Acton's Core Principles

The Core Principles provides a framework for Acton Research as it seeks to make clear the path to a free and virtuous society. Read about the Core Principles here.

Acton Research

The Research Department serves as the academic research facility of the Acton Institute, accommodating in-house and externally-based scholars from a variety of nationalities, Christian confessions, and different intellectual disciplines. Read More »

Cardinal Bertone and Metropolitan Kirill on Social Doctrine

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

Paola Fantini has expanded her blog post on Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's new work on Catholic social doctrine into a book review for the forthcoming Religion & Liberty quarterly published by the Acton Institute. She has also translated the prologue to the book by Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill. These articles are the first to translate anything from Cardinal Bertone's “The Ethics of the Common Good in Catholic Social Doctrine” (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008) into English. The Italian title is "L'etica del Bene Comune nella Dottrina Sociale della Chiesa."

Quick Links:

Now@Acton Research

Cardinal Bertone and Metropolitan Kirill on Social Doctrine
October 13, 2008

LOLord Acton Quote Generator
August 6, 2008

Should the US Nationalize the Oil Industry?
Dr. Jay Richards
June 19, 2008

Is it Hot In Here? What Should Christians Think About Global Warming?
Dr. Jay W. Richards
April 17, 2008

Emerging Argentine Economic Philosopher to receive 2008 Novak Award
Dr. Carlos Hoevel
February 7, 2008

From the Journal of Markets & Morality

Can Social Justice Be Achieved? by José Manuel Moreira & Arnaud Pellissier Tanon

Can social justice be achieved? Bertrand de Jouvenel wondered in his 1954 paper “De la Justice” [“On Justice”]. He answered: “It is impossible to achieve the reign of Justice, if the latter is conceived of as an established, permanently maintained coincidence of social organization and abstract vision. The reign of Justice is achievable if the spirit of justice presides over all decisions that imply sharing.”

His analysis is worth being investigated: It includes a prefiguration of spontaneous order theory and precedes Hayek’s response to the achievability of social justice. It pays careful attention to the definition of justice by classical philosophers and accounts for the distributive scope of commutative justice. “De la Justice” highlights the filiation from classical philosophers to Hayek.