I’ve been to a lot of conferences. Often, things get behind schedule due to lack of planning and discipline (which is disrespectful of the participants and speakers).
None of that at Acton University! Things run on time. You never have to guess about where to go and when.
This is one of the many benefits of attending Acton U.
Another is that the food is genuinely good for a large group of people. There are about 1000 people from (I think) 85 countries.
Last night our speaker was an amazing young man, the Brazilian prosecutor who is driving the incredibly complex and far-ranging Car Wash corruption investigation. Deltan Martinazzo Dallagnol told us last night that this isn’t just a matter of prosecuting corrupt politicians. Another true motive is to return to the public good the vast sums of money that have been misappropriated. The talk was riveting.
In the evening, after supper and the talk, a bunch of us got together and chatted over some drinks. Very pleasant.
This morning was Mass, of course, to start the day. A kind soul sent a couple of photos.
As for the courses, I stuck my head into an intriguing talk about what monks who make booze can tell us about capital. The focus was the Grand Chartreuse. My friend MNF would have been over the moon.
Here’s one of the spacious common area in the center.
A glimpse of part of today’s schedule on the well-designed appl.
I had to say hello to Sam Gregg, of course.
More later.
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Thank you, Father. Inspiring. Had to chuckle about “… how monks who make booze can tell us about capital”. I immediately thought about Thomas Woods’ great book “How the Catholic Church built Western Civilization” gives details (i.e. from the Amazon link): “How Catholic priests (sic) developed the idea of free-market economics five hundred years before Adam Smith”. A lot of it was about wine-producing on their well-managed estates. Our friends in Norcia come to mind as to how the tradition continues! Do read it, via Z-link ;)
Acton U is covered on Kresta each weekday this week. Al interviewed Sam Gregg on faith and reason in the West http://www.avemaria.net
Samuel Gregg’s lecture is intriguing. The suggested reading is a half-dozen articles including Gregg’s critiques of RR Reno (First Things) and Patrick Deneen (Notre Dame) and a rebuttal of David Bentley Hart (who believes the early Christians were Communists).
https://university.acton.org/course/liberalism-modernity-and-its-discontents
Last picture is excellent.