Today was the first full day at Acton University for me and I can say unequivocally, "Wow!" I had the 'foundational courses' which are required for the first day for first time participants. The classes were taught by extremely impressive scholars with very engaging lectures. Each lecturer then answers questions from the students who hail from all over the world. This year's session has students from 40 countries and all over the United States.
The first course was Christian Anthropology where the opposing views of liberty were discussed. Thomas Aquinas and the concept of Freedom for Excellence and the opposing view by William of Ockham and Freedom of Indifference.
The second course was Limited Government and the Rule of Law: Christianity and the Idea of Limited Government. Best quote was from Lord Acton himself, "There are many things the government cannot do - many good purposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot convert the people."
The third course was The Economic Way of Thinking. Best quote was that "greed is checked by competitors. Both in wages and working conditions and through prices which limits profits."
The fourth course was Myths about the Markets. The myths were the market encourages greed and selfishness so government is needed to check that, minimum wages help the poor, greedy bankers and unregulated financial markets caused the financial crash, and globalization increases inequalities. Best quote, "Socialism institutionalizes envy" Also in regards to free markets and wealth, "it's not right to blame a system (free market) that provides abundance for the opportunity to be greedy."
Finally, and perhaps the best part of the conference, is the interaction with other students. I met college students, someone in a seminary, a gentleman from Ghana, and a mutual fund broker in addition to others I'm sure I've forgotten to mention. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner discussions are almost as much fun and illuminating as the lectures.
Tomorrow will begin my individualized courses. I'll try to check in tomorrow night.
Eric, thank you for giving us a glimpse of this wonderful event. I wish I could attend. On the other hand, RedStateEclectic is well represented by you, and we can learn from what you learned. Also, The Acton Institute has an excellent website, blog etc.
I have been following the Institute on the internet for many years. Recently, the Institute's internet presence has been vastly upgraded.
Hayek, a great admirer of Lord Acton, drew my attention to the man.
Posted by: Georg Thomas | 06/18/2009 at 11:20 AM
You really should try to attend this next year. It is definitely your
cup of tea with your studies on the roots of liberty. The collection
of thinkers here is most impressive.
Posted by: Eric Larson | 06/18/2009 at 12:42 PM