Lord Acton, Liberty, Conscience, and the Social Order

An introduction to Lord Acton: both his life and his major ideas. We’ll be examining how his legacy continues to inform the work of the Acton Institute and how he responded to the challenges to liberty in his own day, challenges which still very much exist in our own.

Recommended Readings

Acton, John D. Lord Acton: Historical and Moral Essays. Edited by Daniel J. Hugger.

• A collection of Lord Acton’s most important historical and moral essays introducing readers to his ideas on liberty. Includes an introduction providing historical context, outlining major themes, and making the case for Acton’s continuing relevance today.

Himmelfarb, Gertrude. Lord Acton: A Study in Conscience and Politics.

• One of those rare and beautifully written biographies that gets right to the core of its subject. Himmelfarb digs deep into Lord Acton’s notes, correspondence, and public writings, providing an illuminating portrait of Acton the historian, Catholic, and classical liberal.