Albert A. van Daalen

06/12/2026

Pausbezoek van Leo XIV levert Spanje 90 tot 150 miljoen euro op. Zo drijft religieus toerisme de economie aan in 2026.

Pausbezoek van Leo XIV levert Spanje 90 tot 150 miljoen euro op. Zo drijft religieus toerisme de economie aan in 2026.

06/12/2026

Throughout history, migration has shaped civilizations — economically, culturally, and spiritually. Yet history also shows that periods of rapid demographic and religious change can generate profound questions about identity, social cohesion, and the future of shared civic life.

Taking the previous paper as a point of departure, in this paper I explore the historical relationship between migration, religion, and social stability, examining examples from the Roman Empire and medieval Spain to the Ottoman world, the United States, and contemporary Europe.

The paper argues that social tensions rarely arise from diversity alone. Rather, they tend to emerge where rapid cultural transformation coincides with weak integration mechanisms, political polarization, economic insecurity, or competing visions of public order.

Particular attention is given to the role of religion — not merely as private belief, but as a civilizational framework shaping law, morality, education, social norms, and collective identity.

History demonstrates that neither forced assimilation nor complete communal separation provides a sustainable foundation for long-term stability. Durable coexistence requires strong institutions, shared constitutional norms, reciprocal integration, and responsible political leadership.

At a time when migration and identity debates increasingly shape public discourse across Europe and beyond, historical perspective remains indispensable.

Introduction Throughout history, migration has not merely altered the demographic composition of societies; it has also reshaped religious landscapes, moral norms, political identities, and concept…

06/10/2026

De siesta-mentaliteit in Spanje gaat verder dan een dutje: het is een Spaanse cultuur van rust en verbinding.

De siesta-mentaliteit in Spanje gaat verder dan een dutje: het is een Spaanse cultuur van rust en verbinding. Wat leert het expatleven je over jezelf?

06/08/2026

Is a world without borders a moral ideal — or a political illusion?

Few contemporary ideas are as ethically ambitious as the vision of open borders. Supporters see it as the ultimate expression of universal human equality: a world in which birthplace no longer determines opportunity, where people are free to live and work wherever they choose, and where nationalism gradually gives way to global solidarity.

Yet history presents a far more complex picture.

In a new academic paper, I examine the open-borders ideal through historical, philosophical, sociological, and civilizational perspectives. Drawing on examples from the Roman Empire and the Ottoman world to contemporary Europe, the paper explores a central question:

Can societies remain socially cohesive and democratically stable without meaningful cultural and political boundaries?

The analysis argues that migration debates are never merely economic. They also concern identity, religion, social trust, institutional sustainability, and the deeper cultural foundations upon which societies are built.

The paper further examines the tension between cosmopolitan universalism and the historical reality that most stable political systems emerged within bounded communities shaped by shared norms, institutions, and civic loyalties.

History suggests that the challenge is neither absolute nationalism nor fully borderless universalism, but finding a sustainable balance between openness and cohesion, diversity and solidarity, freedom and institutional continuity.

A discussion that remains highly relevant in an increasingly interconnected — yet deeply fragmented — world.

Introduction Few political ideals are as morally ambitious as the vision of a world without borders. Advocates of open borders often present the idea as the logical culmination of universal human e…

06/03/2026

De recente aandacht van de media voor Donald Pols laat zien hoe sterk tribale reflexen nog altijd aanwezig zijn in moderne samenlevingen. De mens is immers niet alleen een rationeel wezen, maar ook een sociaal zoogdier dat al honderdduizenden jaren in groepen leeft. Uit die lange evolutionaire geschiedenis zijn complexe culturen, sociale structuren en ideologieën voortgekomen, maar ook mechanismen van groepsvorming, loyaliteit en uitsluiting.

Vanuit dat perspectief is het niet verwonderlijk dat mensen iemand blijven beoordelen op vroegere overtuigingen of gedragingen, zelfs wanneer die persoon daarvan aantoonbaar afstand heeft genomen. Verandering roept vaak meer wantrouwen op dan standvastigheid, omdat zij gevestigde beelden en groepsidentiteiten ter discussie stelt.

Toen ik nog docent geestes- en sociale wetenschappen in het hoger onderwijs was, zou dit boeiende psychologische, sociologische en filosofische vraagstuk zich uitstekend hebben geleend om samen met studenten te onderzoeken hoe theoretische inzichten zichtbaar worden in actuele maatschappelijke discussies. Het raakt immers aan fundamentele vragen over identiteit, verandering, vergeving en de mate waarin mensen in staat zijn elkaar los te zien van hun verleden.

In mijn artikel ga ik nader in op de vraag welke verschillende mechanismen tegelijk werken bij de discussie rond Donald Pols.

Terugkeer van de Verloren Zoon De recente aandacht van de media voor Donald Pols laat zien hoe sterk tribale reflexen nog altijd aanwezig zijn in moderne samenlevingen. De mens is immers niet allee…

06/03/2026

On 1 June 2026, legal philosopher Bart Jansen published an opinion article in the Dutch financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, arguing that institutions such as De Nederlandsche Bank have gradually acquired significant influence over social and economic affairs while remaining largely insulated from direct democratic accountability. Taking this observation as a point of departure, my paper explores the broader constitutional development whereby contemporary democracies increasingly delegate public authority to central banks, regulatory agencies, supervisory authorities, and supranational institutions. It argues that this development raises fundamental questions about the relationship between constitutional legitimacy, expertise, and the governance of complex social interdependencies.

My paper builds on relational constitutionalism to propose an alternative understanding of constitutional order. Constitutional law should not primarily be understood as a mechanism for protecting isolated spheres of autonomy, but as a framework for structuring the relationships that constitute social life. The administrative state emerges not merely as a concentration of power but as a symptom of the inability of prevailing constitutional theory to adequately conceptualize institutional interdependence.

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Reconstructing Constitutional Legitimacy Beyond Liberal Individualism and Technocratic Governance Abstract Contemporary constitutional democracies increasingly delegate authority to central banks, …

06/02/2026

My monograph has recently been completed and is forthcoming as a book publication.

My monograph introduces relational constitutionalism, a new theory of constitutional law that understands rights, freedoms, and institutions as fundamentally relational rather than isolated. It argues that constitutional law structures the relationships through which individual and collective freedoms acquire meaning. Applying this framework to religious freedom and property rights under the ECHR, the study demonstrates that constitutional doctrine already operates relationally, albeit without explicit theoretical recognition. The result is a more coherent account of rights adjudication, proportionality, state neutrality, and pluralism, offering a renewed foundation for liberal constitutionalism in increasingly complex and diverse societies.

06/01/2026

UPDATED PROFILE

As a padre consejero (trusted advisor), I am dedicated to balancing spiritual and business affairs, engaging with the deeper structures that shape economic and societal life. Drawing on an interdisciplinary foundation in theology, philosophy, business administration, and financial economics, I operate with a systems-level perspective on how markets, institutions, and spiritual values ​​interact.

My advisory is grounded in the conviction that economic life cannot be reduced to technical efficiency alone. Rather, it unfolds within a broader moral and metaphysical order — one in which truth, justice, and rightly understood freedom (libertas) must be held together. In this context, I seek to connect doctrine with practice, integrating analytical rigor with lived experience.

Operating across the Americas and Europe, my involvement includes selected commercial and philanthropic coordination activities relating to:
• Introductions between corporate counterparties and third-party capital participants in connection with asset-based opportunities.
• Property-related investment and development matters involving selected counterparties and strategic stakeholders.
• Commercial discussions concerning corporate finance, restructuring situations, and transaction-related matters.
• Preliminary commercial review and general transaction assessment processes for selected engagements.
• Philanthropic initiatives, stakeholder coordination, and governance-related matters.

Alongside my professional engagement in business, finance, and philantropy, as a clérigo científico (scholar of ministry), I pursue interdisciplinary studies that explore the relationships between faith, society, and economic life. This includes a sustained reflection on how freedom is to be understood — not as arbitrariness, but as a form of ordered responsibility oriented toward the common good.

Ultimately, my work aims to contribute to a deeper dialogue between disciplines and domains of human action — one that advances not only knowledge, but wisdom, and supports sound decision-making, responsible ownership, and the long-term flourishing of society.

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06/01/2026

WAAROM HET GEVAARLIJK IS OM TE GELOVEN IN EEN PERFECTE WERELD!

Het debat over moralisme versus moraal raakt aan een van de oudste vragen van de filosofie: hoe kunnen mensen streven naar het goede zonder zichzelf tot maatstaf van het goede te maken?

Mijn artikel hierover sluit sterk aan bij Spinoza's begrijpen, Arendts banaliteit van het kwaad, Niebuhrs kritiek op utopisch idealisme, Berlins waardenpluralisme en Camus' idee van maat.

Opvallend genoeg komt het daarmee ook dicht in de buurt van Grunbergs observatie in een recente NRC-podcast dat de belofte van een perfecte wereld gevaarlijk kan zijn, juist omdat zij mensen verleidt zichzelf als de "goeden" te beschouwen en anderen als obstakels op weg naar het paradijs. Dat is een gedachte die filosofisch gezien verrassend diep geworteld is.

Onze tijd wordt vaak beschreven als een tijd van morele verwarring. Toch lijkt het tegenovergestelde minstens zo waar. Nog nooit werd er zo veel gesproken over goed en kwaad, rechtvaardigheid en on…

05/29/2026

In modern society, spirituality and business are often treated as separate worlds. One is associated with meaning, ethics, and human dignity; the other with markets, competition, and economic performance.

Yet throughout history, economic life was never viewed as morally neutral. Trade, leadership, ownership, and finance were understood as carrying social and ethical responsibilities.

As societies face rising polarization, technological disruption, institutional distrust, and growing pressure on social cohesion, the question becomes increasingly relevant: How can business remain economically effective while also remaining deeply human?

In my latest article, based on my practical experience, including the errors, corrections, and optimizations, I explore the relationship between spiritual and business affairs – not as opposing forces, but as complementary dimensions of responsible leadership and sustainable societal development.

Topics include:
• Human dignity in economic systems
• Stewardship versus short-term profit maximization
• Ethical leadership and institutional trust
• The social role of entrepreneurship and capital
• Artificial intelligence and the future of human-centered economics

Ultimately, the challenge is not to spiritualize business superficially, but to reconnect economic activity with responsibility, integrity, and long-term societal value.

Because economies function best when they are built not only on capital and efficiency, but also on trust, ethics, and human purpose.

In modern society, spiritual life and business affairs are often treated as separate worlds. Spirituality is associated with meaning, ethics, compassion, and transcendence, while business is freque…