty.me, lecturing on why “capitalism is all about love.” He started by defining capitalism as “a system rooted in free association and a private ownership of property.” Everyone is valuable in a market economy, Tucker told the audience, explaining how even a lowly janitor in a department store—Tucker’s first job—brings great value to the market. “Commerce provides a training ground for life,” he argued. “It helps us understand value, other people, how to get along, how to love.” The affection between a merchant and a consumer is the most basic type of love. We find value in people with whom we exchange goods and labor. Trade is not a zero-sum game. We value other people’s goods more than our own, and other people value our goods more than their own, so we exchange and we both end up better off. Every voluntary exchange creates wealth and value and causes us to love one another.
So far the biggest event of the year occurred in January when Arthur Brooks, the president of American Enterprise Institute (AEI), addressed a full house about the formula for happiness. During this lunch lecture, cosponsored by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and AEI, Brooks explained the connection between free enterprise and happiness. The real problem in the United States, he said, is a “crisis of satisfaction.” More and more Americans are dissatisfied with their country, despite being one of the most prosperous nations in history. The problem we have is attachment to money and material things. Brooks explained that “if you have markets you will not benefit unless you have morality.” As long as an individual tries to attain riches without meaning behind it, he or she will never truly be happy.
In February, Gene Veith discussed Martin Luther’s doctrine of vocation and Max Weber’s misunderstanding of the influence the Reformation had on the rise of the free market. God is present and active in all economic activity, Veith noted, and exchange can be a means by which Christians can love and serve their neighbors. Check the back of this issue for upcoming lectures and events throughout the Midwest.
Acton University Keynote Speakers Announced
The snow has finally melted in West Michigan! Spring is here, and that means we’re getting closer to Acton University. Participants can look forward to hearing from the following plenary speakers: Samuel Gregg, Joel Salatin, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, and Gregory Thornbury.
Dr. Samuel Gregg is director of research at Acton. He write and speaks frequently on questions of political economy, economic history, ethics in finance, and natural law theory. His latest forthcoming book is For God and Profit: Finance, Capital, and the Good Life.
Joel Salatin is an entrepreneur and farmer. He is a passionate defender of free markets, small farms, and local food systems. Salatin and his family run Polyface, Inc., a farm where they do not use harmful chemicals, and sell meat by direct-marketing to private consumers and restaurants.
Rev. Sirico is Acton’s president and cofounder. Members of the broadcast media often call upon him for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern. He is the Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Dr. Gregory Thornbury is the sixth president of The King’s College in New York City. He’s been called “Jonathan Edwards meets Rolling Stone” and “America’s first hipster college president.” He is also a senior fellow of the Kairos Journal and a visiting professor of philosophy at Ansgar Teologiske Høgskole in Norway.
To learn more or to apply for Acton University 2015, visit university.acton.org. Online applications are due on or before Friday, May 22, 2015. No applications will be accepted after that date. The University will be held June 16-19 at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
2015 Novak Award Winner
Catherine Ruth Pakaluk, assistant professor of economics at Ave Maria University, has been named the 2015 Novak Award winner. Named after distinguished theologian, Michael Novak, this award recognizes outstanding scholarly research that examines the relationship between religion, economic freedom, and the free and virtuous society.
Pakaluk is founder-director of the Stein Center for Social Research at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. Pakaluk earned her doctorate in economics at Harvard University (2010), where her dissertation under Caroline Hoxby examined the relationship between religion and educational outcomes. Pakaluk received a master’s degree in economics from Harvard (2002), and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania (1998).
Catherine Pakaluk is also a widely-admired writer and sought-after speaker on matters of culture, religion, gender, the social science of the family, the vocation of women, Catholic social thought, and the work of Edith Stein.
Recipients of the Novak Award make a formal presentation on a theme that deals with religion, economic freedom, and the free and virtuous society at an annual public forum known as the Calihan Lecture. The Novak Award forms part of a range of scholarships, travel grants, and awards available from the Acton Institute that support future religious and intellectual leaders.
Acton@25 Update
Acton is in the final phase of its Acton@25 Capital Campaign. With the ultimate goal of raising $12.5 million from 400 donors, Acton has reached $11.8 million from 303 generous donors (at the time of this printing).
The campaign was launched three years ago in response to an expanding demand for Acton’s work. The funds raised by this campaign will support some exciting projects Acton hopes to complete, such as outfitting our media center with improved studios and high-quality cameras, as well as installing a rooftop garden.
Thanks to a generous donor, there is a capital campaign matching program that goes until the close of the campaign this summer. For every capital campaign donation Acton receives, there will be a two-to-one matching gift.
As Acton continues to reach goals and plan anniversary events, we’ll keep you updated. Keep a look out in the mail for campaign updates and event invitations. Thank you to all of our generous Acton@25 Capital Campaign supporters! For information about the Acton@25 Capital Campaign, please contact Charles Roelofs by calling the office at 616.454.3080 or emailing him at [email protected].
