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Articles by Dan Hugger
Portrait of the Artist as Based
In the most everyday sense of the word, a “con” is a trick or a swindle pulled off by means of lies or dishonesty by conmen. Truly great cons are the work of con artists. Those immersed in fan culture, however, employ the word in another sense, as a clipping of “convention.” There are Comic-Cons, Gaming-Cons, and Professional Wrestling-Cons.
William Haun Explains How and Why the Catholic Church Is a Perfect Society
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Becket senior counsel William Haun about his forthcoming book Not to Caesar but to Peter: Why the Catholic Church is a Perfect Society.
The New Right Is Wrong About the ‘Common Good’
Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. You’re reading Dispatch Faith, our weekly newsletter exploring the intersection of religion and public life from leading writers of various faiths. Hi and happy Sunday. The “common good” has become a common talking point in recent years among many folks on the right—including old-school, Reaganite conservatives and those with a more postliberal bent.
Pope Leo’s Case Against the Iran War Is Not Political
Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. You’re reading Dispatch Faith, our weekly newsletter exploring the biggest stories in religion and faith. To unlock the full version, become a Dispatch member today. Hi and happy Sunday. A pope commenting on world events—such as a war, or threats from the leader of the free world—isn’t exactly a rare occurrence.
Christmas Is God Brought Near
A perennial theme of modern holiday classics, from the ridiculous Jingle All the Way to the sublime A Charlie Brown Christmas, is the conspicuous absence of the Christmas spirit during Christmas season. In each case, the Christmas spirit is recovered.
How to Question a Pope
Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. You’re reading Dispatch Faith, our weekly newsletter reporting on the biggest stories in religion and faith. Looking for more ways to support our work? Become a Dispatch member today. Hi and happy Sunday. Since his papacy began in May, Pope Leo XIV has had a mostly warm reception among faithful Catholics and church-watchers.
Liberalism All the Way Down
In 2009, the economist Tyler Cowen began a TEDx Talk in open subversion of the format, telling the audience: “I was told to come here and tell you all stories, but what I’d like to do is instead tell you why I’m suspicious of stories. Why stories make me nervous. In fact, the more inspired a story makes me feel, very often, the more nervous I get.” He’s right to be nervous. Stories have real power, a transformative power. Power that can be used for good or for ill.
Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’ Original
Hi and happy Sunday. It should come as no surprise this week that this newsletter’s attention once again turns back to Rome, with the election of Pope Leo XIV—the first American pope—after a relatively quick papal conclave at the Vatican. Offering his perspective on the Chicago native is Dan Hugger, a researcher and writer with the Acton Institute. Following that is a “Quick Questions” interview I did with Father William McCormick, a Jesuit priest and political scientist.
Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’
From the Dispatch Faith on The Dispatch Hi and happy Sunday. It should come as no surprise this week that this newsletter’s attention once again turns back to Rome, with the election of Pope Leo XIV—the first American pope—after a relatively quick papal conclave at the Vatican. Offering his perspective on the Chicago native is Dan Hugger, a researcher and writer with the Acton Institute.
Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’ | Opinion
From the Dispatch Faith on The Dispatch Hi and happy Sunday. It should come as no surprise this week that this newsletter's attention once again turns back to Rome, with the election of Pope Leo XIV-the first American pope-after a relatively quick papal conclave at the Vatican. Offering his perspective on the Chicago native is Dan Hugger, a researcher and writer with the Acton Institute.
Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’ | Opinion
From the Dispatch Faith on The Dispatch Hi and happy Sunday. It should come as no surprise this week that this newsletter's attention once again turns back to Rome, with the election of Pope Leo XIV-the first American pope-after a relatively quick papal conclave at the Vatican. Offering his perspective on the Chicago native is Dan Hugger, a researcher and writer with the Acton Institute.
Joe Rogan, Kid Rock, Bigfoot … and the Resurrection
A little over a year ago, on one of the world’s most popular podcasts, The Joe Rogan Experience, the host Joe Rogan asked the musician Kid Rock, “If you could go to one place, where would you go?
The New Era of Religion and Politics Original
By and Published March 2, 2025 Hi and happy Sunday. Call it a vibe shift, a resetting, a realignment, a big sort, or something else. Whatever moniker you choose, there’s really no denying the U.S. is undergoing tectonic shifts in politics. On the surface, that shift may not seem as pronounced for Americans of faith—particularly Christians, who, according to some brand new Pew Research findings, still closely align with the Republican Party.
The False Battle Between Justice and Mercy Original
Hi and happy Sunday. Paramount in so many conversations about religion’s role in the public square these days seem to be understandings of both justice and mercy—and how to balance them. Take immigration, understandings of human sexuality, or the use of the death penalty—just to name a few.
Islam, Blasphemy, and the Murder of Salwan Momika Original
Plus: A review of Jonathan Rauch’s new book on Christians and democracy. By and Published February 16, 2025 While the religion news cycle in the U.S. has been dominated lately with tensions between church and state (or at least a Trump administration), in Sweden religion news has centered on a different subject: the murder of Salwan Momika. Momika, an immigrant from Iraq, had gained notoriety in recent years for lighting copies of the Quran aflame during public demonstrations against Islam.
Why J.D. Vance Is Wrong About the Catholic Church’s Mission Original
Hi, and happy Super Bowl Sunday to all who celebrate (including those of you, like me, who can’t really bring yourself to root for either the Chiefs or the Eagles). Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent criticism of Catholic bishops for their work with refugees and migrants was a surprise on many fronts. Not because Vance—whose No. 1 priority as vice president seems to be advocating for his boss’s policy preferences—took a hard line on immigration.
Why J.D. Vance Is Wrong About the Catholic Church’s Mission
From the Dispatch Faith on The Dispatch Hi, and happy Super Bowl Sunday to all who celebrate (including those of you, like me, who can’t really bring yourself to root for either the Chiefs or the Eagles). Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent criticism of Catholic bishops for their work with refugees and migrants was a surprise on many fronts. Not because Vance—whose No. 1 priority as vice president seems to be advocating for his boss’s policy preferences—took a hard line on immigration.
01/29/2025 - Midweek Links
Political Prudence as Fuzzy Thinking (Ad Fontes) On Calling and Conversation (Religion & Liberty) American Fusionism (Acton Line) Reading Genesis with Marilynne Robinson (Religion & Liberty Online) No, South Korea Was Not Poorer Than Kenya in 1960 (Global Developments) Understanding Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century (AIER) Man is Man. . . (Bradley J.
This New Year-Be Still
Open any paper, anywhere, anytime. In it you will find the news. There were many news stories throughout 2024 featuring the rise and fall of governments. Some orderly and peaceful through elections, as in the United States. Some disorderly and accompanied by violence, as in Syria. The year 2024 also had its fair share of heinous crimes and inspiring heroism. Technological innovations in artificial intelligence made headlines.
The Metaverse Does Not Exist
Last week I revisited an old essay, “The Metaverse Does Not Exist”, from the Fall 2022 issue of Religion & Liberty. It is available online at the Acton Institute’s website. The essay is an exploration, in part, of the then underwhelming and half-baked experiments in virtual living. I think it has held up well despite huge leaps made in the capabilities of large language models since publication.
A Wonderful Prosperity with the Ideal of Christ
At the World’s Parliament of Religions on September 11, 1893, a 30-year-old monk named Swami Vivekananda stood confidently on the platform. In part from inner spiritual conviction, but also out of deep historical awareness, he spoke to the rapt Chicago audience a bold, simple greeting: “Sisters and Brothers of America!” The crowd resounded with thunderous applause—an acclamation fit not for a stranger from a strange land but rather a brother returned home after a journey of many years.
Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.: Chestertonian Scholar
Pick up any of the many books by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J., and you’ll immediately notice two things. First, Schall’s immense learning and erudition is to be found on every page. Second, you’ll notice his equally ubiquitous wit and humor. The combination of scholar and raconteur is rare. Most scholarly tomes are dry as mummies and obscure as the hieroglyphs that adorn their tombs.
National Conservatism and the Great Controversy Reborn
I have tried for years to understand just what National Conservatism is. I now know. After reading dozens of essays, writing three, attended two NatCons, and engaging in innumerable conversations, I finally see the essence. It has been a journey of confusion, fustigation, alarm, appreciation, consideration, and finally a quiet, resigned understanding. In understanding, I have found peace, and if not agreement, a sweet release.
06/19/2024 Mid-Week Links
The Curious Case Of The Underselling Arena Tours (Stereogum) Orthodox Communities in the Middle East (Acton Line) Should Christians Be Afraid of Christian Nationalism?
06/12/2024 Mid-Week Links
Fixing retail with land value capture (Works in Progress Newsletter) The rise of the abundance faction (Hypertext) Why did Indian exit polls get it so very wrong?
06/04/2024 Mid-Week Links
Reinhold Niebuhr, T. S. Eliot, and The Year of Our Lord 1943 (Providence) “You Are My Friend” Early Androids and Artificial Speech (Public Domain Review) A Graves Goodbye to WWI (Religion & Liberty Online) What Does it Mean to be 'Religious'? (Graphs About Religion) The Conservative Case for Globalization (CATO Institute) The Progressive Case for Globalization (CATO Institute) Shake, Shake, Shake (Economic Forces) R. K.
05/22/2024 Mid-Week Links
Same as It Ever Was?: Eternal Recurrence in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy (Public Domain Review) The Smartphone Generation Isn’t All Right (Religion & Liberty Online) The Land Where Decency Comes From (Gerald R.
05/15/2024 Mid-Week Links
The Jordan B. Peterson Experience (Unafraid) Hayek on Hayek (Bradley J. Birzer’s Substack) Comprehensive or Constitutional Politics? (Law & Liberty) What did Henry George think about cities? (Notes on Progress) A Nobel Polemicist (Law & Liberty) The Libertarian Party Crackup (Bulwark) New Notre Dame ethics center sees pushback (Pillar) Does College Pay Off? A Comprehensive Return On Investment Analysis (The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity) Whose Speech? What Limits?
The Rambler and the Transformative Power of Magazines
“Kris, I need to know how many books.” Vehicle, boxes, packing materials, hand truck (I wasn’t going to make that mistake again—always bring a hand truck). Books. To a librarian, their names and forms are important, but before they become part of a collection, they must be numbered. I had known the generous donors, James and Mary Holland, as long as I had worked at the Acton Institute: 15 years. Well, not “known”—known of, never met. I knew their work and by extension something of their books.
05/01/2024 Mid-Week Links
A Kingdom of This World (Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy) "You Can Even Kill Them": Albert Winsemius and the Rise of Singapore (Global Developments) “That Constant control of Kingdoms”: Government and Divine Retribution in the Revolutions of 1848 (Ad Fontes) The Prisoner’s Dilemma of Non-Competes (Marginal Revolution) On Today’s Bad GDP Number, Please Remember: Imports Aren’t a “Drag on Growth” (CATO Economics) Justice and Morality in Smithian Liberalism (University Bookman) Why you...
04/24/2024 Mid-Week Links
The Soul of Work (Eventide Center for Faith & Investing) Brady, Jordan, or Hayek: Who’s the Real GOAT?
04/17/2024 Mid-Week Links
The Historian's Craft (National Affairs) The Historian's Craft: Gertrude Himmelfarb (Acton Line) Compact Magazine's Unholy Alliance (Unpopular Front) The Campus Free Speech Wars Begin at Home (Religion & Liberty Online) Economic Development is not a Zero-Sum Game (AIER) Revolution and Counter Revolution (University Bookman) Leo Strauss and the Promise of Political Philosophy (Law & Liberty) A Politics of Hope (Religion & Liberty) Progress, Rediscovered (Reason) The Religious Ransom of The Man...
On Definitions of Religion
Religion According to the Modern Academy: “Ideally, a guide to the nature and history of philosophy of religion would begin with an analysis or definition of religion. Unfortunately, there is no current consensus on a precise identification of the necessary and sufficient conditions of what counts as a religion. We therefore currently lack a decisive criterion that would enable clear rulings whether some movements should count as religions (e.g., Scientology or Cargo cults of the Pacific islands).
On Hillsdale College and Christianity
I love Hillsdale College. I am a proud alumnus. I maintain regular contact with former teachers at Hillsdale. I’ve since met faculty hired long after I left. Through the Acton Institute’s Emerging Leader’s Program, I’ve had the privilege of continuous contact with Hillsdale students for fifteen years. Since 2002, when I arrived as a student, Hillsdale College appeared to be a Christian school. The largest student organization was Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.
01/16/2024 Assorted Links
Economic Ornithology (Bird History) Eric Voegelin’s Contribution to American Political Science (Then Again) America's New Business Boom (Apricitas Economics) A Conventional Alternative to the Primaries (Law & Liberty) Newly discovered cosmic megastructure challenges theories of the universe (Guardian) History for Life (Religion & Liberty) A Sign of the Times (Good Science Project) Argentina fact of the day (Marginal Revolution) The Main Argument for Postliberalism (The Liberal Tortoise) Weird...
01/12/2024 Assorted Links
Films of 2023:Q3 (Money Illusion) Campus Idleness Has Bred Extremism (National Review) Out, Damned Spot! Out, I Say!: Statement on Omnibus Approval Order for List and Trade Bitcoin-Based Commodity-Based Trust Shares and Trust Units (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) Saving Entrepreneurship: More Hard Work, Less WeWork (Religion & Liberty Online) 748: The End of the World as We Know It (This American Life) Haunted By The Good (FUSION) The Salvation Army Then and Now (Plough) “No-strings...
11/18/2023 Assorted Links
Discover more from Reign of Conscience Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.
11/09/2023 Assorted Links
Discover more from Reign of Conscience Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.
The Devil Went Down to Wall Street – - Dan Hugger
Economics is a happy discipline in one respect at least: it enjoys the benefits of many celebrated popularizers and highly regarded popularizations. From Frédéric Bastiat to Freakonomics, economics popularization has long been a cottage industry that successfully transitioned from pamphlets to podcasts. Popular books critiquing mainstream economics from the perspective of psychology and behavioral economics have been immensely successful both commercially and scientifically.
10/24/2023 Assorted Links
Discover more from Reign of Conscience Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.
10/17/2023 Assorted Links
Discover more from Reign of Conscience Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.
Christian Humanism and the Imaginative Mysteries
A young Kansas boy moves between oil derricks, wheat fields, and abandoned buildings. He stops for only one thing: the hose. Not any ordinary hose, but a most extraordinary hose. Its contents pour forth not in trickles, streams, or torrents but gush in words, images, and pages. Not a fire hose run from a hydrant, but a library hose. It runs not from any particular library, but many places at once.
The Disordered Loves of The Last of Us
The Last of Us is the latest prestige drama from HBO and has gained near universal critical acclaim, garnering the second-largest audience for the network since 2010, trailing only the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
Unlocking the Mystery of Your Wildest Problems
The most thought-provoking scene in John Boorman’s 1981 lavish epic fantasy film, Excalibur, is one of its most understated. It’s a conversation about love. King Arthur stares enchanted by the Lady Guinevere as she dances across the great hall. After confessing his love for her, he asks the wizard Merlin if he can make her love him.
The Metaverse Does Not Exist
The metaverse does not exist, yet we’ve been talking about it for 30 years. This should not surprise, as its first appearance in the English language is in a work of fiction. The term’s precursor, “cyberspace,” is the invention of American-Canadian writer William Gibson, who introduced it in his 1982 novella, Burning Chrome, and popularized it in his 1984 novel, Neuromancer.
The Metaverse Does Not Exist
The metaverse does not exist, yet we’ve been talking about it for 30 years. This should not surprise, as its first appearance in the English language is in a work of fiction. The term’s precursor, “cyberspace,” is the invention of American-Canadian writer William Gibson, who introduced it in his 1982 novella, Burning Chrome, and popularized it in his 1984 novel, Neuromancer.
The end of Roe is the beginning of new life for citizens and their duties
Weeks after the Supreme Court’s landmark 6-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), which held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion, the nation is still struggling to come to grips with its consequences. Numerous states have laws criminalizing abortion in certain cases that have not been in effect since the precedents set by Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). One such state is Michigan.
A Playwright's Life
David Mamet’s Recessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch is about neither. Critical observations about censors and blacklists run throughout the work, as do economic arguments, but they are only two of the book’s many themes. Failed institutions loom large: political, educational, and media. Meditations on art, music, film, theater, and writing abound. Freud emerges from behind many of the chapters. The city of Chicago is often the setting.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File
A Playwright's Life – - Dan Hugger
David Mamet’s Recessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch is about neither. Critical observations about censors and blacklists run throughout the work, as do economic arguments, but they are only two of the book’s many themes. Failed institutions loom large: political, educational, and media. Meditations on art, music, film, theater, and writing abound. Freud emerges from behind many of the chapters. The city of Chicago is often the setting.
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