The Christian Vision of the Human Person
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The Economic Way of Thinking
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Introduction to Natural Law
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The Christian View of Government
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Theology of Work (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Theology of Work” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. In this session, we will explore the biblical and theological foundations for how we view our work in God’s economy. We will argue that work has intrinsic value and nobility because of its connection to the dominion mandate in Genesis and how …
Islam, Reason, and Freedom (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Islam, Reason, and Freedom” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. It is no secret today that Islam has authoritarian interpretations that reject the principles of human freedom. This includes imposing religion through state power, punishing people for “apostasy” or “blasphemy,” or degrading women or minorities. This lecture will delve into the …
Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism? (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism?” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk, …
True Compassion: Case Studies in Effective Work with the Poor (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “True Compassion: Case Studies in Effective Work with the Poor” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Concern for the poor is an essential part of being a Christian. Yet, Christians often don’t know how to effectively engage people who are in poverty, often coming from social and ethnic backgrounds very different …
Transitional Justice: Civil-Society Solutions For America’s Race History (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Transitional Justice: Civil-Society Solutions For America’s Race History” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Transitional justice is a set of measures and processes adopted to deal with the consequences of human dignity violations in the aftermath of regime changes, violent conflicts, wars, and other historical injustices that were derivatives of gross …
Getting Social Justice Right (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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The Economics of Digital Currencies (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “The Economics of Digital Currencies” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Ever since the first Bitcoin was first mined in January of 2009, we’ve seen an ever-growing interest in the phenomenon of blockchain—the technology upon which Bitcoin is based. Blockchain is one specific form of an innovation known as Distributed Ledger …
Flannery O’Connor and the Church’s Failure of Imagination (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Flannery O’Connor and the Church’s Failure of Imagination” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Over the past several years, I consistently read about “diseased cultural imagination” or “failure of imagination” in areas of our public and private life: we do not imagine things as they are but our cultural lenses distort …
The Case Against Economic Nationalism (Engage the Speaker AU2021)
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Engage the Speaker Session for “The Case Against Economic Nationalism” (AU2021). Original Lecture description below. Economic nationalism is surging throughout the world and is attracting supporting from right and left. This lecture outlines the basic flaws of protectionism and industrial policy, and focuses on how they undermines the economic and political dimensions of the common …
The Economics of Digital Currencies
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Ever since the first Bitcoin was first mined in January of 2009, we’ve seen an ever-growing interest in the phenomenon of blockchain—the technology upon which Bitcoin is based. Blockchain is one specific form of an innovation known as Distributed Ledger Technology (or DLT). DLT triggered a new phase of financial innovation and is already to …
The Case Against Economic Nationalism
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Flannery O’Connor and the Church’s Failure of Imagination
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True Compassion: Case Studies in Effective Work with the Poor
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Concern for the poor is an essential part of being a Christian. Yet, Christians often don’t know how to effectively engage people who are in poverty, often coming from social and ethnic backgrounds very different from them. The temptation is to substitute reason with emotion and to offer transactional systems of care instead of the …
Understanding Globalization: Myths, Realties, and Challenges – Engage the Speaker
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This lecture provides an overview of the idea of globalization, one which challenges some of the myths surrounding this ideas, especially the myth that globalization is new. It also outlines the three primary forms assumed by contemporary globalization today, and discusses what people of faith can say about the character of globalization.
Transitional Justice: Civil-Society Solutions For America’s Race History – Engage the Speaker
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Transitional justice is a set of measures and processes adopted to deal with the consequences of human dignity violations in the aftermath of regime changes, violent conflicts, wars, and other historical injustices that were derivatives of gross violations for the rule of law. Transitional justice is what we needed to pursue after the Civil Rights …
True Compassion: Case Studies in Effective Work with the Poor – Engage the Speaker
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Concern for the poor is an essential part of being a Christian. Yet, Christians often don’t know how to effectively engage people who are in poverty, often coming from social and ethnic backgrounds very different from them. The temptation is to substitute reason with emotion and to offer transactional systems of care instead of the …
Transitional Justice: Civil-Society Solutions For America’s Race History
Add to favorites 
Transitional justice is a set of measures and processes adopted to deal with the consequences of human dignity violations in the aftermath of regime changes, violent conflicts, wars, and other historical injustices that were derivatives of gross violations for the rule of law. Transitional justice is what we needed to pursue after the Civil Rights …
Theology of Work
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In this session, we will explore the biblical and theological foundations for how we view our work in God’s economy. We will argue that work has intrinsic value and nobility because of its connection to the dominion mandate in Genesis and how the NT describes work as part of someone’s service to Christ. We will …
Theology of Work – Engage the Speaker
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In this session, we will explore the biblical and theological foundations for how we view our work in God’s economy. We will argue that work has intrinsic value and nobility because of its connection to the dominion mandate in Genesis and how the NT describes work as part of someone’s service to Christ. We will …
The Pursuit of Happiness: How Does the Economy Help the Good Life – Engage the Speaker
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In this lecture, Dr. Jay Richards connects Aristotle’s account of happiness with modern sociological and psychological surveys of happiness, and explains how they overlap and differ. He then explores how our work, especially in a high tech information economy, can contribute to both our happiness, and the happiness of others.
The Triumph of Population Growth – Engage the Speaker
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Environmental alarmists often repeat the Malthusian warning that human population growth is harmful to the planet and is unsustainable. In contrast, economists are often a bit more optimistic about human population growth. This course examines the relationship between population growth and prosperity, as well as how Austrian and other pro-population economists engaged Malthusian arguments.
The Pursuit of Happiness: How Does the Economy Help the Good Life
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In this lecture, Dr. Jay Richards connects Aristotle’s account of happiness with modern sociological and psychological surveys of happiness, and explains how they overlap and differ. He then explores how our work, especially in a high tech information economy, can contribute to both our happiness, and the happiness of others.
The Political Theology of Global Secularism
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The Economic Ways of Loving – Engage the Speaker
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To be economically literate requires neither formal training nor advanced study. For those with the inclination, the most valuable economic principles can be understood with just a little nurturing of the so-called “economic way of thinking.” In this lecture, Sarah Estelle, Ph.D. shares how she sees the economic way of thinking as instructive in some …
The Christian Humanism of Russell Kirk
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This course will examine the work and life (purpose) of Russell Amos Kirk (1918-1994) not just as the founder of post-war conservatism but also as a theological Christian Humanist, first and foremost concerned with personalism and the Incarnation. Kirk believed history should be seen as a whole, not divided into periods or dispensations. Just as …
The Christian Humanism of Russell Kirk – Engage the Speaker
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This course will examine the work and life (purpose) of Russell Amos Kirk (1918-1994) not just as the founder of post-war conservatism but also as a theological Christian Humanist, first and foremost concerned with personalism and the Incarnation. Kirk believed history should be seen as a whole, not divided into periods or dispensations. Just as …
Taking Advantage of Freedom: Solzhenitsyn on What to Do with Liberty When You Have It – Engage the Speaker
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While political, economic, and intellectual freedom is a precious gift to humans, our long history shows that we are ready to give it away. Why is that? One answer might be given from the Nobel-Prize-winning Russian writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008): when people don’t understand and use the freedom they have, they will throw it away …
Taking Advantage of Freedom: Solzhenitsyn on What to Do w/Liberty When You Have It
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While political, economic, and intellectual freedom is a precious gift to humans, our long history shows that we are ready to give it away. Why is that? One answer might be given from the Nobel-Prize-winning Russian writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008): when people don’t understand and use the freedom they have, they will throw it away …
Reconciling Libertarianism and Concern for the “Common Good”
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The idea of “the common good” is increasingly being invoked by conservatives such as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to call for a bigger and more interventionist government. The assumption is that classical liberal values have failed to create the conditions that allow people to flourish. In theory and in practice, these claims could not be …
Reconciling Libertarianism and Concern for the “Common Good” – Engage the Speaker
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The idea of “the common good” is increasingly being invoked by conservatives such as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to call for a bigger and more interventionist government. The assumption is that classical liberal values have failed to create the conditions that allow people to flourish. In theory and in practice, these claims could not be …
People: Africa’s Most Valuable Resource – Engage the Speaker
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Islam, Reason, and Freedom – Engage the Speaker
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It is no secret today that Islam has authoritarian interpretations that reject the principles of human freedom. This includes imposing religion through state power, punishing people for “apostasy” or “blasphemy,” or degrading women or minorities. This lecture will delve into the formative centuries of Islam to map out the roots of the problem, while also …
Islamic Economic Framework
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Islam, Reason, and Freedom
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It is no secret today that Islam has authoritarian interpretations that reject the principles of human freedom. This includes imposing religion through state power, punishing people for “apostasy” or “blasphemy,” or degrading women or minorities. This lecture will delve into the formative centuries of Islam to map out the roots of the problem, while also …
Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism?
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Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk, much discussion will revolve around the differences between centralized and decentralized resource allocation. Additionally, the oft-mentioned example of …
Is Democratic Socialism a Good Alternative to Capitalism? – Engage the Speaker
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Public figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have fervently promoted the idea of Democratic Socialism for the last several years. But what exactly is Democratic Socialism? How does it compare with Capitalism? In this talk, much discussion will revolve around the differences between centralized and decentralized resource allocation. Additionally, the oft-mentioned example of …
International Religious Freedom: Politics and Policies – Engage the Speaker
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How and why does the US government promote religious freedom abroad? Is it in America’s interest, or is it just American values? And what are the internal politics of the policy debate? This course will draw not only on the presenter’s experience as a political scientist but also as a former chairman of the US …
Getting Social Justice Right – Engage the Speaker
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Some people think social justice is a twentieth century invention of left-leaning thinkers, but this starts the history of social justice midstream. To understand its true meaning, we must look farther back to its real historical origins. The first known use of the phrase “social justice” was by a Jesuit Thomist, Luigi Taparelli, in his …
International Religious Freedom: Politics and Policies
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How and why does the US government promote religious freedom abroad? Is it in America’s interest, or is it just American values? And what are the internal politics of the policy debate? This course will draw not only on the presenter’s experience as a political scientist but also as a former chairman of the US …
Getting Social Justice Right
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Some people think social justice is a twentieth century invention of left-leaning thinkers, but this starts the history of social justice midstream. To understand its true meaning, we must look farther back to its real historical origins. The first known use of the phrase “social justice” was by a Jesuit Thomist, Luigi Taparelli, in his …
Do Economic and Religious Liberty Have Anything to Do with Each Other? – Engage the Speaker
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Engage the Speaker session for “Do Economic and Religious Liberty Have Anything to Do with Each Other?” – Original Lecture Description – There is a tendency to see economic freedom as less important, less fundamental, and maybe even a little disreputable as a value. This course will explore the connection between economic liberty and other …
Do Economic and Religious Liberty Have Anything to Do with Each Other?
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There is a tendency to see economic freedom as less important, less fundamental, and maybe even a little disreputable as a value. This course will explore the connection between economic liberty and other social and political freedoms with religious liberty as a special focus.
Corporate Responsibility: The Politics of Pitting Profits vs. Stakeholders
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In 2019 the Business Roundtable ambitiously sought to re-define the purpose of a corporation. Milton Friedman’s adage that the primary responsibility of a corporation is to shareholders is routinely criticized. In this lecture, David Bahnsen argues that the false dilemma of profits vs. social responsibility is a by-product of a lost understanding of Kuyperian sphere …
Corporate Responsibility: The Politics of Pitting Profits vs. Stakeholders – Engage the Speaker
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Engage the Speaker Session for “Corporate Responsibility: The Politics of Pitting Profits vs. Stakeholders” In 2019 the Business Roundtable ambitiously sought to redefine the purpose of a corporation. Milton Friedman’s adage that the primary responsibility of a corporation is to shareholders is routinely criticized. In this lecture, David Bahnsen argues that the false dilemma of …
Christian Roots of Innovation in Science and Technology – Engage the Speaker
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Engage the Speaker session for “Christian Roots of Innovation in Science and Technology” The science-technology sector is often seen as a very secular sector of human work, in part because the “warfare thesis” of longstanding and essential enmity between Christian faith and the scientific enterprise is still widely assumed today (e.g. in the popular 2014 …
Adam Smith and the Idea of Virtuous Capitalists – Engage the Speaker
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Engage the Speaker session for “Adam Smith and the Idea of Virtuous Capitalists” Adam Smith is known as the founder of economics as well as the father of capitalism. But such characterizations usually miss how essential he thought morality and virtue were to flourishing societies. In fact, Smith’s work on economics is more powerful when …
Christian Roots of Innovation in Science and Technology
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The science-technology sector is often seen as a very secular sector of human work, in part because the “warfare thesis” of longstanding and essential enmity between Christian faith and the scientific enterprise is still widely assumed today (e.g. in the popular 2014 Neil Degrasse Tyson–hosted updating of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos TV series). But the real …
Adam Smith and the Idea of Virtuous Capitalists
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Capitalists Cultural Critiques of Capitalism – Engage the Speaker
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Adam Smith is known as the founder of economics as well as the father of capitalism. But such characterizations usually miss how essential he thought morality and virtue were to flourishing societies. In fact, Smith’s work on economics is more powerful when read alongside his work on morality: Capitalists benefit from virtue and virtue flourishes …
Fair Trade vs. Free Trade – Engage the Speaker
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Engage the Speaker session on Victor Claar’s “Fair Trade vs. Free Trade” While free trade has been increasingly maligned, the Fair Trade movement has become increasingly popular over the last several years and many see it as a way to help people in the developing world and as a more just alternative to free trade–which …
The Pursuit of Happiness
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In this lecture, Jay Richards, Ph.D. connects Aristotle’s account of happiness with modern sociological and psychological surveys of happiness, and explains how they overlap and differ. He then explores how our work, especially in a high tech information economy, can contribute to both our happiness, and the happiness of others.
Fair Trade vs. Free Trade
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While free trade has been increasingly maligned, the Fair Trade movement has become increasingly popular over the last several years and many see it as a way to help people in the developing world and as a more just alternative to free trade–which many argue creates an unfair advantage that tends to harm the poor. …
Introduction to Austrian Economics
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A century and a half ago, Carl Menger at the University of Vienna founded the Austrian School of Economics, personified famously and more recently by Ludwig von Mises, F. A. Hayek, Murray Rothbard, Israel Kirzner, and others. In this introductory lecture. Mr. Reed will explain the central principles and methodology of the Austrian School and …
Cronyism and Corporate Welfare
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Income Inequality remains a pressing social and political issue in domestic and international politics. Market-based economies ensure that everyone regardless of status, political affiliation, race or gender have an opportunity-based society where they can only grow rich when they serve others. Corporate Welfare distorts the incentives of markets by inducing a culture of favoritism, public-private …
Cultural Critiques of Capitalism
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William Penn and the Experiment of American Liberty
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There are competing creation “myths” about the origins of American liberty. The Jamestown, Virginia settlers of 1607 have vied with the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony in New England for dominance in America’s self-understanding of its origins. In this lecture Alan Crippen argues that these narratives have obscured the role of William Penn and his …
The Prospects for Liberty in the Islamic World
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In a lecture titled “Islam and Freedom: The Challenge and The Hope”, Mustafa Akyol—senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity—discusses political and social problems that exist in the Muslim world, including authoritarianism and terrorism, and the prospects for finding ways to strengthen the idea of individual liberty within the Islamic …
Moral Legacy of John Maynard Keynes
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The Keynesian Revolution forever changed the way we think about, teach, and learn economics. But the Keynesian approach to the world changed the broader culture as well, leaving us bereft of a clear vision of human flourishing in our economic life.
Religious Liberty in a Secular Age
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In conformity with Nietzsche’s prophecy, the modern West is experiencing a radical desacralizing of the social order, unprecedented in world history. The great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer described it as an era in which Westerners had learned to manage life without reference to God. American sociologist Philip Rieff refers to our era as one in which …
John Foster Dulles: Faith, Freedom, and the Cold War Architect
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In this lecture, John D. Wilsey, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) explores the legacy of John Foster Dulles. John Foster Dulles was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Secretary of State from 1953 to 1959. He served in the early years of the Cold War and pursued a vigorous foreign policy …
Modern Parallels to the Fall of Rome
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The greatest civilization of ancient times expired more than 1,500 years ago but the lessons to be learned from its experience are eternal. In this lecture, Mr. Reed focuses on the Roman Republic—the key features, personalities and events that defined its rise as well as those that caused its decay in the First Century B.C. …
The Need for Christian Statemanship
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Hunter Baker’s lecture proposes recovering ideals in statesmanship and citizenship as the answer to the intense political polarization seen today.
Family Breakdown and the Economy
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Only the family can provide the sense of security and identity that every person needs. Civilization itself depends on children having a good first year. Family breakdown is expensive. Taxpayers provide programs to step in when the family fails. Businesses have trouble finding workers they need, with even basic skills. Individuals and families struggle to …
The Human Advantage: Don’t Get Replaced by a Robot
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Many experts predict that in coming years, as many of half of all jobs could be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence, leading to widespread technological unemployment. Jay Richards argues that these claims are based more on bad philosophy, not on solid evidence. Moreover, they ignore basic lessons of both history and economics. There is …
Communism in Cuba
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Communism took power in Cuba through deceit and intrigue in 1959. While Fidel Castro denied he was a communist, promising to restore democracy in the island, he began consolidating totalitarian rule and exporting revolution in Latin America and Africa. As the totalitarian dictatorship became evident, Cuba’s democratic resistance defied the Castro regime in two phases: …