Essays in Religion, Politics, and Morality (Selected Writings of Lord Acton, Vol 3) (v. 3) [Hardcover]

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0865970505 | ISBN-13: 978-0865970502

European History

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

H B Acton (1908-1974) taught at Bedford College (London), the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Chicago; was editor of Philosophy, the influential journal of the British Royal Institute of Philosophy; and wrote, among other books, The Morals of Markets (1971; Liberty Fund, 1993) and The Philosophy of Language in Revolutionary France (1959).

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 716 pages
• Publisher: Liberty Fund (February 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865970505
• ISBN-13: 978-0865970502
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-Provoking Essays, Religious and Political..., June 16, 2002

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R. Setliff - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essays in Religion, Politics, and Morality (Selected Writings of Lord Acton, Vol 3) (v. 3) (Hardcover)

Acton is probably most known for his quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (1804-1902) was born to a wealthy English aristocrat and become a brilliant scholar. He was Victorian England's most renowned historian and political thinker. Acton was a Roman Catholic educated under the Catholic historian Ignaz von Dollinger in Munich. Acton found the idea of Papal Infallibility to be appalling. To Acton, holding the Vatican on a pedestal as the infallible arbiter of religious and moral conscience was detrimental to the cause of liberty. Acton was a classical liberal who seems to possess the prescriptive wisdom and prudence of Edmund Burke when it comes to politics.

This collection of essays and commentary features a selection of Acton's thoughts on the interrelation between church and state, religion, politics and morality. The first section features essays on Liberal Catholicism; the second section includes Acton's commentary on the Vatican Council; and the third section features Perspectives on History, Religion and Morality. The fourth and final section features an intriguing collection of quotations on various topics like Liberty, Conscience, Church, Democracy, Federalism, Nationality, Property and Socialism to name a few. This final section makes the book very useful resource for Acton's witticisms. I don't wholeheartedly embrace all of the ideas of Acton, but this book is nonetheless an eye-openning window into European Old Whig political thought during the 19th century.