The Curious Task

Stefanie Haeffele - Can We Live Better Together?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Stefanie Haeffele about her book Living Better Together, which explores the work of Elinor Ostrom and Viviana Zelizer.

Episode Notes:

"Living Better Together" by Stefanie Haeffele and Virgil Henry Storr:

https://a.co/d/hJNCxw6

Viviana Zelizer's homepage at Princeton:

https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/viviana-zelizer

Elinor Ostrom's bio and short autobiography on the Nobel website:

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/ostrom/facts/

Nonneutrality of Money in a Social Perspective by Julia Włodarczyk

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274184545_Nonneutrality_of_Money_in_a_Social_Perspective

Zelizer's "Circuits of Commerce"

https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520241367.003.0009

Ostrom's "Governing The Commons"

https://a.co/d/gcUDVWq

Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy by
Viviana A. Zelizer

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691139364/economic-lives

"Testing Circuits of Commerce in the Distant Past: Archaeological Understandings of Social Relationships and Economic Lives"
by: Crystal A. Dozier

https://www.springerprofessional.de/testing-circuits-of-commerce-in-the-distant-past-archaeological-/23930708

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia? (Part Two)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In part two of this episode from 2022, Alex speaks again with philosopher Eric Mack about "Anarchy, State and Utopia", this time touching on some of the challenges to Nozick's theory and Eric's own personal connection to Robert Nozick during his life.

References

1. Part 1 of Eric Mack’s The Curious Task Episode on “Why Read Anarchy, State, and Utopia?”

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-145-eric-mack-why-read-anarchy-state-and-utopia/

2. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/

3. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006

4. “Who Would Choose Socialism” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://reason.com/1978/05/01/who-would-chose-socialism/

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia?

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Philosopher Eric Mack about Robert Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" and how the book shaped the conversation around natural rights theory, philosophical libertarianism, and the study of political utopias for decades to come.

References

1. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/

2. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006

3. “Robert Nozick” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Nozick

4. “Murray Rothbard” by Mises Institute

Link: https://mises.org/profile/murray-n-rothbard

5. “A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Justice-Revised-John-Rawls/dp/0674000781

Eric Schliesser - Is Post-Liberalism Already Here?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the growing declarations of the end of liberalism and what this means for the socio-political future in general.

Episode Notes:

Eric Schliesser’s page at the University of Amsterdam https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/s/c/e.s.schliesser/e.s.schliesser.html#Publications
Kevin Vallier’s episode of this podcast discussing religious anti-liberalism: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/197-kevin-vallier-what-are-the-new-religious-threats-to-liberalism/
Adrian Vermeulen’s publications https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/adrian-vermeule/
Tom Pink’s page at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
Yoram Hazony’s book on conservatism: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
Jacob Levy on borders and liberalism: https://www.niskanencenter.org/law-and-border/

Reem Ibrahim - Did Brexit Succeed?

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Matt speaks with Reem Ibrahim about whether Brexit can be considered a success six years after the UK left the European Union. They examine the classical-liberal case for Brexit (focused on sovereignty, deregulation, and free trade) and contrast it with a post-Brexit reality in which many EU-era regulations, trade barriers, and interventionist policies remain. While the most catastrophic “Project Fear” predictions did not come true, Ibrahim argues that Brexit’s promised freedoms have largely gone unused, leaving its long-term success still unresolved.

References

Brexit Referendum (2016) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

Project Fear — https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-take-back-control-trumped-project-fear/

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)’s Analysis of Brexit’s impact on trade — https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Perspectives_5_Has-Brexit-really-harmed-UK-trade__web-1.pdf

Brexit: The Movie — https://www.youtube.com/c/brexitthemovie

UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en

CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) — https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uk-and-the-comprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp

Working Time Directive — https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/working-time-directive_en

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.

To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Franco Terrazzano - What Is Government Waste?

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Alex speaks with Franco Terrazano about government spending, taxation, and fiscal accountability in Canada, with a focus on how deficits, debt, and expanding bureaucracy effect affordability for ordinary Canadians. Franco outlines where federal spending has grown most rapidly, critiques the lack of clear priorities and performance measurement, and explains how interest payments on the debt increasingly crowd out core public services.

References

Canadian Taxpayers Federation https://www.taxpayer.com/

Federal Budget of Canada (most recent edition) https://budget.canada.ca/home-accueil-en.html

Public Accounts of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/payments-accounting/public-accounts.html

Canada’s Debt and Interest Charges https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/federal-and-provincial-debt-interest-costs-for-canadians-2025.pdf

Government Program Spending Growth Since 2015 https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/explaining-growth-federal-program-spending-2015

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Sabine Benoit - Why Is Canada In A Housing Crisis?

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Alex interviews Sabine Benoit of the Consumer Choice Center on Canada’s housing crisis. Sabine argues the main causes are chronic undersupply plus policy barriers: zoning that blocks “missing middle” density, long approval timelines/red tape, and high development fees that get passed to buyers. They also cover why immigration is often scapegoated despite being only part of the story, and why governments should focus on enabling private building (and targeted skilled-trades immigration) rather than new government developer programs.

References:

Consumer Choice Center (CCC): https://consumerchoicecenter.org/
Sabine’s article in The Hub: https://thehub.ca/2026/01/14/only-the-richest-canadians-are-able-to-afford-homes-its-time-to-free-the-market-deepdive/
TD Economics Housing Market Outlook: https://economics.td.com/ca-provincial-housing-outlook
Scotiabank study: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/economics/economics-publications/post.other-publications.housing.housing-note.housing-note--march-19-2025-.html
CMHC Supply Study: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-research/research-reports/accelerate-supply/canadas-housing-supply-shortages-a-new-framework

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Graeme Thompson - What Is Canada's Role In The World?

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this conversation from 2025, Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about Canada's evolving role on the global stage, from Confederation through to the post-Cold War era and into the geopolitical uncertainties of today. They explore Canada’s historical balancing act between major powers, its close alignment with the United Kingdom and later the United States, and its present-day challenges in maintaining global relevance amid military underinvestment and economic stagnation. Thompson argues that Canada must become more serious about geopolitics if it wants to protect its sovereignty and remain influential internationally.

References

“Canadians no longer take geopolitics seriously – and our neglect is going to cost us” by Graeme Thompson (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2024-04-03/graeme-thompson-canadians-no-longer-take-geopolitics-seriously-and-our-neglect-is-going-to-cost-us/
Biography Collection: Ogdensburg Agreement and Canadian Wartime Diplomacy (Dictionary of Canadian Biography)
https://www.biographi.ca/en/topics/topic-match-list.php?id=1504
Statute of Westminster (1931) – Recognized Canada’s legislative independence from Britain
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster
NATO Archives: Canada's Role and Early Involvement
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm
Canada–U.S. Automotive Products Agreement (Auto Pact)
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-us-automotive-products-agreement
Lament for a Nation by George Grant
https://a.co/d/bnRI7Rb
Canada’s Military Expenditure and NATO’s 2% Spending Target (Parliamentary Budget Officer)
https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2223-010-S--canada-military-expenditure-nato-2-spending-target--depenses-militaires-canada-objectif-depenses-2-otan

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Abigail Hall - How Does Government Propaganda Manufacture Militarism?

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Abigail Hall about propaganda - an elusive and at times far-reaching concept that can be found everywhere: from overt wartime speeches by presidents to covert uses of sports and film to promote the ends of state militarism.

References

1. “Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

2. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272

3. Abigail Hall’s Previous Episode on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-13-abigail-hall-%e2%80%94-how-does-foreign-policy-create-a-boomerang-effect-at-home/

4. “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On

5. “Uncle Sam” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam

6. “Smith-Mundt Act” by US Agency for Global Media

Link: https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/smith-mundt/

7. “Dick Cheney” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dick-Cheney

8. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Colin Powell (1937-2021)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/powell-colin-luther

9. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954-)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/rice-condoleezza

10. “Pat Tillman” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Tillman

11. “The Life and Death of Phil Strub” by Spy Culture

Link: https://www.spyculture.com/the-life-and-death-of-phil-strub/

12. “Windtalkers” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245562/

13. “Top Gun” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/

14. "Transformers" by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/

Chris Coyne - How Do You Run A War?

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications.

Episode Notes:

Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145

1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-War-Bruce-Knight/dp/B000OMR1KG

2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499

3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/

4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville

5. Otto Neurath's "Through War Economy to Economy in Kind" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_5

6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

What Is The Path Out Of Poverty? - Randy Hicks

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Randy Hicks (CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity) about why jobs and social capital matter, how government programs can stabilize but often fail to help people escape poverty, and what reforms might better support work and self-sufficiency. They also discuss the benefits cliff, UBI, the role of civil society (including faith-based organizations), Utah’s “one door” model, and the minimum wage.

References

The Georgia Center for Opportunity: https://foropportunity.org/
Alliance for Opportunity: https://allianceforopportunity.com/
The "One-Door Path": https://allianceforopportunity.com/focus/safety-nets/one-door-2/
“Benefits cliff”: https://freopp.org/whitepapers/fixing-the-broken-incentives-in-the-u-s-welfare-system/
Milton Friedman and the Negative Income Tax proposal: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/NegativeIncomeTax.html
Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs and the dignity/value of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17ip3ZwG0Q

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Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Kevin Erdmann - Why Are We Afraid Of Building Homes?

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing.

Episode Notes:

Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre:

https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann

The Erdmann Housing Tracker:

https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/

Kevin on X:

https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Kevin's book "Shut Out: How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled our Economy" on Amazon Canada:

https://a.co/d/gIh82Og

What Is The New Right? - Sean Speer

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Matt speaks with Sean Speer about the rise of the so-called “New Right” and the growing tension between conservatism and classical liberalism. Speer defends a fusionist vision rooted in ordered liberty, pluralism, and institutional restraint, arguing that attempts to use state power to impose cultural outcomes misunderstand how culture actually evolves. Together, they explore elite anxiety, civil society, immigration, and why liberal means remain essential even for those with conservative ends.

References

Sean's author page at The Hub:

https://thehub.ca/author/seanspeer/

What Is Conservatism? — edited by Frank S. Meyer
https://a.co/d/5suzcP4

The Road to Serfdom — F. A. Hayek
https://a.co/d/evGqw3L

The Crooked Timber of Humanity — Isaiah Berlin
https://a.co/d/4PuAvLB

Bourgeois Dignity / Bourgeois Equality — Deirdre McCloskey
https://a.co/d/8B7qlQV

The Anywhere vs Somewhere Divide — David Goodhart (interview)
https://www.commonplace.org/p/somewheres-and-anywheres-with-david

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Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

What Do Companies Owe Society? - Abraham Singer

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Alex speaks with Abraham Singer about his book Everyone’s Business, exploring why businesses and other private organizations should be understood not only as economic entities but as political communities that shape power, responsibility, and moral life. Singer explains how firms structure our choices, why classical liberals must take internal organizational governance more seriously, and what it means to treat workplaces as sites of real political and ethical significance.

References

Everyone’s Business: Toward a New Understanding of How Organizations Shape Our Lives - Abraham Singer
https://a.co/d/iz5yWEU

“The Form Of The Firm” - Abraham Singer
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-form-of-the-firm-9780197586860?cc=ca&lang=en&

Abraham's Scholarly Articles
https://abrahamsinger.weebly.com/research.html

“The Political Nature of the Firm and the Cost of Norms” - Abraham Singer
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26550924

Private Government - Elizabeth Anderson
https://a.co/d/gNrwGK2

The Nature of the Firm - Ronald Coase
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2626876

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Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

What's Wrong With The Notwithstanding Clause? - Leonid Sirota

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Alex speaks with constitutional scholar Leonid Sirota about the notwithstanding clause—what it does, how it functions within Canada’s constitutional architecture, and why its routine use undermines the very rights the Charter is meant to protect. Drawing on arguments from his National Post piece and earlier writing, Sirota explains why Section 33 was intended as an exceptional political safeguard, not a convenient escape hatch for governments, and why treating it as a routine tool erodes constitutionalism, weakens judicial oversight, and shifts the balance of power away from individuals and toward the state.

References

Leonid Sirota, “Yes, the notwithstanding clause overrides rights. No, it isn’t defensible.” — National Post
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/leonid-sirota-yes-the-notwithstanding-clause-overrides-rights-no-it-isnt-defensible

“The Case Against the Notwithstanding Clause” — Leonid Sirota (Double Aspect)
https://doubleaspect.blog/2018/10/04/the-case-against-the-notwithstanding-clause/

“Notwithstanding Myths” — Leonid Sirota (Double Aspect)
https://doubleaspect.blog/2025/11/10/notwithstanding-myths/

Peter W. Hogg, Constitutional Law of Canada
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/faculty_books/219/

The Constitution Act, 1982 (Section 33 — the Notwithstanding Clause)
https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art33.html

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

How Can We Do Indigenous Reconciliation Better? - Karen Restoule

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Matt interviews Karen Restoule on the challenge of Indigenous reconciliation in Canada. Restoule stresses that true reconciliation must begin by re-embracing the vision of coexistence enshrined in early agreements such as the Treaty of Niagara — a relationship based on mutual respect and shared sovereignty — and not merely through state apologies or symbolic gestures.

References

Karen Restoule: Reconciliation requires looking back to move forward — The Hub (2025)
https://thehub.ca/2025/09/30/karen-restoule-reconciliation-requires-looking-back-to-move-forward/
Karen Restoule — profile and bio (Macdonald-Laurier Institute)
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/cm-expert/karen-restoule/
“’The best is yet to come’ for Indigenous peoples: Karen Restoule on why reconciliation is a tangible goal and not a romantic notion” — Hub Dialogues (podcast)
https://thehub.ca/podcast/audio/karen-restoule-on-why-reconciliation-is-a-tangible-goal-and-not-a-romantic-notion/
“An Overview of the Indian Residential School System” — Union of Ontario Indians / research compiled by Karen Restoule (PDF)
https://www.anishinabek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/An-Overview-of-the-IRS-System-Booklet.pdf
Reconciliation Canada — about the non-profit working on reconciliation history & public awareness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_Canada
“The Baroness von Sketch Show” — sketch series (mentioned in episode)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlG17C19nYo
Karen’s social media post with the map referred to in the episode: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7394536450693718016/
Amber Midthunder’s guest appearance on Reservation Dogs (mentioned in episode)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8UpKVImNcU

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

How Did Hungary Become Illiberal? - Zoltan Kesz

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Matt digs into modern Hungarian politics with Zoltan Kesz, exploring how Viktor Orbán evolved from a young liberal reformer into an illiberal, Putin-aligned strongman presiding over a reactionary kleptocracy. Zoltan breaks down how Orbán consolidated power, manipulated institutions, reshaped the media, and abandoned liberalism while Hungary’s economy and democratic norms declined.

References:

Zoltan at LibertyCon: https://libertycon.net/speaker/zoltan-kesz/

Zoltan at Emerging Europe: https://emerging-europe.com/author/zoltan-kesz/

BBC's Analysis of Viktor Orban: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67832416

"How Viktor Orban Wins" at Journal of Democracy: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/how-viktor-orban-wins/

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Thanks to our supporters—including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Should The State Be In Charge Of The Post? - Moin Yahya

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

ILS Educational Programs Manager Alex Eames speaks with Moin Yahya about whether the state should run the postal service. They explore the history of Canada Post’s monopoly, competition and innovation in mail delivery, and why Lysander Spooner’s 19th-century rebellion still matters for debates about government-run enterprises today.

References:

Moin A. Yahya — Faculty Profile (University of Alberta, Law)
https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/myahya
Canada Post Corporation Act (Justice Laws, Government of Canada)
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10/
Lysander Spooner, The Unconstitutionality of the Laws of Congress Prohibiting Private Mails (1844) — full text
https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/spooner-the-unconstitutionality-of-the-laws-of-congress-prohibiting-private-mails-1844
American Letter Mail Company (Spooner’s private competitor to the U.S. Post) — Overview (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Letter_Mail_Company
Royal Mail — Background & 2013 Privatization (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail

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Thanks to our patrons—especially Kris Rondolo—for supporting The Curious Task. To join them: https://patreon.com/curioustask

What Is Technohumanism? - Jason Crawford

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress Institute) about “technohumanism”—the view that science, technology, and industry are good insofar as they advance human flourishing. They dig into agency vs. accelerationism, why progress creates new problems to solve, and where the next big gains may come from (AI, biotech, nuclear, housing, etc.).

References

Announcing “The Techno-Humanist Manifesto” — Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress)
https://blog.rootsofprogress.org/announcing-the-techno-humanist-manifesto

Technohumanism — Overview & Chapters (official project site)
https://technohumanist.org/

Roots of Progress (main site / institute)
https://rootsofprogress.org/

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Thanks to our supporters—including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Can Halloween Save Democracy? - Rachel Humphries

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Matt speaks with Rachel Davison Humphries, Senior Director of Civic Learning Initiatives at the Bill of Rights Institute, about how rituals like Halloween can strengthen democracy by building trust and social capital in communities.

References

“Halloween Treats for Democracy” — Rachel Davison Humphries (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/halloween-treats-for-democracy-c8e861ba
Rachel Davison Humphries — Profile (Bill of Rights Institute)
https://oll.libertyfund.org/people/rachel-d-humphries
Rachel Davison Humphries on the Bill of Rights Institute and the Importance of Civics Projects — Getting Smart Podcast episode
https://www.gettingsmart.com/podcast/rachel-davison-humphries-on-the-bill-of-rights-institute-and-the-importance-of-civics-projects/
Democracy in America — Alexis de Tocqueville
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/815

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Mustafa Akyol — How Free Is The Muslim World?

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Mustafa Akyol as he explores whether Islam can be compatible with liberalism, and his recent research on freedom in Muslim-majority countries.

References from Episode 70 with Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol is the author of Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next? (Turkish), Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty, The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims, and his book set for release in April 2021, Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (all available titles hyperlinked to Amazon Canada store pages).
You can read Mustafa’s articles featured on his profile on the CATO Institute’s website at this link.
The concluding segment of this podcast was dedicated to discussing Mustafa’s findings in his study, Freedom in the Muslim World, which was published on the Cato Institute’s website and is available for reading here.
Mustafa quotes the observation that Islam had compatible socio-legal setups for embracing liberal society early on had it abided by its foundational teachings from Professor David Forte’s article, Islam’s Trajectory. This article can be read on the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s website at this link.
One of the themes in his upcoming book, Reopening Muslim Minds, Mustafa cites Ash’arism as one of the theological paradigms predating modernity which gave rise to the insularity in Islamic philosophy towards thoughts not originating from revelation. The journal Studia Islamica has an article recounting the religious history of Ash’arism and can be accessed at this link through an active JSTOR account.
Mustafa briefly mentions the Euthyphro Dilemma (Wikipedia), Divine Command Theory (Michael W. Austin, Eastern Kentucky University), and Ethical Objectivism (Oxford Reference) whilst discussing the different camps in Islamic thought. More can be read about these topics through their respective hyperlinks.
You can read more about philosopher John Locke’s premises on toleration of religion and heresy here (A Letter Concerning Toleration courtesy of McMaster University), as well as his view on the separation of church and state at this link (Liberty Fund).
While literature on Islamic liberalism is vast, a good place to start is this article titled What Is Liberal Islam?: The Sources of Enlightend Muslim Thought featured in the Journal of Democracy at this link.
This article on Deutsche Welle summarizes the domestic and international tensions stemming from the cartoons of religious caricatures that were published in France.
Mustafa quotes Daniel Philpott’s book, Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (available on Amazon Canada), about how Islam “had seeds of freedom, but those seeds need to be cultivated.”
You can read the excerpt where the French jurist, Jean Bodin, commended the religious freedom of the Ottoman empire compared to the denominational violence amongst Christians in Europe in Daniel Goffman’s book, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe here.
Here are Wikipedia articles to the controversy of Islamic scarfs in France, policing over the burkini, and Saudi Arabia’s legislation on public head coverings for women.

How Is Conservatism Changing In Canada? - Sam Routley

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Alex speaks with political researcher Sam Routley about how conservatism is changing in Canada. Drawing on his article “Decoding Canada’s Conservative Coalition” published in The Hub, Routley explains why Canada’s conservative movement has remained more stable than those in other Western democracies, where right-wing politics have undergone dramatic upheavals. They discuss the historical roots of Canada’s “fusionist” conservatism, the economic and cultural shifts driving new tensions between working-class and knowledge-economy voters, and how Pierre Poilievre’s brand of populism fits within Canada’s longstanding political traditions.

References:

DeepDive: Decoding Canada’s Conservative coalition — Sam Routley (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2025/09/27/deepdive-decoding-canadas-conservative-coalition/ The Hub
Sam Routley — Author Page (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/author/samroutley/ The Hub
Stephen Harper embraced pragmatic, incremental change. Does Pierre Poilievre have grander ambitions? — Sam Routley (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2024/10/11/sam-routley-stephen-harper-embraced-pragmatic-incremental-change-does-pierre-poilievre-have-grander-ambitions/ The Hub
Canada’s hard-fought immigration consensus is crumbling before our eyes — Sam Routley (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2024/04/10/sam-routley-canadas-hard-fought-immigration-consensus-is-crumbling/ The Hub
Canada needs new political experts — Sam Routley (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2023/11/09/sam-routley-canada-needs-new-political-experts/ The Hub
How Canada’s Conservatives Should Solve Their Free Trade Confusion — Sam Routley (C2C Journal)
https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/07/how-canadas-conservatives-should-solve-their-free-trade-confusion/ C2C Journal
Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption — Stephen J. Harper (Indigo)
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/right-here-right-now-politics-and-leadership-in-the-age-of-disruption/9780771038624.html Indigo

---

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Neil Boyd - Does Drug Decriminalization Work?

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Neil Boyd about the effects of drug decriminalization and legalization in Canada and around the world, and how regulation and criminalization can have positive or negative impacts on users of various substances and the communities around them.

References

1. “Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 1996” by the Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/

2. “Cannabis Act, 2018” by Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-24.5/

Jason Lee Byas - How Should We Deal With Historic Injustice?

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Jason Lee Byas about the complexities of responding to questions of historic injustice, reparations, and compensation within a libertarian framework.

References

1. Articles by Jason Lee Byas, Center for a Stateless Society

Link: https://c4ss.org/content/author/jason-byas

2. “Rectification and Historic Injustice” by Jason Lee Byas

Link: https://philpapers.org/archive/BYARAH.pdf

3. “A Black Commons: A Framework for Recognition, Reconciliation, and Reparations” by Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone

Link: https://www.academia.edu/113180745/The_Black_CommonsA_Framework_for_Recognition_Reconciliation_Reparations

4. “Compensation for Historic Injustices: Completing the Boxill and Sher Argument” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40212837.pdf

5. “Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions” by David Boonin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Should-Race-Matter-Unusual-Questions/dp/0521149800

6. “The Ethics of Liberty” by Murray N. Rothbard

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594

7. “Historical Rights and Fair Shares” by A. John Simmons

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3505011

8. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

9. “Apologies and Moral Repair: Rights, Duties, and Corrective Justice” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apologies-Moral-Repair-Corrective-Justice/dp/0367508036

Seth Kaplan - Why Are Neighbourhoods Important?

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this coversation from 2023, Matt speaks with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods, and why a decision as simple as where we choose to live can often make the difference between lives of prosperity and lives of uncertainty and strife.

Seth's book can be ordered here:

https://a.co/d/aqUzRny

Andrew Coyne - Why Is Canadian Democracy In Crisis?

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Alex speaks with journalist and author Andrew Coyne about why Canadian democracy is in crisis. Drawing from his book The Crisis of Canadian Democracy, Coyne explains how the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office, the erosion of cabinet and caucus independence, and the iron grip of party discipline have hollowed out Parliament. They explore electoral reform, regional alienation, and voter disengagement, and discuss why Canada’s institutions now fail to hold leaders accountable. Coyne argues that the issue is systemic: a slow but steady weakening of democratic norms that requires serious institutional repair if Canadian democracy is to endure.

References

The Crisis of Canadian Democracy — Andrew Coyne
https://a.co/d/49B2UrX

Andrew Coyne — Columns (The Globe and Mail)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/andrew-coyne/

Canada’s Democracy Is in Crisis: Andrew Coyne on GCD #3 — Macdonald-Laurier Institute
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/canadas-democracy-is-in-crisis-andrew-coyne-on-gcd-3-in-the-post/

Q&A: MPs ‘Utterly Subservient’ to Leaders — Coyne on Reforming Canada’s Democratic System — The Hill Times
https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/06/26/qa-mps-utterly-subservient-to-leaders-says-andrew-coyne-who-proposes-a-path-away-from-that-anti-democratic-system/465123/

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Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Tyler Cowen - Who Is The Greatest Economist Of All Time?

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2024,

Matt speaks with Tyler Cowen about his recent book "GOAT:
Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter?", as they discuss the case for and against each of the top finalists, and the interactive AI features that Tyler has integrated into the book's online release.

Episode Notes:

The full book plus all interactive AI features can be found for free here: https://goatgreatesteconomistofalltime.ai/en

Aaron Powell - Is Fusionism Dead?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Aaron Powell about the origins of fusionism, where it stands today, and why non-traditional alliances might be the way of the future.

References

1. Free Thoughts Podcast

Link: https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts

2. ReImagining Liberty Podcast

Link: https://www.reimaginingliberty.com/podcast/

3. “After protests, Disney CEO speaks out against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” by Elizabeth Blair

Link: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/08/1085130633/disney-response-florida-bill-dont-say-gay

4. “An Introduction to Marxism for Non-Marxists” ReImagined Podcast Episode

Link: https://www.reimaginingliberty.com/an-introduction-to-marxism-for-non-marxists-w-ian-bennett/

Mike Munger - What Is The Difference Between Directionalism and Destinationism?

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2023, Alex and Mike Munger discuss two strains of thought within the liberty movement - one concerned with philosophical purity and cohesion, the other with advancement towards a common ideal of greater freedom for all.

Episode Notes:

Mike's article "The Right Kind of Nothing": https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-right-kind-of-nothing/

An introduction to Coasian bargaining:

http://www.ejolt.org/2015/09/coasian-bargaining-2/

The Piece commissioned by Leonard Read by Milton Friedman and George Stigler on Rent Control:

https://fee.org/resources/roofs-or-ceilings-the-current-housing-problem/

Mike Munger's piece "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"

https://www.aier.org/article/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-directionalists-vs-destinationists/

James Buchanan on Relatively Absolute Absolutes

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11127-021-00883-0

Pete Boettke - Is Hayek Still Relevant?

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Pete Boettke about the relevancy of Friedrich Hayek in the contemporary context, what it means to be a "Hayekian" and the curious tale of how Hayek came to be the focus of his latest book "F. A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy"

Episode Notes

Pete’s book “F. A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy“ https://a.co/d/ah7SpwW
Hayek on The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/
Introduction to Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” https://mises.org/library/road-serfdom-0
Murray Rothbard’s “Man, Economy and State” retrospective https://fee.org/articles/rothbards-man-economy-and-state-at-50/
Milton Friedman’s “Free To Choose” https://www.proglocode.unam.mx/sites/proglocode.unam.mx/files/docencia/Milton%20y%20Rose%20Friedman%20-%20Free%20to%20Choose.pdf
Hayek “Prices and Production” https://mises.org/library/prices-and-production-and-other-works
Introduction to economics of Lucas https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Lucas.html
Steve Horowitz on Hayek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5dR0zgC1ZI
Herbert Dreyfuss “What Computers Can’t Do” https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262540674/what-computers-still-cant-do/
Horowitz quote on Hayek “we have to learn to live in two worlds at once” https://www.jstor.org/stable/41560288
Hayek’s “The Fatal Conceit” https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo3643985.html
Kenneth Boulding “After Samuelson, Who Needs Adam Smith?” https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/3/2/225/12381/After-Samuelson-Who-Needs-Adam-Smith
- “The Extended Present” (concept) https://medium.com/extended-present/about
The “Grapes vs. Cucumbers as pay for Monkeys” experiment (youtube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg
The Constitution of Liberty - Hayek https://www.mises.at/static/literatur/Buch/hayek-the-constitution-of-liberty.pdf
Chandran Kukathas’ Liberal Archipelago https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-liberal-archipelago-9780199219209?cc=ca&lang=en&
Kind vs. Wicked learning environments. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/experience-studio/202007/experience-kind-vs-wicked

Robert Poole - What's Wrong With America's Highways?

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Alex speaks with transportation policy expert Robert Poole about his book Rethinking America’s Highways. Poole makes the case for replacing the current tax-funded, politically managed highway system with a customer-focused, market-based model. He outlines how tolling, public-private partnerships, and long-term concessions can improve infrastructure, reduce congestion, and provide sustainable funding. The discussion examines lessons from international examples, the political and technical barriers to reform, and why a shift in mindset is essential for meeting America’s future mobility needs.

References

Rethinking America’s Highways — Robert Poole
https://a.co/d/1gu8lWE

Robert Poole — Reason Foundation Profile
https://reason.org/author/robert-poole/

Modernizing the Interstate Highway System via Toll Finance — Robert Poole (Reason Foundation)
https://reason.org/policy-study/modernizing-the-interstate-highway/

Funding & Finance — Eno Center for Transportation
https://enotrans.org/topics/funding-finance/

The Big Roads — Earl Swift
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-big-roads

Infrastructure Economics and Policy: International Perspectives — José A. Gómez-Ibáñez & Zhi Liu (eds.)
https://www.booktopia.com.au/infrastructure-economics-and-policy-jose-a-gomez-ibanez/book/9781558444188.html

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Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Kevin Vallier - What Are The New Religious Threats To Liberalism?

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Kevin Vallier about his new book "All The Kingdoms Of The World", in which he takes a global view of anti-liberal integralist strands in political thought and warns of the consequences of following them toward a rejection of liberal freedom and democracy.

Episode Notes:

The conversation focuses primarily on Kevin’s book:
- https://www.kevinvallier.com/books/all-the-kingdoms-of-the-world-radical-religious-alternatives-liberalism/
Introduction to Catholic Political Integralism:
- https://thejosias.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integralism
Introduction to islamic political anti-liberalism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamism
“The Confucian Tradition and Politics” Youngmin Kim, Ha-Kyoung Lee and Seongun Park https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.991

Brian Dijkema - Did Liberalism Fail?

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Matt speaks with Brian Dijkema of Cardus, about the moral limits of modern liberalism. Dijkema argues that while classical liberalism emerged from a tradition concerned with virtue and the common good, today’s liberalism often treats neutrality and technocratic governance as ends in themselves. They discuss the work of classical liberal theorists, Rawls' liberal vision, the legacy of Christian social thought, and how institutional renewal requires more than procedural fairness but rather a shared vision of the good.

References:

Brian Dijkema — Profile (Cardus)
https://www.cardus.ca/personnel/brian-dijkema/

“Liberty, Equality, … Disintegration?” — Patrick Deneen in conversation with Brian Dijkema
https://comment.org/liberty-equality-disintegration/

“Labor’s Conservative Heart” — Brian Dijkema (American Compass)
https://americancompass.org/labors-conservative-heart/

Why Liberalism Failed — Patrick Deneen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Liberalism_Failed

“The Ethics of Attention in an Age of Distraction” — Brian Dijkema
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1146&context=icctej

Brian Dijkema — Contributor Archive (Convivium)
https://www.convivium.ca/writers/bio/bdijkema/page/2/

Brian Dijkema — Articles at Comment Magazine
https://comment.org/contributors/brian-dijkema/

“The Classical Liberal Diaspora” — Michael C. Munger
https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/items/513d2184-ca95-4508-b4ef-f137a03b32f0

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Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Chandran Kukathas - What’s Wrong With Immigration Control?

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Chandran Kukathas about the costs of limiting immigration and what effects there may be on policy if the question of who counts as an immigrant is itself unclear.

References

1. “Immigration and Freedom” by Chandran Kukathas

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Immigration-Freedom-Chandran-Kukathas/dp/0691189684

Pete Boettke — What Is The Curious Task of Economics?

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2020, Alex Aragona chats with Pete Boettke as he dives into what the curious task of economics is and relates it back to the work of Friedrich Hayek.

References from Episode 40 with Pete Boettke

You can purchase Pete Boettke’s book on F.A. Hayek on Amazon Canada here
Check out Pete Boettke’s economics blog here

Bruce Pardy - Freedom Or Virtue?

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Matt speaks with legal scholar Bruce Pardy about the deep tension between freedom and virtue. Pardy argues that “freedom people” - classical liberals and libertarians - see virtue as something that can only emerge when individuals are free to choose, while “virtue people” believe virtue must come first, even if enforced by the state. They explore the limits of state neutrality, city planning, drug policy, and the rise of authoritarian instincts across both the right and the left. Pardy explains why a truly free society is risky - and why that risk is necessary for genuine virtue and responsibility.

References:

“Freedom and Virtue: Friends or Enemies?” — Bruce Pardy (Brownstone Institute)
https://brownstone.org/articles/freedom-and-virtue-friends-or-enemies/
Bruce Pardy — Profile (Fraser Institute)
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/profile/bruce-pardy
Bruce Pardy — Author Page (The Epoch Times)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/author/bruce-pardy
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek
https://a.co/d/cp4rlD5
The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
https://a.co/d/iVwmVvs

Thanks to Our Patrons including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Ben Woodfinden - What Is Canadian Conservatism?

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Alex speaks with political theorist Ben Woodfinden about the meaning and complexity of Canadian conservatism. Drawing on his essay “A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism”, Woodfinden explains why conservatism in Canada is not a single rigid doctrine but a pluralistic network of regionally rooted traditions — from prairie populism and Western anti-elitism to Ontario’s old Toryism and Quebec’s nationalist strands. They unpack Canada’s unique confederation story, the idea of the Laurentian elite, and how any coherent conservatism must remain a coalition rooted in local distinctiveness and historical context.

References

“A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2022/08/17/ben-woodfinden-a-tory-impulse-and-anti-laurentian-ideas-drive-canadian-conservatism/
“Canada’s aspiring populists aren’t actually all that radical” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2022/05/27/canadas-aspiring-populists-arent-actually-all-that-radical/
“King Charles III and the glorious weirdness of Canada's monarchy” – Ben Woodfinden
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ben-woodfinden-king-charles-iii-and-the-glorious-weirdness-of-canadas-monarchy
Ben's contributions to The Hub
https://thehub.ca/author/benwoodfinden/
“Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism” by George Grant
https://a.co/d/d0NQs95
“The Crooked Timber of Humanity” by Isaiah Berlin
https://a.co/d/6l1wq3d

Thanks to Our Patrons
Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Jacob Levy - Is Liberalism Neutral?

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Professor Jacob Levy about the concept of neutrality within the history of liberalism and how many historical thinkers have approached the subject within that tradition.

Episode Notes:

Michael Oakeshott on “adverbial rules” https://lawliberty.org/forum/michael-oakeshott-on-the-rule-of-law-and-the-liberal-order/
John Locke’s religious beliefs https://rb.gy/1yg43
Heresy of Americanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanism_(heresy)
Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Virtues Thesis https://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/bv_selection.pdf
Ronald Dworkin “Liberalism” https://www.scribd.com/document/313373358/Ronald-Dworkin-Liberalism#
Stephanie Slade, "Must Libertarians Care About More Than the State?" https://reason.com/2022/03/19/two-libertarianisms/
Alexis De Toqueville’s concerns about the rising liberal democratic order https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2018/08/09/de-tocqueville-and-the-french-exception
John Stuart Mill “On Liberty” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Liberty

Bill Wirtz - Why Do Governments Hate Fun?

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Episode Summary:

Matt Bufton is joined by Bill Wirtz of the Consumer Choice Centre to explore why governments often crack down on fun—from drinking and smoking to gambling and vaping. They dive into the cultural and political roots of paternalistic policies, how public health rhetoric masks deeper control impulses, and why Canada offers a revealing case study in state-imposed virtue. Wirtz also highlights how prohibitionist instincts persist even when evidence contradicts their effectiveness.

References

“Children Are the Future: Authoritarianism, Culture War and Making Model Citizens” by Alan Elrod
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/children-are-the-future-authoritarianism-culture-war-and-making-model-citizens/

That Which is Seen and That Which is Not Seen by Frédéric Bastiat
https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/bastiat-selected-essays-on-political-economy#lf0181_head_009

The Fun Police – Podcast Series by Bill Wirtz
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fun-police/id1714265675

World Health Organization – Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
https://fctc.who.int/

Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose” (PBS Series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngqR9gcDDw&list=PLt27lKoC5LS4wbD28Jkv95UUm9H7wbVO4

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Marc-William Palen - Were There Left-Wing Visions of Free Trade?

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era.

Episode Notes:

Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica

Marx on Free Trade:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary

The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-5-eric-schliesser-%e2%80%94-what-is-neoliberalism/

Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League:

https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/

Overview of the history of the Opium Wars:

https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars.

A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration:

https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/

Russ Roberts - What’s Wrong With Education?

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Russ Roberts about the nature of education and how we should rethink it in today's world. This is a special episode being released in conjunction with this week's episode of Econtalk.

References

1. The Center for Experiential Learning at Washington University

Link: https://olin.wustl.edu/student-resources/center-for-experiential-learning.php#:~:text=The%20Center%20for%20Experiential%20Learning,Driven%E2%84%A2%20practice%20and%20application.

2. EconTalk Podcast

Link: https://simplecast.econtalk.org/

3. “How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness” by Russ Roberts

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life/dp/1591847958

David Friedman - What Is Anarcho-Capitalism?

Wed, 28 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with David Friedman about defenses, definitions and critiques of Anarcho-Capitalism in David's work and in others'.

Episode Notes:

- Summary of David's book "The Machinery of Freedom" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinery_of_Freedom

- Some of Ayn Rand's views on Libertarianism and Anarcho-Capitalism: http://aynrandlexicon.com/ayn-rand-ideas/ayn-rand-q-on-a-on-libertarianism.html

- Some of David's comments on his Father's views of his work can be found here: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2011/07/david_friedmans_1.html

- The Stanford Encyclopedia's entry on Anarchism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anarchism/#:~:text=Libertarianism%20and%20anarcho%2Dcapitalism%20also,the%20idea%20of%20social%20development.

- "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" - Robert A. Heinlein https://a.co/d/4gmWZrP

- "The Private Enforcement of Law" - Landes and Posner https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259376

- "Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers" - Gary S. Becker and George J. Stigler https://laws21.classes.ryansafner.com/readings/Becker-Stigler-1974.pdf

Mike Munger - Can Classical Liberalism Be Saved?

Wed, 21 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal".

Episode Notes:

The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi

The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation

Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us

Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism

Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job

Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/

James Tooley and Robyn Mulcahy - Why Do Families Choose Private Education?

Wed, 14 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In a special episode of the Curious Task, Matt sits down with James Tooley and Robyn Mulcahy at Blueberry Creek Forest School and Nature Centre to discuss the benefits of private education, outdoor education programs including forest schools and the history of approaches around the globe that strive to offer students a more well-rounded alternative to government schools.

References:

James’ profile at the University of Buckingham:

https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/directory/professor-james-tooley/

Robyn’s bio on re-cognition:

https://re-cognition.ca/portfolio-item/educators/

Blueberry Creek Nature Centre:

https://re-cognition.ca/home-page/blueberry-creek-forest-and-nature-centre/

James’ Book “The Beautiful Tree”:

https://a.co/d/9SbGCMp

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:

https://patreon.com/curioustask

Alan Elrod - How Should Liberals Think About Children?

Wed, 07 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Janet speaks with Alan Elrod to explore how classical liberalism understands the role of children in a free society. They discuss the liberal view of children as future autonomous individuals, the responsibilities of both parents and the state in their development, and how education sits at the center of ongoing ideological battles. Elrod unpacks the liberal commitment to individual flourishing and critiques contemporary efforts to politicize childhood through authoritarian or illiberal frameworks.

References

“Parents, Government and Children: Authority over Education in the Liberal Pluralist State” by William A. Galston (Chapter in Liberal Pluralism)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/liberal-pluralism/parents-government-and-children-authority-over-education-in-the-liberal-pluralist-state/4FEF2172B5BD8B088A4D0558C11E1A1B

The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo3619943.html

Democratic Education by Amy Gutmann
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7sdfv

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34901

Taking Responsibility for Children edited by Samantha Brennan and Robert Noggle
https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/T/Taking-Responsibility-for-Children

Thanks to Our Patrons
Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Chris Freiman — Is it Okay to Ignore Politics?

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:53:31 -0400

In this conversation from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics.

References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman:

You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out here
You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog here
You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ on Amazon Canada here

Graeme Thompson - What Is Canada's Role In The World?

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about Canada's evolving role on the global stage, from Confederation through to the post-Cold War era and into the geopolitical uncertainties of today. They explore Canada’s historical balancing act between major powers, its close alignment with the United Kingdom and later the United States, and its present-day challenges in maintaining global relevance amid military underinvestment and economic stagnation. Thompson argues that Canada must become more serious about geopolitics if it wants to protect its sovereignty and remain influential internationally.

References

“Canadians no longer take geopolitics seriously – and our neglect is going to cost us” by Graeme Thompson (The Hub)
https://thehub.ca/2024-04-03/graeme-thompson-canadians-no-longer-take-geopolitics-seriously-and-our-neglect-is-going-to-cost-us/
Biography Collection: Ogdensburg Agreement and Canadian Wartime Diplomacy (Dictionary of Canadian Biography)
https://www.biographi.ca/en/topics/topic-match-list.php?id=1504
Statute of Westminster (1931) – Recognized Canada’s legislative independence from Britain
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster
NATO Archives: Canada's Role and Early Involvement
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm
Canada–U.S. Automotive Products Agreement (Auto Pact)
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-us-automotive-products-agreement
Lament for a Nation by George Grant
https://a.co/d/bnRI7Rb
Canada’s Military Expenditure and NATO’s 2% Spending Target (Parliamentary Budget Officer)
https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2223-010-S--canada-military-expenditure-nato-2-spending-target--depenses-militaires-canada-objectif-depenses-2-otan

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Iain Murray - What Has Happened to Conservatism?

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2023, Matt speaks with Iain Murray about the estrangement of conservative liberalism from identitarian forms of conservative nationalism and the intriguing alliances that may arise in the future between freedom-loving libertarians and some unlikely allies.

Episode Notes:

Iain's book "The Socialist Temptation" https://a.co/d/5AUQHQp

One of Iain's articles on the subject https://cei.org/blog/european-populism-is-nationalist-conservatism/

"Do Libertarians Have a Political Home Anymore?" by Iain Murray https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-35-number-1-2/do-libertarians-have-political-home-anymore

Summary of Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy

Ezra Klein's comment on "Everything Bagel Liberalism" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/opinion/democrats-liberalism.html

What Happened To The Carbon Tax? - Franco Terrazzano

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Franco Terrazzano about the carbon tax within the broader context of government spending, taxation, and fiscal responsibility in Canada. They discuss the impact of high government debt, the role of the federal budget, and the long-term consequences of deficit spending. Terrazzano critiques the federal carbon tax, arguing that it places an unnecessary burden on Canadians while failing to achieve its intended environmental goals, and points to some glaring instances of hypocrisy on the part of its supporters.

References

Axing the Tax: 100 Simple and Painless Ways to Save Money on Your Taxes by Franco Terrazzano
- https://a.co/d/azlHzK6
"Carbon tax costs average Ontario family $627 this year" by Franco Terrazzano (Canadian Taxpayers Federation)
- https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/carbon-tax-costs-average-ontario-family-627-this-year
"PBO confirms carbon tax costs more than rebates" by Franco Terrazzano (Canadian Taxpayers Federation)
- https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/pbo-confirms-carbon-tax-costs-more-than-rebates
"Carbon tax bureaucracy costs taxpayers $800 million" by Franco Terrazzano (Canadian Taxpayers Federation)
- https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/carbon-tax-bureaucracy-costs-taxpayers-800-million
"Cut taxes and government spending to combat inflation" by Franco Terrazzano (EnergyNow)
- https://energynow.ca/2022/02/news-release-cut-taxes-and-government-spending-to-combat-inflation

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

Graeme Thompson — What Is Canadian Liberalism?

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode from 2021, Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like.

References from The Curious Task Episode 94 with Graeme Thompson

A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon here.
Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher Pennington can be found from Penguin House here.
Graeme Thompson’s piece “Whatever Happened to Laurier” can be found in the National Post here.
Graeme mentions positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin, which is discussed on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy here.
The works of Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and J.S. Mill can be read for free through the Online Library of Liberty.

Matt McManus - Is Liberal Socialism An Oxymoron?

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Matt Bufton speaks with Matt McManus about the philosophical foundations of liberalism and socialism, exploring how these two traditions intersect and diverge. They discuss McManus’ work on the political theory of liberal socialism, the historical tensions between the two ideologies, and the ways in which contemporary political movements reflect aspects of both. The conversation also touches on critiques of classical liberal thought, the role of the state in economic justice, and the potential for a synthesis between liberal and socialist principles.

References

The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism by Matt McManus
- https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Theory-of-Liberal-Socialism/McManus/p/book/9781032647234?srsltid=AfmBOorDPxbjpTmpCJ2dgOznjWaxh8s53bHfYJ9odk360mjLFnf77MK_
A Critical Legal Examination of Liberalism and Liberal Rights by Matt McManus
- https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-61025-8
Liberalism and Socialism: Mortal Enemies or Embittered Kin? (Edited by Matt McManus)
- https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-79537-5
Why Socialists Shouldn’t Reject Liberalism An interview with
Matt McManus (Jacobin Magazine)
- https://jacobin.com/2024/08/socialism-liberalism-mill-marx-moyn
Matt's portfolio on Academia.edu
- https://umich.academia.edu/MatthewMcManus

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:
https://patreon.com/curioustask

James R. Harrigan - What Is Going On Down There?

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with James Harrigan about U.S.-Canada relations, with a focus on tariffs, trade policy, and economic misunderstandings that shape political discourse. James critiques the expansion of tariffs under Trump and challenges the idea that protectionism helps domestic industries. The conversation highlights the historical benefits of free trade, the consequences of government intervention in markets, and the flawed assumptions underlying modern trade restrictions.

References

James on X:
- https://x.com/jamesrharrigan
The Centre for American Culture and Ideas:
- https://thecaci.org/
The Words And Numbers Podcast:
- https://wordsandnumbers.libsyn.com/
"Fair Trade Encourages Free Trade" by James Harrigan and Antony Davies:
- https://archive.triblive.com/opinion/featured-commentary/antony-davies-james-r-harrigan-fair-trade-encourages-free-trade/

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Don Boudreaux - Why Are We In A Trade War?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Matt Bufton speaks with Don Boudreaux about tariffs, free trade, and the economic misunderstandings that drive protectionist policies. Don critiques the balance of trade doctrine, drawing from historical examples and economic theory to explain why tariffs harm both consumers and producers. The discussion covers the impact of tariffs on the U.S. and Canada, how politicians exploit economic misconceptions, and why a policy of unilateral free trade would be the best path forward.

References

Globalization by Don Boudreaux
- Paperback: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/globalization-9780313342134/
The Essential Hayek by Don Boudreaux
- Free PDF: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/essential-hayek_0.pdf
"The Case for Free Trade" by Don Boudreaux (Mercatus Center)
- https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/boudreaux-benefits-free-trade-ep-v2.pdf
"Don't Get Played By Protectionists" (Cafe Hayek)
- https://cafehayek.com/2025/03/dont-get-played-by-protectionists.html
"On America's Trade Deficit With China" by Don Boudreaux
- https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/on-americas-trade-deficit-with-china/
"Adam Smith Doesn't Like U.S. Trade Policy" by Stuart Anderson
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/07/18/adam-smith-doesnt-like-u-s-trade-policy/

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Ryan Manucha - What's Stopping Interprovincial Trade?

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Matt Bufton speaks with Ryan Manucha about interprovincial trade in Canada, focusing on the legal and economic barriers that hinder free trade between provinces. They discuss Ryan’s book Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups, examining how constitutional law, historical disputes, and political inertia have shaped Canada’s fragmented trade landscape. The conversation explores key legal cases, the role of the Supreme Court, and potential reforms that could enhance economic cooperation across the country.

References

Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Canada's Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade by Ryan Manucha
- https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0228014417
Gold Seal Ltd. v. Alberta (Attorney-General) (1921) – Key legal case on interprovincial trade barriers
- https://www.canlii.org/t/2f2ng
R. v. Comeau (2018) – Supreme Court decision on cross-border alcohol sales
- https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/17059/index.do
Interprovincial Trade Barriers in Canada: Options for Moving Forward by Alvarez et al.
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383376202_Interprovincial_Trade_Barriers_in_Canada_Options_for_Moving_Forward
Provincial Red Tape Report Card by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
- https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/research-economic-analysis/provincial-red-tape-report-card
Internal Trade in Canada: Case for Liberalization by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/WP/2019/WPIEA2019158.ashx

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Bart Wilson - What Do Economists Miss?

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Bart Wilson about what economists often overlook in their analysis—specifically, the role of morality, human cooperation, and language in shaping economic behaviour. Wilson argues that mainstream economics tends to focus too much on scarcity and efficiency while neglecting the deeper social and moral foundations that make trade and prosperity possible. Drawing on his book Meaningful Economics: Making the Science of Prosperity More Human, he explores how concepts like property, reciprocity, and justice emerge from human relationships rather than being imposed from the top down.

References:

Meaningful Economics: Making the Science of Prosperity More Human by Bart Wilson
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/meaningful-economics-9780197758151?cc=us&lang=en&
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
https://a.co/d/j0nL0mY
The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
https://a.co/d/iKwedtg
Knowledge and Decisions by Thomas Sowell
https://a.co/d/cRgCwe4
The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0262681358
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley https://a.co/d/a7vAUsi

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit our Patreon page.

Tim Thurley - Are Canada's Gun Policies Off-Target?

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Tim Thurley about gun policy in Canada, discussing the current state of firearm regulations, the shift away from a past political consensus, and whether recent legislative changes are effectively targeting crime. They explore the role of licensing, background checks, and storage laws, as well as the impact of smuggled firearms and high-profile policy changes like Bill C-21 and the handgun freeze. Thurley argues that recent policy shifts focus on legal gun owners while failing to address the main sources of gun crime in Canada.

References

"Aiming Off Target: Gun Policy in Canada" by Tim Thurley & Noah Schwartz (Macdonald-Laurier Institute)
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/aiming-off-target-gun-policy-canada/
"On gun control, Liberals opt for wedge politics over actual change" by Noah Schwartz
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/noah-schwartz-on-gun-control-liberals-opt-for-wedge-politics-over-actual-change
"More Guns, Less Crime" by John R. Lott Jr.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0226493660
"The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things" by Barry Glassner
https://a.co/d/4qXgBqf
"The Origins and Development of Canada’s Firearms Laws" by R. Blake Brown
https://a.co/d/bMb4zyV
"Armed: New Perspectives on Gun Control" by Gary Kleck & Don B. Kates
https://a.co/d/5xk3gUj

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Ethan Nadelmann - Is Vaping A Public Health Problem?

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about vaping, e-cigarettes, and pouch nicotine alternatives to cigarettes within the broader context of health policy and the drug war. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding nicotine, harm reduction strategies, and how opposition to non-combustible nicotine mirrors past drug war policies. Ethan highlights international case studies, the role of public health organizations, and the influence of figures like Michael Bloomberg in shaping the global discourse - and misinformation - around alternatives to cigarettes.

References

"Thinking Seriously About Alternatives to Drug Prohibition" by Ethan Nadelmann
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20027122.pdf
"The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction" (KAC Reports)
https://gsthr.org/
"High Price" by Carl Hart
https://a.co/d/inDX5Gi
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/014311526X
"Ending the War on Drugs: A Solution for America" by Dirk Chase Eldredge
https://a.co/d/bIGQpJ6

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Eric Schliesser - Do Liberals Focus Too Much On Freedom From Restrictions?

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the "freedom to" vs. "freedom from" debate in political theory, using Serene Khader’s book Faux Feminism as a central reference. They explore the historical distinction between negative and positive liberty, the role of hierarchy in structuring freedom, and how liberalism’s focus on removing restrictions can sometimes reinforce existing power structures. The discussion touches on feminist theory, liberal political thought, and broader critiques of market-based individualism.

References

Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop by Serene Khader
https://a.co/d/fFRt6op
Liberal Legislation and Freedom of Contract by T.H. Green
https://history.hanover.edu/texts/green.html
Two Concepts of Liberty by Isaiah Berlin
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
https://a.co/d/6YWK7bA
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
https://www.amazon.ca/Origins-Totalitarianism-Hannah-Arendt/dp/0156701537
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman
https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Freedom-Milton-Friedman/dp/022673479X

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Ryan Thorpe and Matt Bufton - Is There A Role For A State Broadcaster?

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona moderates a discussion with Ryan Thorpe and Matt Bufton about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and its relevance in today’s world. They explore the CBC’s historical mission to promote Canadian culture and information, its struggles to meet its mandate, and the challenges posed by media fragmentation and perceived biases. The conversation also touches on the roles of private media, government funding, and the rise of independent outlets as alternatives to a state broadcaster.

References

Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism by George Grant
https://www.amazon.ca/Lament-Nation-Defeat-Canadian-Nationalism/dp/077353010X
Peter Mansbridge Quote on CBC’s "Toronto Bias"
https://youtu.be/8c0HWFg9dpw?si=3Uo8DXe7MPMNRWyY
Canadaland
https://www.canadaland.com/
The Hub
https://thehub.ca/
The Narwhal
https://thenarwhal.ca/
The Tyee
https://thetyee.ca/

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Steve Davies - Why Is Politics Today So Weird?

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, host Matt Bufton interviews historian Steve Davies about the political realignment happening across the Western world. Steve explains how traditional divisions in politics, such as socialism versus capitalism, have been replaced by a new axis centered on nationalism versus globalism. He critiques both "national collectivism" and "technocratic liberal progressivism" while discussing the implications for classical liberalism. The conversation also touches on the influence of leaders like Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, and Emmanuel Macron, and explores what the future holds for liberal ideas in a shifting political landscape.

References

"The Great Realignment: Understanding Politics Today" by Steve Davies (Cato Institute)
https://www.cato-unbound.org/2018/12/10/stephen-davies/great-realignment-understanding-politics-today/
Steve Davies' talk at the IEA's THINK event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GVMnQ4-_cQ
"The Road to Serfdom" by Friedrich Hayek
https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320553
"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy" by Joseph A. Schumpeter
https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061330086
"The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution" by Francis Fukuyama
https://www.amazon.ca/Origins-Political-Order-Prehuman-Revolution/dp/0374227349
"Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes
https://www.amazon.ca/Leviathan-Thomas-Hobbes/dp/0140431950
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Jacob Levy - Why Is Montesquieu Important For Liberalism?

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:06:14 -0500

In this conversation from 2021, Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about Montesquieu's role in shaping contemporary political science, the American revolutionary project, and the role of the separation of powers as a bulwark against despotism.

References

1. “Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rationalism-Pluralism-Freedom-Jacob-Levy/dp/0198808917

2. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

3. “Montesquieu’s Constitutional Legacies” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1117087

4. “Beyond Publius: Montesquieu, Liberal Republicanism, and the Small-Republic Thesis” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=739447

5. “The Spirit of Laws” by Charles Baron de Montesquieu

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Spirit-Laws-Charles-Baron-Montesquieu/dp/1616405287#:~:text=The%20Spirit%20of%20Laws%2C%20first,by%20the%20Roman%20Catholic%20Church.

6. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm

7. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm

Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli - Is Monarchy Absurd?

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode from 2021, Alex Aragona speaks with Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli about whether the monarchy might seem absurd, and whether a little absurdity can be a good thing.

References

1. “The Monarchy and the Constitution” by Vernon Bogdanor

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Monarchy-Constitution-Vernon-Bogdanor/dp/0198293348

Neera Badhwar - Are Liberal Societies More Moral And Virtuous?

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Neera Badhwar about her forthcoming paper, “There are Divinities in Liberal Market Societies Too,” exploring how liberal societies enable prosperity, intellectual virtue, and moral growth. Neera discusses key concepts like happiness and flourishing, critiques thinkers like Gerry Cohen, and reflects on the role of free markets and limited government in fostering human well-being.

References

"There are Divinities in Liberal Market Societies Too" by Neera Badhwar (forthcoming in Social Philosophy and Policy, 2025)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-philosophy-and-policy
"The Theory of Moral Sentiments" by Adam Smith
https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0865970122
"If You're an Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich?" by Gerry Cohen
https://a.co/d/6NyLaC2
"The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money" by Bryan Caplan
https://www.amazon.ca/Case-Against-Education-System-Money/dp/0691174652
World Values Survey
https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/
World Happiness Report
https://worldhappiness.report/
Human Progress Newsletter
https://humanprogress.org/

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.

Alex Tabarrok — Is Giving Gifts Inefficient?

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today, we're revisiting this special Christmas episode of The Curious Task from 2019.
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Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others.

References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok

You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving here
Giving to my Wild Self article can be found here

Sabine El-Chidiac - What's Wrong With The LCBO?

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac about the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), exploring its historical context, operational inefficiencies, and the potential for reforming its structure. Sabine draws on her co-authored report to outline economic benefits and practical reforms, while also critiquing the LCBO's moral and historical failings. The conversation highlights broader themes of government overreach, consumer choice, and economic modernization.

References

Sabine's article in the Spec entitled "The LCBO is an archaic system with an ugly history": https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/the-lcbo-is-an-archaic-system-with-an-ugly-history/article_4d18e1c1-2080-5c7d-be29-7ff72e3bba60.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link&utm_campaign=user-share
"Modernizing Ontario’s Alcohol Retail System" by Sabine El-Chidiac and David Clement
https://consumerchoicecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Modernize_Ontario_Report.pdf
"Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity" by Thomas Babor et al.
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/alcohol-no-ordinary-commodity-9780199551149
LCBO Historical Documents
https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/index.aspx
"Alcohol: Science, Policy and Public Health" by Peter Boyle et al.
https://a.co/d/eoBTcI9
Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) Wholesale Model
https://ocs.ca/
"Free to Choose: A Personal Statement" by Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman
https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Choose-Personal-Statement-Milton/dp/0156334607
Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) Model
https://aglc.ca/

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit patreon.com/curioustask.

Danny LeRoy - Why Are Groceries So Expensive?

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Danny Leroy about inflation in Canada, with a focus on the rising price of groceries. Danny explains how monetary expansion and government policies have driven up grocery prices and other costs, emphasizing the role of the Bank of Canada in creating money and the cascading effects this has on different sectors of the economy. Danny and Alex then discuss potential policy changes to address rising costs and improve the purchasing power of Canadians.

References

Danny Leroy's Publications
Link: https://scholar.ulethbridge.ca/dannyleroy/publications
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
Milton Friedman on Greed (Donahue Show, 1979)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A
Statistics Canada Data on Grocery Prices
Link: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/topics-start/food-price
"Prices and Production" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://a.co/d/igCpqFX
Austrian Economics and the Boom-Bust Cycle
Link: https://yipinstitute.org/article/boom-or-bust-the-austrian-theory-of-the-business-cycle
"The Road to Serfdom" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320553

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Brian Albrecht - What Can Policy Makers Learn From Economists?

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Brian Albrecht about how policymakers can think more like economists by emphasizing the role of prices, trade-offs, and unintended consequences in shaping effective policies. Brian and Matt discuss tax policies, antitrust laws, and some very silly tariffs to illustrate the importance of applying economic reasoning to address societal challenges while minimizing inefficiencies.

References

Brian Albrecht's Substack, Economic Forces
Link: https://substack.com/@briancalbrecht
"Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom Through the Ages" by Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod
Link: https://a.co/d/94DlEoq
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"The Theory of Moral Sentiments" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0143105922
"Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Basic-Economics-Common-Sense-Guide/dp/0465060730
"Antitrust Paradox: A Policy at War with Itself" by Robert H. Bork
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Antitrust-Paradox-Policy-Consumer-Welfare/dp/0029044561

Matt Zwolinski - Is There Such A Thing As A Free Market?

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Matt Zwolinski about whether a truly "free market" exists, delving into concepts of freedom, coercion, and property rights. They examine critiques of markets from left-leaning thinkers, such as Robert Hale, as well as conservative perspectives, while discussing libertarian approaches to balancing coercion and freedom in market societies. Zwolinski also references his own Substack essays and reflects on ideas for minimizing coercion without dismissing critiques.

References

Matt Zwolinski's Substack, Bleeding Heart Libertarian
Link: https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/
"Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State" by Robert Hale (1923)
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/2142367
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism" by Ha-Joon Chang
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/23-Things-Dont-Tell-Capitalism/dp/1608191664
"The Myth of Ownership: Taxes and Justice" by Liam Murphy and Thomas Nagel
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Ownership-Taxes-Justice/dp/0195150163
"Tyranny, Inc." by Sohrab Ahmari
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Inc-Private-American-Liberty/dp/0593443462
"The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism" by Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi
Link: https://a.co/d/5lCZvGS

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Nimish Adhia - Is Tipping A Good Practice?

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Nimish Adhia about the practice of tipping, exploring its cultural and economic implications, as well as its persistence despite widespread criticism from various stakeholders. Adhia discusses the historical origins of tipping, its impact on workers and customers, and coordination problems that prevent its abolition, referencing his own case study on the topic.

References

“The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0143105922

“The Strategy of Conflict” With a New Preface by the Author” by Thomas Schellin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Strategy-Conflict-Thomas-C-Schelling/dp/0674840313

“Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action” by Elinor Ostrom

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Governing-Commons-Evolution-Institutions-Collective/dp/1107569788

“The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” by Malcolm Gladwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624

“The Rise of Decline of Nations” by Mancur Olson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Decline-Nations-Stagflation-Rigidities/dp/0300030797

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Erwin Dekker - What Is The Value Of Art?

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Erwin Dekker about the economics and public policy perspectives on art, examining various theories on how art derives its value in communities. Dekker explores the idea of the separation between art and state, discusses cultural significance and individual perception in determining the worth of art, and how art's intangible qualities challenge traditional economic valuation.

References

"Realizing the Values of Art: Making Space for Cultural Civil Society" by Erwin Dekker and Valeria Morea

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Realizing-Values-Art-Cultural-Society/dp/3031245970

Erwin Dekker's Website
Link: https://www.erwindekker.com/

“Two approaches to study the value of art and culture, and the emergence of a third” by Erwin Dekker

Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10824-014-9237-y

"The Value of Culture: On the Relationship between Economics and Arts" by Arjo Klamer
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Value-Culture-Relationship-between-Economics/dp/9053562184

"Arts and Economics: Analysis and Cultural Policy" by Bruno S. Frey
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Arts-Economics-Analysis-Cultural-Policy/dp/3540002731

"Art and the Market: Roger Fry on Commerce in Art" by Crauford D. Goodwin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Market-Commerce-Selected-Interpretation/dp/0472109022

"Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World’s Cultures" by Tyler Cowen
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Destruction-Globalization-Changing-Cultures/dp/0691117837

"What Price Fame?" by Tyler Cowen
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/What-Price-Fame-Tyler-Cowen/dp/0674001559

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Lauren Hall - What Is Radical Moderation?

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Lauren Hall about "radical moderation," a framework that encourages moving beyond binary thinking in social and political issues. Hall explains her framework, which helps individuals navigate complex situations by fostering curiosity, empathy, and creative thinking. They also discuss the roles of community, parenting, and social psychology in moderating polarized views.

Episode Notes:

“Radical Moderation” by Lauren Hall

Find more at: https://radicalmoderatesguide.substack.com

“The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization” by Peter T. Coleman

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Way-Out-Overcome-Toxic-Polarization/dp/0231197403

“High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out” by Amanda Ripley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/High-Conflict-Why-Get-Trapped/dp/1982128569

“Elements of Justice” by David Schmidtz

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Elements-Justice-David-Schmidtz/dp/0521539366

“The Polarization Detox Challenge” by Starts With Us

Explore more at: https://startswith.us/pdc/#:~:text=Coleman%2C%20Ph.,and%20solving%20problems%20across%20differences

“Family and the Politics of Moderation: Private Life, Public Goods, and the Rebirth of Social Individualism” by Lauren Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Science-Family-Politics-Moderation-Policies/dp/0367523267

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Elias Khalil - Who Was Ibn Khaldûn?

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Elias Khalil about the influential ideas of Ibn Khaldun, delving into Khaldun's theories on the rise and fall of civilizations, the nature of political communities, and the importance of solidarity (Asabiyya). Khalil connects these insights to classical liberal thought and the works of Adam Smith, emphasizing Khaldun’s impact on understanding political order as a product of social dynamics rather than divine intervention.

References

1. "The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History" by Ibn Khaldun, translated by Franz Rosenthal
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Muqaddimah-Introduction-History-Ibn-Khaldun/dp/0691166285

2. “Ibn Khaldoun and Adam Smith—Two Heroes of the Modern Age.”
https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/ibn-khaldoun-and-adam-smith

3. “Ibn Khaldûn on Property Rights, The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History.”
Journal of Institutional Economics, August 2007, 3:2, pp. 227-238. (It includes a long excerpt (pp. 233-238) from Ibn Khaldûn’s The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History.) http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1744137407000677

4. "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" by Adam Smith
Link: https://a.co/d/j7XuEp4

5. "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128

Larry White - What Is Free Banking?

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Larry White about the principles of free banking, focusing on how competitive banking systems can operate without centralized control. Larry highlights historical examples and the theoretical frameworks supporting free banking, emphasizing the benefits of decentralized monetary systems.

References

"The Theory of Free Banking: Money Supply under Competitive Note Issue" by George A. Selgin, Foreward by Larry White
Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/white-the-theory-of-free-banking-money-supply-under-competitive-note-issue
"Free Banking in Britain: Theory, Experience, and Debate, 1800-1845" by Larry White
Link: https://iea.org.uk/publications/research/free-banking-in-britain-theory-experience-and-debate-1800-1845
"Competition and Currency: Essays on Free Banking and Money" by Lawrence H. White
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Competition-Currency-Essays-Banking-Money/dp/0814792472
"Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles" by Jesús Huerta de Soto
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Money-Bank-Credit-Economic-Cycles/dp/0945466390
"The Denationalisation of Money" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Denationalisation%20of%20Money.pdf
"The Experience of Free Banking" by Kevin Dowd
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Experience-Banking-Kevin-Durham-University/dp/0255368305
"Money and the Market: Essays on Free Banking" by Kevin Dowd
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Money-Market-Essays-Free-Banking/dp/0415758424

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Alex Edmans - How Do Stories, Stats And Studies Exploit Our Biases?

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Alex Edmans about his book May Contain Lies, examining the widespread issue of misinformation and exploring how factors like confirmation bias, cognitive shortcuts, and misleading statistics can shape public opinion. They discuss practical strategies for identifying and avoiding misinformation, along with the broader societal impact of misinterpreted data.

References

"May Contain Lies" by Alex Edmans
Link: https://a.co/d/aX2AJ0I
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0385676530
"Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction" by Philip E. Tetlock
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Superforecasting-Art-Science-Philip-Tetlock/dp/0804136696
"Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think" by Hans Rosling
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814
"The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail – but Some Don't" by Nate Silver
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Signal-Noise-Many-Predictions-Fail/dp/0143125087
"How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728
"Start With Why" by Simon Sinek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Mike Munger - Is Capitalism Sustainable?

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

In 2020, Alex spoke with Mike Munger about the sustainability of capitalism. We're republishing that very important conversation today.

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Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it.

References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger

You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada here
You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada here

Jeffrey Miron - Should Government Discourage Sin?

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Jeffrey Miron about the justice and effectiveness of "sin taxes," evaluating whether taxes on goods like alcohol, tobacco, and sugary drinks achieve their intended public health goals or whether they unfairly restrict individual choice. The conversation explores the ethical implications of using taxation as a tool for social engineering and questions the actual impact these policies have on behavior.

References

"Should Governments Try to Reduce Sin?" by Jeffrey Miron
Link: https://scholar.harvard.edu/miron/publications/should-governments-try-reduce-sin
"The Time Travelling Dietitian" (YouTube Video)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ua-WVg1SsA
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X
"The Theory of Moral Sentiments" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0143105922
"For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health" by Jacob Sullum
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Your-Own-Good-Anti-Smoking-Crusade/dp/0684871157
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Adam Lovasz - Is Spontaneous Order Just A Human Phenomenon?

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Ádám Lovász about the concept of spontaneous order, examining its philosophical roots in thinkers like Hayek and exploring its applications beyond human societies, including ecosystems and insect colonies, as well as its implications for understanding the limitations of technocratic control in both markets and ecological systems.

References

Adam's Author Page on Amazon
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B00LXFHXN8/about?ingress=0&visitId=5dbd96f1-456d-41f2-a1e7-6d59eeaf6ca9&ref_=ap_rdr
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"The Sensory Order: An Inquiry into the Foundations of Theoretical Psychology" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Sensory-Order-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320944
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert Nozick
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200
"Stigmergic Epistemology, Stigmergic Cognition
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389041707000290
"The Road to Serfdom: Texts and Documents -- The Definitive Edition" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Colin Craig - How Bad Is Canadian Healthcare?

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Colin Craig about the Canadian healthcare system, discussing its inefficiencies, long wait times, and potential reforms, while comparing it to healthcare models in other countries and offering practical suggestions for improvement.

References

Health Reform Now - the documentary that informs much of this conversation:
Link: https://secondstreet.org/new-documentary-health-reform-now/
"Universal Health Care: What the United States Can Learn from the Experience of Other Developed Nations" Panel featuring Karen Davis
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2838163/
"The Healthcare Fix: Universal Insurance for All Americans" by Laurence J. Kotlikoff
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Healthcare-Fix-Universal-Insurance-Americans/dp/0262113147
"Cross-Border Healthcare"
Link: https://www.pgeu.eu/cross-border-health-care/#:~:text=The%20Cross%2DBorder%20Healthcare%20Directive,provided%20certain%20conditions%20are%20fulfilled.
"Analytical methods to assess the impacts of activity-based funding (ABF): a scoping review"
Link: https://healtheconomicsreview.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13561-021-00315-1
"Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2022 Report" by Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moyer
Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2022
"The Overton Window"
Link: https://www.mackinac.org/OvertonWindow

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Sabine El-Chidiac - What Helps Refugees Succeed?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0400

To celebrate Sabine’s time at the ILS and her work with the Curious Task, we’re revisiting Sabine’s first appearance as a guest on the podcast.

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Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home.

References from The Curious Task Episode 68 with Sabine El-Chidiac

You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options here
The Government of Canada’s website contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrants are admitted into Canada.
Here is some more information about the express entry pathway.
As Sabine noted in the podcast, admission under the Provincial Nominee Program is dependent upon what the destination province deems to be their biggest occupational and employment goals and needs. This link provides a brief overview of the program and hyperlinks to province-specific guidelines.
You can read more about the UNHCR’s Refugee Status Designation process on their website here, as well as their procedural standards here.
This is the link to the Government of Canada’s guide to the private refugee sponsorship process.
Sabine mentioned the work of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to accommodate and build a community for refugees by performing fundraisers and food drives amongst the parishioners. You can read their mission statement on their website.
Sabine’s article, The success of the privately sponsored refugee system, discusses some of the themes from this podcast, such as the principle of civil society, and is available for reading on Policy Options.
Here is a link to the Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2016. It compares the outcomes, living standards, and satisfaction of government and privately sponsored Syrian refugees between 2015-2016.
This is a link to the joint statement to the UN General Assembly by the Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand speaking in favour of community-led sponsorship approaches that Alex briefly mentions on the podcast.
Here is a link to the official PSR cap published by the Government of Canada. Some examples of the lobbying against PSR caps include the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association.
Alex and Sabine discuss Danby Appliances’ CEO Jim Estill’s sponsorship and hiring of over fifty refugee families in Guelph, Ontario. You can read more about this in the article linked here.
On the podcast, Sabine shares the inspiring story coming out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia with regards to how the refugees who were once sponsored to the area eventually became systems of support for new incoming refugees. You can follow the community work for refugees in Haida Gwaii through one of their local newspaper’s website.

Mark Koyama - How Can Monopoly Lead To Shipwreck?

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Mark Koyama about the historical context and economic implications of the Manila Galleon trade, focusing on how monopolistic practices increased the risk of shipwrecks and the broader lessons for contemporary economics about the unintended consequences of monopoly power.

References

"Shipwrecked by Rents" by Mark Koyama, Desiderio Desideri, and Fernando Arteaga
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387823001967
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
"Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance" by Douglass C. North
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Institutions-Institutional-Change-Economic-Performance/dp/0521397340
"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html
"The East India Company: A History" by Philip Lawson
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/East-India-Company-Philip-Lawson/dp/0582073855
"Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World" by Niall Ferguson
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Empire-How-Britain-Made-Modern/dp/0141007540
"The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire" by William Maltby
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Fall-Spanish-Empire/dp/1403917922

Jacob Levy - What Is The Idea Of A Liberal Party?

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Summary

Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about the concept of a liberal party, exploring its philosophical foundations, historical context, and touch on all of these points within the context of Jacob's article "The Liberal Party Idea" (2024).

References

The Liberal Party Idea by Jacob Levy:
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381323406_The_liberal_party_idea_and_American_ideology
"On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill
Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34901/34901-h/34901-h.htm
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Link: https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text
"Reflections on the Revolution in France" by Edmund Burke
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Reflections-Revolution-France-Edmund-Burke/dp/0199539022
"Democracy in America and Two Essays on America" by Alexis de Tocqueville
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0140447601
"Two Treatises of Government" by John Locke
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1616190345
"Political Liberalism" by John Rawls
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Political-Liberalism-John-Rawls/dp/0231130899

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Nathan Goodman - How Can Border Control Affect Domestic Life?

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Nathan Goodman about the complexities of border control and domestic policy, focusing on how these issues intersect with libertarian philosophy, the economic implications of immigration, and the ethical considerations of state power in regulating borders.

References

"The Law of Peoples" by John Rawls
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Law-Peoples-John-Rawls/dp/0674005422

"The Machinery of Freedom: A Guide to Radical Capitalism" by David D. Friedman
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Machinery-Freedom-Guide-Radical-Capitalism/dp/1507785607

"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert Nozick
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465097200

"The Ethics of Liberty" by Murray Rothbard
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594

"Borders of Justice" edited by Etienne Balibar, Sandro Mezzadra, and Ranabir Samaddar
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Borders-Justice-Etienne-Balibar/dp/1439906858

"Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom" by Ilya Somin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Move-Migration-Political-Freedom/dp/0190054581

"Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability" by Alvin Rabushka and Kenneth A. Shepsle
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Politics-Plural-Societies-Democratic-Instability/dp/0205617611

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Ignacio Cofone - What Is The Privacy Fallacy?

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Ignacio Cofone about the intricacies of privacy in the digital era, examining how personal data is collected, inferred upon, and the legal frameworks that govern these practices, as elucidated in Ignacio Cofone's book, "The Privacy Fallacy." Episode Notes:

"The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy" by Ignacio Cofone
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Fallacy-Power-Information-Economy/dp/1316518116
"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power" by Shoshana Zuboff
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Age-Surveillance-Capitalism-Future-Frontier/dp/1541758005
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Link: https://gdpr.eu/
"Privacy and Freedom" by Alan F. Westin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Privacy-Freedom-Alan-F-Westin/dp/1935439979
"Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0" by Lawrence Lessig
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Code-Laws-Cyberspace-Lawrence-Lessig/dp/0465039146
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X
"The Right to Privacy" by Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis
Link: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~shmat/courses/cs5436/warren-brandeis.pdf

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Bruce Pardy - Do We Have The Rule Of Law?

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Bruce Pardy about the rule of law in Canada, implications of the notwithstanding clause, the evolving interpretation of the Charter, and the balance between individual rights and state power.

References

Friedrich Hayek - "The Road to Serfdom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/0226320553
Discussed in relation to emergent order and skepticism of imposed rules.
Magna Carta - "The Magna Carta" - https://www.archives.gov/files/press/press-kits/magna-carta/magna-carta-translation.pdf
Mentioned as a historical document marking the beginning of limiting the king's power.
U.S. Bill of Rights - "The Bill of Rights" - https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights
Cited as a document that transferred power from the legislature to the courts in the American context.
Section 33 - The Notwithstanding Clause - "Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" - https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art33.html
Discussed as a controversial clause allowing legislatures to override certain rights.
Adam Smith - "The Wealth of Nations" - https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1505577128
Referenced in discussions on free markets and the role of government.
John Locke - "Two Treatises of Government" - https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Treatises-Government-John-Locke/dp/1616190345
His ideas on government and individual rights were mentioned.
Milton Friedman - "Capitalism and Freedom" - https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Freedom-Anniversary-Milton-Friedman/dp/0226264211
Cited in discussions about the role of government in economic affairs.

Thanks

Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask

Rosolino Candela - What Is The Morality Of Illicit Markets?

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Rosolino Candela about the morality and dynamics of illicit markets, focusing on the transition from central planning to privatization in post-Soviet Russia and the role of property rights in shaping economic behaviors and attitudes.

References:

Rosolino's Website - https://www.rcandela.com/
Timothy Fry - Property Rights and Property Wrongs - https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316661727
Peter Boettke - Soviet Studies - https://www.peter-boettke.com/soviet-studies
Classical Economics - https://www.britannica.com/money/classical-economics
Constantine Menges - https://www.hudson.org/domestic-policy/an-appreciation-of-constantine-menges
Ayn Rand - Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand - https://aynrand.org/novels/objectivism-the-philosophy-of-ayn-rand/
Ludwig von Mises - Human Action - https://mises.org/library/book/human-action
Milton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom - https://ctheory.sitehost.iu.edu/resources/fall2020/Friedman_Capitalism_and_Freedom.pdf

Matt Zwolinski - What Is Bleeding Heart Libertarianism?

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Matt Zwolinski about Bleeding Heart Libertarianism and the diverse perspectives within libertarian thought, discussing its history, philosophical foundations, and contemporary issues, including debates on social justice, individual rights, and the role of government.

References:

The BHL blog: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/

Hayek on SEP including his thoughts on social justice and libertarianism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/

John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski's book "The Individualists" - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691155548/the-individualists

Roderick Long on natural rights and libertarianism - http://freenation.org/a/f42l1.html

Eric Mack's page on Tulane U website, including works - https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/philosophy/people/eric-mack-phd

Ralph Nader on a libertarian alliance with "liberals"/progressives - https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2014/05/21/ralph-nader

Billy Christmas on PhilPeople - https://philpeople.org/profiles/billy-christmas

A summary of American Libertarianism and consequentialism including a reference to Richard Epstein -
https://usapoliticaldatabase.weebly.com/consequentialist-libertarianism.html

Chris Coyne - How Do You Run A War?

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications.

Episode Notes:

Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145

1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-War-Bruce-Knight/dp/B000OMR1KG

2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499

3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/

4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville

5. Otto Neurath's "Through War Economy to Economy in Kind" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_5

Greta Lynn Uehling - What Happens To Relationships During War?

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Greta Lynn Uehling about her research on the effects of war on relationships, an underexplored topic in conflict studies.

Episode Notes:

- Greta's book "Everyday War: Conflict in Donbas, Ukraine": https://a.co/d/09MHkjov

- Homer's "The Illiad": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad

- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: knu.ua

- A primer on the concept of "Understanding Everyday Peace": https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/winter-2019-magazine-everyday-peace.html

- The UNICEF report on Mental Health: https://www.unicef.org/topics/mental-health

- The Battle of Ilovaisk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ilovaisk

- The Fullbright program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about

- The Geneva Convention at ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/geneva-conventions-1949-additional-protocols

Marc-William Palen - Were There Left-Wing Visions of Free Trade?

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era.

Episode Notes:

Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica

Marx on Free Trade:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary

The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-5-eric-schliesser-%e2%80%94-what-is-neoliberalism/

Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League:

https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/

Overview of the history of the Opium Wars:

https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars.

A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration:

https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/

Joanna Baron - Did The Pandemic Undermine Civil Liberties?

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Joanna Baron about how government measures during the pandemic undermined civil liberties in North America and beyond.

Episode Notes:

- Brian Bird's PhD Thesis: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/4j03d4180

- Fraser Institute:

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/

- The Forgotten Fundamental Freedoms - Dwight G. Newman

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3803888

- Joanna's book with Christine Van Geyn "Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever" https://a.co/d/0aNNzvLW

- "Let's Declare a Pandemic Amnesty" by Emily Oster https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/covid-response-forgiveness/671879/

Jonathan Blanks - What Is Systemic Racism?

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Jonathan Blanks about why and how systemic racism exists in society, and what can potentially be done to curb it in various aspects of institutional life.

Episode Notes:

- The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: https://freopp.org/

- An article by Jonathan on defining systemic racism: https://freopp.org/what-systemic-racism-is-and-isnt-1213c1c972ff

- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (2015) by Jill Leovy https://a.co/d/8f9JGqB

- 13th trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6IXQbXPO3I

Kevin Erdmann - Why Are We Afraid Of Building Homes?

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing today.

Episode Notes:

Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre:

https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann

The Erdmann Housing Tracker:

https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/

Kevin on X:

https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Kevin's book "Shut Out: How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled our Economy" on Amazon Canada:

https://a.co/d/gIh82Og

Dominic Parker - Do Environmental Agencies Actually Help The Environment?

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Dominic Parker about his 2024 paper with Dean Lueck entitled "The Economic Origins And Extent Of America's First Environmental Agencies"

Episode Notes:

Dominic's paper: https://aae.wisc.edu/dparker/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/11/Lueck-and-Parker-Agencies-November-2024.pdf

Some history on the conservation movement from 1850-1920 via the American Library of Congress:

https://www.loc.gov/item/00529694/

Ryan Bourne - Is There A War On Prices?

Wed, 29 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Ryan Bourne as he explores the misconceptions around inflation and the dangers of price controls, emphasizing how prices act as signals to coordinate economic activity and promote growth. Ryan explains the adverse effects of government intervention in setting prices, such as shortages, quality declines, black markets, and inefficient resource allocation.

Episode Notes:

- Ryan’s book that serves as the basis for most of the discussion:
https://a.co/d/6B4n1Uf

- Summary of Friedman, Monetarist School and the K-percent rule https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monetarism.asp#:~:text=In%20his%20book%2C%20%22A%20Monetary,a%20fixed%20percentage%20per%20year

- Explanation of greedflation: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/what-is-greedflation-and-is-it-driving-higher-prices/

- Kahneman and Thaler's research: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1806070

- Clemens on minimum wage

https://econweb.ucsd.edu/~j1clemens/pdfs/ClemensMinWageCatoPolicyAnalysis867.pdf

Kent Roach - Does Canada Have A Wrongful Conviction Problem?

Wed, 22 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Donner prize nominee Kent Roach about a topic that many Canadians may overlook when thinking about issues that are recurring at home: wrongful convictions and its victims.

Episode Notes:

- Kent's award-winning book "Wrongfully Convicted: Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice" https://a.co/d/d9mB5cN

- Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions: https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/

- The Innocence Project at Cardozo: https://innocenceproject.org/about/

- Blackstone's ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone%27s_ratio

- Charles Smith (pathologist) background: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dr-charles-smith-the-man-behind-the-public-inquiry-1.864004

- R v Gladue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Gladue

- Richard Catchaway case: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/richard-catcheway-wrongful-conviction-1.4681737

- The Morin case on CRWC https://www.wrongfulconvictions.ca/cases/guy-paul-morin

- The Goudge report on pediatric forensic pathology: https://wayback.archive-it.org/16312/20211207211516/https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/goudge/index.html

- The David Milgaard case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milgaard

Ethan Nadelmann - Has Drug Decriminalization Failed?

Wed, 15 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about drug decriminalization, legalization, and the slow end to the drug war in Canada and the United States, and how successes and failures in both countries compare to those abroad.

Episode Notes:

The Drug Policy Alliance website: https://drugpolicy.org/

Some history on Portugal's Drug Harm Reduction Programs: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/portugals-harm-reduction-policies

Philip Owen's obituary highlighting some of his successes in Vancouver as mayor: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/10/02/dtes-philip-owens-four-pillars//

Larry Cambell's call for opioid legalization: https://globalnews.ca/news/3260074/make-prescription-opioids-legal-says-senator-and-former-mayor-larry-campbell/

"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/36Y1M4L

Peltzman's original article studying drug availability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1830639

Ed Preble's "Taking Care Of Business":

https://doi.org/10.3109/10826086909061998

Craig Biddle - What Is Objectivism?

Wed, 08 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Craig Biddle about objectivism and the legacy of Ayn Rand, and how it all ties to classical liberalism, the American ideal, and post-modernism.

Episode Notes:

Craig's work for the Objective Standard:

https://theobjectivestandard.com/author/cbiddle/

Craig on X:

https://twitter.com/CraigBiddle

Free Ayn Rand books courtesy of the Ayn Rand Institute, including almost all of those referenced throughout this episode:

https://aynrand.org/students/free-books/

Craig's talk "Choosing a Philosophy for Loving Life":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhwsK6dyuE

Bryce Tingle - How Are Regulations Damaging Markets?

Wed, 01 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians.   

Episode Notes:

1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law”

https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf

2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary

https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle

3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm”

https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf

4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8

5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce

6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act:

https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html

7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable

Eric Merkley - What Motivates NIMBYs?

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Eric Merkley about NIMBYism, the surprising touchpoints for unity between left and right on the subject of housing, and how uncovering the true motivations of NIMBYs has altered Eric's view of the housing crisis.

Episode Notes:

"Housing for Me, but not for Thee", Eric's paper serving as the basis for most of this conversation:

https://osf.io/preprints/7vmt3

Eric on X:

https://twitter.com/EricMerkley

Eric's article on the subject on Policy Options:

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2024/nimby-housing-opinion/

Some background on Premier Ford's backtracking on housing policy: https://www.robinsappleby.com/post/bridge-beat/conservative-housing-policy-backtrack.-a-setback-to-home-builders-and-new-home-owners-alike

Ben Klutsey - How Do We Rebuild Trust?

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Ben Klutsey about political polarization, commonalities between the United States and Canada, and his documentary on the subject entitled "Undivide Us"

Episode Notes:

The documentary's website with more information, a trailer and the option to request a screening: https://undivideusmovie.com/

Kevin Vallier's "Trust in a Polarized Age":

https://a.co/d/gDm6pjz

John Inazu's "Learning To Disagree":

https://a.co/d/1OmKckQ

Kevin Vallier on the Curious Task:

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-isuwy-d16f34

Rachael LaRose - What Happened To Our Relationships During The Pandemic?

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Rachael LaRose about the hidden costs of the pandemic, especially as they effected our commercial relationships, loose ties with individuals that once provided much value to our lives, and orthodox communities who rallied to prioritize faith in the face of fear.

Episode Notes:

- Rachael's webpage with past publications, etc.: https://www.rachaelbehr.com/

- "The Strength of Weak Ties" Mark S. Granovetter https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392

- A summary of Ostrom's work on the governance of the commons: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2012/06/17/elinor-ostroms-work-on-governing-the-commons-an-appreciation/

- Rachael's coverage of the Orthodox Jewish community's healthcare action during the pandemic: https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2024/larosehealthcare.html

Sam Bowman - Why Can't We Have Nice Things?

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Sam Bowman about the global housing crisis and why, in English-speaking countries in particular, a growing consensus across the political divide is pointing to problems with central planning, NIMBYism and a supply limit as the causes.

Episode Notes:

Sam Bowman’s on substack: https://substack.com/@sambowman
Sam on "Vetocracy": https://www.sambowman.co/p/democracy-is-the-solution-to-vetocracy
Sam’s “Housing Theory of Everything” article: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-housing-theory-of-everything/
Works in Progress website: https://worksinprogress.co/
Michael Giberson on Manser Olson's theory of concentrated costs and dispersed benefits: https://knowledgeproblem.com/2010/10/17/concentrated-benefits-and-dispersed-costs/
Comparison of UK vs. US GDP per capita: https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/usa/uk

Akshaya Kamalnath - Does Corporate Diversity Work?

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:03:50 -0400

Alex speaks with Akshaya Kamalnath about her work on Corporate Diversity, the social pressures and cultural trends that corporations are facing, as well as the jurisdictional realities of handling diversity, amongst other issues.

Episode Notes:

Akshaya's page at ANU: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/kamalnath-a

Akshaya's blog:

corporatelawacademic.wordpress.com

"Legal and Market Initiatives to Increase Diversity in Corporations—A Cross-Jurisdictional Analysis" by Akshaya Kamalnath

https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol46/iss1/5/

Deirdre McCloskey - Why Does Liberalism Work?

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

In May 2022, Alex spoke with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works. We're reposting that important conversation today on The Curious Task.

References

1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Liberalism-Works-Liberal-Prosperous/dp/0300235089

2. “The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Virtues-Ethics-Age-Commerce/dp/0226556646

3. “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain Modern World” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Dignity-Economics-Explain-Modern/dp/0226556743

4. “Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World”

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Equality-Capital-Institutions-Enriched/dp/022633399X

5. “Dierdre N. McCloskey presents the lecture ‘The Impossibility of Policy’ hosted by the Erasmus Forum” by the Cato Institute

Link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/deirdre-n-mccloskey-presents-lecture-impossibility-policy-hosted

6. “1984” by George Orwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934

7. “Forever Flowing” by Vasily Grossman

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88459.Forever_Flowing

Alex Nowrasteh - What's Wrong With Nationalism?

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Alex Nowrasteh about nationalism as more of an innate tendency towards ethnic tribalism than anything resembling patriotism, and how this tendency may never disappear, but is worth resisting nonetheless.

Episode Notes:

Alex's page at the Cato Insitute:

https://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh

Alex on X:

https://twitter.com/alexnowrasteh?lang=en

Alex's book "Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions":

https://a.co/d/2JePWpU

Oyebade Oyerinde - Has Federalism Hurt Nigeria?

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Oyebade Oyerinde about the state of federalism in Nigeria, and how western ideas of democracy, liberalism and centralization of powers have influenced the current state of politics in the African nation.

Episode Notes:

"Polycentric Interstate Federalism Among The Yoruba Of Nigeria: Lessons For Growing An International Federal Order" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://cosmosandtaxis.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/kunleoyerinde_ct_vol10_iss11_12.pdf

"Polycentric and Centralized Federalism in Africa" (Chapter 3) by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666902716/Issues-of-Governance-Security-and-Development-in-Contemporary-Africa

"Does Polycentric Order Make Sense?" by Oyebade Kunle Oyerinde https://isonomiaquarterly.com/archive/volume-2-issue-1/disorder-in-west-africa-does-polycentric-order-make-sense/

"Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems" By Elinor Ostrom https://web.pdx.edu/~nwallace/EHP/OstromPolyGov.pdf

Jason Kuznicki - What Does Technology Have To Do With Gender?

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Jason Kuznicki about the present, past, and future influence of technology on gender and why he questions the uproar made about a choice made by individuals in the market about their own self-expression and identity.

Episode Notes:

Jason's article "Gender as Essence and as Economic Choice" http://tinyurl.com/2p9byb5d

The Cosmos + Taxis issue on gender: http://tinyurl.com/2p9byb5d

Jason's newsletter "Pacification": http://tinyurl.com/yeycjzj

Marian Tupy - Are We Better Off Than Before?

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Marian Tupy about the notion that human progress has increased quality of life worldwide for centuries, making today the greatest time to be alive in the history of human life (in spite of what you may have heard elsewhere).

Episode Notes:

- Marian's book "Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet" on Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/boeFBP3

- Marian's profile and bio on the FEE website: https://fee.org/people/marian-l-tupy/

- An article breaking down the Malthusian thinking in the Avengers movie referenced by Marian https://carnegiemnh.org/defeating-thanos-and-his-malthusian-mission-of-population-control/

- A Youtube video giving some history and context for the Simon - Ehrlich bet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw2mn40BVo0

Aeon Skoble - How Is Limiting Access to Information Harmful?

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Aeon Skoble about the harms of limiting access to information, including book bans and why a better understanding of ideas we disagree with often strengthens rather than weakens our arguments in support of the ideas we endorse.

Episode Notes:

- “Free Speech and the Function of a University” Aeon J. Skoble https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2081&context=br_rev
- A brief history of Hume’s works being banned: https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-10-25-donway-hume-great-work-on-religion-banned
- A handy breakdown from the University of Notre Dame on J.S. Mill’s case for disagreement and free speech in “On Liberty”: https://philife.nd.edu/j-s-mills-on-liberty-seek-disagreement/
- Jacob Mchangama’s book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media” https://a.co/d/8lcEV6a

Eric Schliesser - Is Post-Liberalism Already Here?

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the growing declarations of the end of liberalism and what this means for the socio-political future in general.

Episode Notes:

Eric Schliesser’s page at the University of Amsterdam https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/s/c/e.s.schliesser/e.s.schliesser.html#Publications
Kevin Vallier’s episode of this podcast discussing religious anti-liberalism: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/197-kevin-vallier-what-are-the-new-religious-threats-to-liberalism/
Adrian Vermeulen’s publications https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/adrian-vermeule/
Tom Pink’s page at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
Yoram Hazony’s book on conservatism: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
Jacob Levy on borders and liberalism: https://www.niskanencenter.org/law-and-border/

Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak - How Do Markets Influence Gender?

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak about the effects of market forces on gender as a social construct, the unlikely pairing of free markets and gender in an age of socialist feminist theory, and their recent co-authored article in Cosmos + Taxis.

Episode Notes:

"Gender as a Discovery Process: Social Construction, Markets, and Gender" Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak https://cosmosandtaxis.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/malamet_novak_ct_vol11_iss11_12_epub.pdf

Randall Holcombe on Spontaneous Order:

https://doi.org/10.1177/1473095212458270

David Pozen "We Are All Entrepreneurs Now":

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1044021

Immanuel Kant first introduces the concepts of "phenomena" and "noumena" in his critical philosophy, particularly in his work titled "Critique of Pure Reason" (Kritik der reinen Vernunft), which was first published in 1781.

Isreal Kirzner on Entrepreneurship:

https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Kirzner.html

Jason Kuznicki "Human, Transhuman, Transgender.":

https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/human-transhuman-transgender

Ryan Thorpe - Is Journalism In Trouble?

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine Speaks with Ryan Thorpe about the state of Journalism in Canada and about how bills C-18, C-11 and government subsidies for journalism are compromising an industry necessary for democratic participation in an age when accountability is more important than ever.

Episode Notes:

Ryan's page on the Winnipeg Free Press website: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/biographies/ryan-thorpe

A primer on Canada's Bill C-18: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/understanding-bill-c-18-canada-s-online-news-act-and-its-proposed-rules-explained-1.6488532

Canadaland's statement regarding denial of government subsidies: https://www.canadaland.com/how-to-support-canadaland/

A legal perspective on Bill C-11: https://www.lexpert.ca/legal-insights/exploring-the-controversy-around-bill-c-11/380414

Sy Hersh's C-SPAN speech describing how he exposed the My Lai massacre: https://www.c-span.org/video/?62006-1/vietnam-war-lai-massacre

Torstar losing approximately 50 million dollars a year: http://surl.li/pqchw

Blacklocks reporter on the memo to Pablo Rodriguez demonstrating the failure of public subsidies to Canadian media: https://www.blacklocks.ca/media-bailout-failed-memo/

Tyler Cowen - Who Is The Greatest Economist Of All Time?

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Episode Notes:

The full book plus all interactive AI features can be found for free here: https://goatgreatesteconomistofalltime.ai/en

Matthew Mitchell and Peter Boettke - What Can We Learn From Estonia?

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Peter Boettke and Matthew Mitchell about their recent book co-authored with Konstantin Zhukov about the unusual rise of Estonia from the ashes of Stalinism to their current status as one of the freest nations on earth.

Episode Notes:

The conversation focusses on the book "Road To Freedom" which can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-freedom-estonias-rise-from-soviet-vassal-state-to-one-of-the-freest-nations-on-earth_0.pdf

A similar publication on the economic history of Poland by these same authors can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-socialism-and-back-an-economic-history-of-poland-1939-2019.pdf

Nick Cowen - Is Public Ignorance A Problem?

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Nick Cowen about democracy, markets, and his forthcoming article "Include The Ignorant"

Episode Notes:

- Jason Brennan "Against Democracy" https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691178493/against-democracy

- On the Compatibility of Epistocracy and Public Reason
by Thomas Mulligan https://www.jstor.org/stable/24575740

- Hayek on Limited Democracy, Dictatorships, and the ‘Free’ Market: An Interview in Argentina, 1977
"Birsen Filip" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-91358-2_10

Mike Munger - Can Classical Liberalism Be Saved?

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal".

Episode Notes:

The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi

The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation

Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us

Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism

Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job

Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/

Lauren Hall - Is Gender An Emergent Order?

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Lauren K Hall, who defends the notion that feminism is an emergent order, and speaks about her recent special edition of Cosmos+Taxis.

Episode Notes:

All articles in the most recent edition of Cosmos+Taxis are linked here:

https://cosmosandtaxis.org/current-issue/

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy "The Woman That Never Evolved":

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1khdr6b

Kimberle Crenshaw "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex:
A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination
Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics":

https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf

Clara Piano - Does Greater Economic Freedom Lead To More Babies?

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Clara Piano about the relationship between economic freedom, fertility, and the roles that modernization and increasing well-being for women have on the number of babies that are born in countries around the world.

Episode Notes:

"The Fertility Gap and Economic Freedom" by Clara Piano & Lyman Stone https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4564080

"The Fertility Benefits of Economic Freedom" by Clara E. Piano https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-fertility-benefits-of-economic-freedom

"The Best Policy for Supporting Families Is “Do No Harm”" by Clara E. Piano https://www.aier.org/article/the-best-policy-for-supporting-families-is-do-no-harm/

Some history on "The Population Bomb" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/book-incited-worldwide-fear-overpopulation-180967499/

Sarah Skwire - Why Should Liberals Read Shakespeare?

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Sarah Skwire about the fascinating world of Shakespeare and why there are so many lessons we can learn from a pre-enlightenment playwright about markets, politics, and the human condition.

Episode Notes:

- Mike Huemer's Post on Shakespeare: https://fakenous.substack.com/p/why-i-hate-shakespeare

- "The Comedy of The Errors" https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-comedy-of-errors/read/#:~:text=Synopsis%3A,named%20Dromio%2C%20as%20their%20servants.

- Sarah on Shakespeare and Immigration: https://fee.org/articles/even-shakespeare-knew-that-kicking-out-immigrants-harms-us-all/

- Adam Smith on Human Sympathy: https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/smith-on-sympathy-lauren-hall-12-1

- Summary of Shakespeare's "Sir Thomas More": https://nosweatshakespeare.com/sir-thomas-more-play/

- Adam Smith's misrecollection of Othello https://www.adamsmithworks.org/speakings/skwire-smith-shakespeare-slips-end-of-othello

- Intro to "Measure for Measure": https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/measure-for-measure/

- Commentary on the Political Theology of First Samuel: https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/samuel-kings-chronicles-and-work/from-tribal-confederation-to-monarchy-1-samuel/

David Friedman - What Is Anarcho-Capitalism?

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with David Friedman about defenses, definitions and critiques of Anarcho-Capitalism in David's work and in others'.

Episode Notes:

- Summary of David's book "The Machinery of Freedom" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinery_of_Freedom

- Some of Ayn Rand's views on Libertarianism and Anarcho-Capitalism: http://aynrandlexicon.com/ayn-rand-ideas/ayn-rand-q-on-a-on-libertarianism.html

- Some of David's comments on his Father's views of his work can be found here: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2011/07/david_friedmans_1.html

- The Stanford Encyclopedia's entry on Anarchism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anarchism/#:~:text=Libertarianism%20and%20anarcho%2Dcapitalism%20also,the%20idea%20of%20social%20development.

- "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" - Robert A. Heinlein https://a.co/d/4gmWZrP

- "The Private Enforcement of Law" - Landes and Posner https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259376

- "Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers" - Gary S. Becker and George J. Stigler https://laws21.classes.ryansafner.com/readings/Becker-Stigler-1974.pdf

Iain Murray - What Has Happened to Conservatism?

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Iain Murray about the estrangement of conservative liberalism from identitarian forms of conservative nationalism and the intriguing alliances that may arise in the future between freedom-loving libertarians and some unlikely allies.

Episode Notes:

Iain's book "The Socialist Temptation" https://a.co/d/5AUQHQp

One of Iain's articles on the subject https://cei.org/blog/european-populism-is-nationalist-conservatism/

"Do Libertarians Have a Political Home Anymore?" by Iain Murray https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-35-number-1-2/do-libertarians-have-political-home-anymore

Summary of Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy

Ezra Klein's comment on "Everything Bagel Liberalism" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/opinion/democrats-liberalism.html

Brad Lips - Is The Liberty Movement In Trouble?

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Atlas Network's Brad Lips about what's in store for the liberty movement all over the world.

Episode Notes:

- The Atlas Network https://www.atlasnetwork.org/who-we-are

- Brad's book "Liberalism and the Free Society in 2021" https://a.co/d/0Bcor8q

- The Free Market Foundation https://freemarketfoundation.com/

- Article summarizing Margaret Thatcher's relationship with Anthony Fisher https://philanthropydaily.com/margaret-thatcher-and-antony-fisher-free-markets-and-philanthropy/

- Watler Williams on South Africa https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_opinion/walter-williams-ridding-south-africa-of-apartheid-and-what-replaces-it-column/article_da26121e-ad32-11e8-ba86-7783725cd2d4.html

- Centre for Civil Society in India https://ccs.in/

Mark Mercer - What’s Wrong With Universities?

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Matt speaks with Mark Mercer about academic freedom, the changing mission of universities themselves, and what role faculty, administrators, and students should play in shaping the future of the institution.

References:

Mark’s Interview in C2C Journal: https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/05/confronting-the-post-academic-university-in-conversation-with-mark-mercer/
Peter March at St. Mary’s: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/students-protest-prof-who-posted-cartoons-1.623017
Kathleen Lowrey at University of Alberta: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/u-of-a-professor-says-she-was-dismissed-over-views-that-biological-sex-trumps-transgender-identity-for-policy-decisions
Tomáš Hudlický at Brock University: https://niagaraindependent.ca/remembering-professor-tomas-hudlicky-and-how-poorly-brock-university-treated-him/
The Chicago Principles: https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdf

Cory Massimino - How Do We Abolish Prisons?

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Cory Massimino about the concept of prison abolition and how this position corresponds with natural rights theory and recent movements demanding the end of prisons as we know them.

Read some of Cory’s published and unpublished pieces on prison abolition here: thttp://corymassimino.com/tag/prison-abolition/

Seth Kaplan - Why Are Neighbourhoods Important?

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Matt speaks with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods, and why a decision as simple as where we choose to live can often make the difference between lives of prosperity and lives of uncertainty and strife.

Seth's book can be ordered here:

https://a.co/d/aqUzRny

Noah Schwartz - Does Canada Have A Gun Problem?

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In March of 2023, Alex spoke with Noah Schwartz about gun control in Canada and how recent attempts to review firearms policy have failed to address root issues and the causes of violence and crime.

References

1. “On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling, and the NRA” by Noah Schwartz

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Target-Gun-Culture-Storytelling-NRA/dp/1487548443/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

2. “Firearms Act, 1995” by Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/f-11.6/

3. “Firearms Licensing” by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Link: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing

4. “A Right to Bear Arms? Canadian Cases” by Leonid Sirota

Link: https://doubleaspect.blog/2012/04/15/a-right-to-bear-arms-canadian-cases/

5. “Nova Scotia Shooting Incident - Timeline” by Public Safety Canada

Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200730/021/index-en.aspx

6. “Bill C-21” by the Parliament of Canada

Link: https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-21

Monica Guzman - How Can Curiosity Fix Polarization?

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In April of 2023, Alex speaks with Monica Guzman about the need for curiosity as a remedy for the increasing polarization in American discourse and her recent book on the subject "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times"

Monica's book:

https://a.co/d/j6xKME7

Kevin Vallier - Must Politics Be War?

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In this conversation from January 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more.

References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier:

You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War here
You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here
You can purchase From Politics to the Pews here

Jayme Lemke - Who Was Elinor Ostrom?

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:39:57 -0400

Alex speaks with Jayme Lemke about the life, work, and legacy of American Nobel Prize-winning political economist Elinor Ostrom.

References

1. “Elinor Ostrum and the Bloomington School: Building a New Approach to Policy and Social Sciences” by Jayme Lemke and Vlad Tarko

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Elinor-Ostrom-Bloomington-School-Building/dp/0228004152

2. Elinor Ostrum Publications

Link: https://ostromworkshop.indiana.edu/library/bibliographies/ostrom-elinor.html

3. Elinor Ostrum Fellowship, Mercatus Centre

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/students/elinor-ostrom-fellowship

Alex Aragona - 200th Episode Celebration

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 10:30:00 -0400

Sabine interviews our regular host Alex Aragona as they discuss the first 200 episodes of The Curious Task.

References

1. Camden Hutchison’s episode “Why Restrict Freedom of Expression” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/?s=hutchison

2. Sigal Ben-Porath’s episode “How Can Speech Be Protected on Campus” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-11-sigal-ben-porath-%e2%80%94-how-can-speech-be-protected-on-campus/

3. Jacob Levy’s episode “What is Academic Freedom?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-137-jacob-levy-what-is-academic-freedom/

4. “Different Kinds and Degrees of Private Censorship Matter” by Alex Aragona

Link: https://speaking-liberally.com/2021/04/13/different-kinds-and-degrees-of-private-censorship-matter/

5. Nathan Goodman’s episode “What Does Immigration Have to Do With Climate Change” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-199-nathan-goodman-what-does-immigration-have-to-do-with-climate-change/

6. Fiona Harrigan’s episode “How Does Immigration Make Us Freer?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-188-fiona-harrigan-how-does-immigration-make-us-freer/

7. Chandran Kukuthas’ episode “What’s Wrong With Immigration Control?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-127-chandran-kukathas-what-s-wrong-with-immigration-control/

8. Sabine El-Chidiac and Peter Jaworski’s episode “Does Immigration Make A Better World?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-134-sabine-el-chidiac-and-peter-jaworski-does-immigration-make-a-better-world/

9. Paige MacPherson’s episode “What Does School Choice Look Like?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-151-paige-macpherson-what-does-school-choice-look-like/

10. James Tooley’s episode “Is Low-Cost Private Education Possible?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-3-james-tooley%c2%a0%e2%80%94-is-low-cost-private-education-possible/

11. James Harrigan’s episode “What’s Wrong With Utopias?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-187-james-harrigan-what-s-wrong-with-utopias/

12. Rachel Lomasky’s episode “Can A.I. Be Ethical?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-168-rachel-lomasky-can-ai-be-ethical/

13. Thomas Bunting’s episode “What Can Baseball Teach Us About Politics?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-168-rachel-lomasky-can-ai-be-ethical/

14. Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire’s episode “Why Tweet the Wealth of Nations” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-98-janet-bufton-and-sarah-skwire-%e2%80%94-why-tweet-the-wealth-of-nations/

15. Nimish Adhia’s episode “Did Bollywood Liberalize India?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-52-nimish-adhia-%e2%80%94-did-bollywood-liberalize-india/

16. Chris Freiman’s episode “Is It Okay to Ignore Politics?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-31-christopher-freiman-%e2%80%94-is-it-okay-to-ignore-politics/

17. Jessica Flannigan’s episode “Should We Legalize All Drugs?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-9-jessica-flanigan-%e2%80%94-should-we-legalize-all-drugs/

18. Mike Munger’s episode “Is Price Gouging Wrong?” of The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-39-mike-munger-%e2%80%94-is-price-gouging-wrong/

19. Dan Shahar’s episode “Is It Okay to Eat Meat?” of The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-125-dan-shahar-is-it-okay-to-eat-meat/

Nathan Goodman - What Does Immigration Have To Do With Climate Change

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Nathan Goodman about the implications of Climate Change for immigration policy and how coercion and polycentricity factor into that conversation.

References:

- Adapting to Climate Change through Migration: Justus Enninga and Nathan Goodman https://www.thecgo.org/research/adapting-to-climate-change-through-migration/

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/summary-for-policymakers/#:~:text=Climate%20change%2C%20through%20hazards%2C%20exposure,adapt%20and%20mitigate%20within%20limits

- Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems: Elinor Ostrom https://www.jstor.org/stable/27871226

- The case for open immigration Chandran Kukathas https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/237298126.pdf

Paige MacPherson - What Does School Choice Look Like?

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In August of 2022, Alex spoke with Paige MacPherson about school choice - and the lack thereof - in each of Canada's provinces.

References

1. Paige’s articles, The Fraser Institute

Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/profile/paige-macpherson

2. Paige’s Blog

Link: https://www.paigetmacpherson.com/blog

3. “Public, private, and charter schools: How they compare” by Understood

Link: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/public-private-and-charter-schools-how-they-compare

4. “Explore: The Canadian education system by province and territory” by Future Learn

Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/canada-public-education-by-province

Peter Jaworski - What Is Libertarianism?

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions.

References

Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Peter mentions B. van der Vossen’s article on self-ownership published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which can be read here. The general article on libertarianism starts at this link.
You can read more about Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations theory on the website, moralfoundations.org.
Peter mentions the three-way division between people cited in Jason Brennan’s book, Against Democracy, which is also available on Amazon Canada at this link.
This article on libertarianism.org captures David Hume’s is-ought dichotomy that was briefly mentioned by Peter during the podcast.
The Acton Institute publishes many articles that demonstrate how their theological views endorse libertarian institutions on their website, acton.org.
You can read John Stuart Mill’s libertarian conclusions in On Liberty at this link.
Peter mentions Chris Freiman during the episode, who has published blogposts on learnliberty.org.
You can read more about the natural rights argument of Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this article on libertarianism.org.
The Lockean-Nozick justification of property rights has also been written about in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is the link to Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness, that explores the concept of ethical egoism.
Michael L. Frazer has a book on Adam Smith’s theory of sentimentalism and how it departs from that of David Hume, which can be accessed here.
You can purchase Michael Huemer’s book, Ethical Institutionalism, that was recommended by Peter at this link.
Jan Narveson makes a contractarian case for libertarianism in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is Roderick Long’s article, Eudaimonist Libertarianism, that was published on bleedingheartlibertarians.org.
Dan Sanchez published an article called, In Defense of Mises’s Utilitarianism, through the Mises Institute and is available for reading here.
Here is Kevin Vallier’s article, A Rawlisan Case for Libertarianism, which also draws parallels to F. A. Hayek.
You can explore Milton Friedman’s natural rights-oriented political philosophy in his book, Capitalism and Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is a joint article by John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski called, A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism, which was published in Cato Unbound and can be read at this link.
This is a link to the Libertarian Party of the United States.
Deirdre McCloskey elaborated on her idea of The Great Enrichment in this article published on the Foundation for Economic Education.

Tony Gill - Why Do We Tip?

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Tony Gill about the curious practice of tipping and why despite all our groaning, it may just be a habit worth defending.

Further Reading (some more of Tony Gill's writings on the subject):

https://www.polisci.washington.edu/news/2019/03/18/tony-gill-tipping

http://journal.apee.org/index.php/2018_Journal_of_Private_Enterprise_Vol_33_No_1_Spring_parte6

https://www.aier.org/article/in-defense-of-tipping-part-ii-price-discrimination/

https://www.econtalk.org/anthony-gill-on-tipping/

Kevin Vallier - What Are The New Religious Threats To Liberalism?

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Kevin Vallier about his new book "All The Kingdoms Of The World", in which he takes a global view of anti-liberal integralist strands in political thought and warns of the consequences of following them toward a rejection of liberal freedom and democracy.

Episode Notes:

The conversation focuses primarily on Kevin’s book:
- https://www.kevinvallier.com/books/all-the-kingdoms-of-the-world-radical-religious-alternatives-liberalism/
Introduction to Catholic Political Integralism:
- https://thejosias.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integralism
Introduction to islamic political anti-liberalism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamism
“The Confucian Tradition and Politics” Youngmin Kim, Ha-Kyoung Lee and Seongun Park https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.991

Stefanie Haeffele - Can We Live Better Together?

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Stefanie Haeffele about her recent book Living Better Together, which explores the work of Elinor Ostrom and Viviana Zelizer.

Episode Notes:

"Living Better Together" by Stefanie Haeffele and Virgil Henry Storr:

https://a.co/d/hJNCxw6

Viviana Zelizer's homepage at Princeton:

https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/viviana-zelizer

Elinor Ostrom's bio and short autobiography on the Nobel website:

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/ostrom/facts/

Nonneutrality of Money in a Social Perspective by Julia Włodarczyk

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274184545_Nonneutrality_of_Money_in_a_Social_Perspective

Zelizer's "Circuits of Commerce"

https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520241367.003.0009

Ostrom's "Governing The Commons"

https://a.co/d/gcUDVWq

Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy by
Viviana A. Zelizer

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691139364/economic-lives

"Testing Circuits of Commerce in the Distant Past: Archaeological Understandings of Social Relationships and Economic Lives"
by: Crystal A. Dozier

https://www.springerprofessional.de/testing-circuits-of-commerce-in-the-distant-past-archaeological-/23930708

Scott Scheall - How Are Carl and Karl Menger Important For Liberalism?

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Scott Scheall about Carl and Karl Menger and their influence on the history of economics, liberal theory, and - yes - mathematics.

Jason Lee Byas - How Should We Deal With Historic Injustice?

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Jason Lee Byas about the complexities of responding to questions of historic injustice, reparations, and compensation within a libertarian framework.

Originally Aired as Episode 140 on Wednesday May 04, 2022

References

1. Articles by Jason Lee Byas, Center for a Stateless Society

Link: https://c4ss.org/content/author/jason-byas

2. “Rectification and Historic Injustice” by Jason Lee Byas

Link: https://philpapers.org/archive/BYARAH.pdf

3. “A Black Commons: A Framework for Recognition, Reconciliation, and Reparations” by Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone

Link: https://www.academia.edu/113180745/The_Black_CommonsA_Framework_for_Recognition_Reconciliation_Reparations

4. “Compensation for Historic Injustices: Completing the Boxill and Sher Argument” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40212837.pdf

5. “Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions” by David Boonin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Should-Race-Matter-Unusual-Questions/dp/0521149800

6. “The Ethics of Liberty” by Murray N. Rothbard

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594

7. “Historical Rights and Fair Shares” by A. John Simmons

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3505011

8. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

9. “Apologies and Moral Repair: Rights, Duties, and Corrective Justice” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apologies-Moral-Repair-Corrective-Justice/dp/0367508036

Nigel Ashford - Can We Change The World For Liberty?

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Nigel Ashford about the prospects for a freer world and how the memory of history, the hope of younger persons, and the teaching of ideas can shape the future of classical liberalism.

Further Reading:

https://libertarianism.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/socin003.pdf

Chapter 2 of this book: https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Blundell-interactive.pdf

https://fee.org/articles/the-tide-in-the-affairs-of-men/

https://cdn.mises.org/Intellectuals%20and%20Socialism_4.pdf

https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/why-do-intellectuals-oppose-capitalism

http://wordlist.narod.ru/Government-Failure.pdf

Jake Monaghan - Is Just Policing Possible?

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Jake Monaghan about ideal vs. ideal theory approaches to policing, the history and function of the police as an institution, and how to respond to police abolitionists.

Episode Notes

Jake's book - the subject of the conversation - can be purchased here: https://a.co/d/ewVS0h9

References are made to G. A. Cohen's Why Not Socialism, which can be read here: https://www3.nd.edu/~pweithma/Readings/Cohen,%20Gerald/Cohen,%20G%20(Why%20not%20Socialism).pdf

... and to "The Dispossessed", which can be read here:

https://files.libcom.org/files/Le%20Guin%20-%20The%20Dispossessed.pdf

Trevor Burrus - What Is The Statrix?

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Trevour Burrus about his concept of the Statrix and why the solution to every problem should not be more government programs, intervention and restriction.

Episode Notes:

Introductory YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eavx1ZVVyzM

Seeing the Statrix: Invisible and Omnipresent

by Trevor Burrus: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/burrus-cap-research-center-10-18-2018.pdf

The Boris Yeltsin Grocery Store Visit:

https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/When-Boris-Yeltsin-went-grocery-shopping-in-Clear-5759129.php#photo-6130394

Trevor’s CATO article about the dairy industry:

https://www.cato.org/commentary/rebel-farmers-government-cartels-how-new-deal-cartelized-us-agriculture

Camden Hutchison - Why Restrict Freedom of Expression?

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Camden Hutchison about the nuances of freedom of expression laws in Canada and the United States, and the ways in which immature understandings of free speech can obfuscate the public discourse surrounding this fundamental right in North American law and politics.

Episode Notes

Freedom of Expression: Values and Harms - Camden Hutchison

https://albertalawreview.com/index.php/ALR/article/view/2733

Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Including Freedom of Expression)

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/how-rights-protected/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html

Guide to The Constitution (Including the First Amendment)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-constitution/#:~:text=The%20First%20Amendment%20provides%20that,the%20right%20to%20bear%20arms

Overview of Bill C-19 (Including Division 21 criminalizing various forms of Holocaust denial)

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/trans/bm-mb/other-autre/c19/remarks-remarques.html

Pete Boettke - Is Hayek Still Relevant?

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Pete Boettke about the relevancy of Friedrich Hayek in the contemporary context, what it means to be a "Hayekian" and the curious tale of how Hayek came to be the focus of his latest book "F. A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy"

Episode Notes

Pete’s book “F. A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy“ https://a.co/d/ah7SpwW
Hayek on The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/friedrich-hayek/
Introduction to Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” https://mises.org/library/road-serfdom-0
Murray Rothbard’s “Man, Economy and State” retrospective https://fee.org/articles/rothbards-man-economy-and-state-at-50/
Milton Friedman’s “Free To Choose” https://www.proglocode.unam.mx/sites/proglocode.unam.mx/files/docencia/Milton%20y%20Rose%20Friedman%20-%20Free%20to%20Choose.pdf
Hayek “Prices and Production” https://mises.org/library/prices-and-production-and-other-works
Introduction to economics of Lucas https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Lucas.html
Steve Horowitz on Hayek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5dR0zgC1ZI
Herbert Dreyfuss “What Computers Can’t Do” https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262540674/what-computers-still-cant-do/
Horowitz quote on Hayek “we have to learn to live in two worlds at once” https://www.jstor.org/stable/41560288
Hayek’s “The Fatal Conceit” https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo3643985.html
Kenneth Boulding “After Samuelson, Who Needs Adam Smith?” https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/3/2/225/12381/After-Samuelson-Who-Needs-Adam-Smith
- “The Extended Present” (concept) https://medium.com/extended-present/about
The “Grapes vs. Cucumbers as pay for Monkeys” experiment (youtube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg
The Constitution of Liberty - Hayek https://www.mises.at/static/literatur/Buch/hayek-the-constitution-of-liberty.pdf
Chandran Kukathas’ Liberal Archipelago https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-liberal-archipelago-9780199219209?cc=ca&lang=en&
Kind vs. Wicked learning environments. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/experience-studio/202007/experience-kind-vs-wicked

Darwyyn Deyo - How Does Occupational Licensing Increase Barriers for Workers?

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Darwynn Deyo about the many ways in which occupational licensing can in fact reduce efficiency in the workforce, make it harder for people to cross borders, and ultimately reduce economic mobility for already disadvantaged groups.

Episode Notes and Further Reading:

License To Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing (2022) https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/

Policy Brief: Licensing Barriers for Women in the Workforce - Dr. Darwyyn Deyo (2022) https://csorwvu.com/policy-brief-licensing-barriers-for-women-in-the-workforce/

Policy Brief: Survey of Universal Licensing Reforms in the United States - Dr. Darwyyn Deyo (2022) https://csorwvu.com/policy-brief-survey-of-universal-licensing-reforms-in-the-united-states/

Testing Licensing and Consumer Satisfaction for Beauty Services in the United States

in Grease or Grit?: International Case Studies of Occupational Licensing and Its

Effects on Efficiency and Quality - Darwyyn Deyo (2022)

Have license, will travel: Measuring the effects of universal licensing

recognition on mobility - Darwyyn Deyo & Alicia Plemmons (2022)

Occupational Licensing: Improving Access to Regulatory Information - Morris M. Kleiner & Edward J. Timmons (2020)

Licensing massage therapists in the name of crime: the case of Harper v Lindsay - Darwyyn Deyo, Blake Hoarty, Conor Norris and Edward Timmons (2020)

Effects of Occupational Licensing and Unions on Labour Market Earnings in Canada

- Tingting Zhang (2019)

Guild-Ridden Labor Markets: The Curious Case of Occupational Licensing - Morris M. Kleiner (2015)

Fiona Harrigan - How Does Immigration Make Us Freer?

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Fiona Harrigan about the state of immigration in the United States and elsewhere, and the ways in which "outsiders" make "insiders" better off - both instrumentally and categorically.

Episode Notes:

The Government Is Turning Border Surveillance on Everyday Americans by Fiona Harrigan https://reason.com/2023/03/28/the-government-is-turning-border-surveillance-on-everyday-americans/
Cutting Legal Immigration Won’t Help Low‐Skilled American Workers By Alex Nowrasteh https://www.cato.org/blog/cutting-legal-immigration-wont-help-low-skilled-american-workers
NFAP study on Immigrant-founded startups https://nfap.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Immigrant-Entrepreneurs-and-Billion-Dollar-Companies.DAY-OF-RELEASE.2022.pdf
“Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing” by Colleen Long https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum-be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d

James Harrigan - What’s Wrong With Utopias?

Wed, 31 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

What's the harm in dreaming big? Significant, James Harrigan believes. Alex and James discuss the many ways in which Utopian theory has led to disaster in practice - From Plato to Lenin and into the present day.

Episode Notes:

Keynes on Eugenics, Race, and Population Control https://mises.org/wire/keynes-eugenics-race-and-population-control
Phillip W. Magness, James R. Harrigan; John Maynard Keynes, H. G. Wells, and a Problematic Utopia. History of Political Economy 1 April 2020; 52 (2): 211–238. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00182702-8173298
Plato’s Republic - Ethics and Politics https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/
Thomas Moore’s Utopia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_(book)
“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design” - F.A. Hayek

Daniel Weinstock - Should Adolescents Vote?

Wed, 24 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Daniel Weinstock makes the case for lowering the voting age and extending the right to vote to teens who have much more in common with the general voting public than we may think.

Episode Notes:

Daniel Weinstock - “What’s So Funny about Voting Rights for Children?”, in Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, vol. 18, no. 2 (2021), pp. 751 – 771. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/public-policy-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2021/09/Weinstock.pdf

Kant’s views on voting rights and the “underclasses” https://academic.oup.com/book/4831/chapter-abstract/147152492?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Rousseau on “the general will” and deliberation, the force of the better argument. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/#PoliPhil
John Stewart Mill on weighted votes and plural voting https://www.jstor.org/stable/26220010
“Votes for children! Why we should lower the voting age to six” by David Runciman https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/16/reconstruction-after-covid-votes-for-children-age-six-david-runciman

Jacob Levy - Is Liberalism Neutral?

Wed, 17 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Professor Jacob Levy about the concept of neutrality within the history of liberalism and how many historical thinkers have approached the subject within that tradition.

Episode Notes:

Michael Oakeshott on “adverbial rules” https://lawliberty.org/forum/michael-oakeshott-on-the-rule-of-law-and-the-liberal-order/
John Locke’s religious beliefs https://rb.gy/1yg43
Heresy of Americanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanism_(heresy)
Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Virtues Thesis https://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/bv_selection.pdf
Ronald Dworkin “Liberalism” https://www.scribd.com/document/313373358/Ronald-Dworkin-Liberalism#
Stephanie Slade, "Must Libertarians Care About More Than the State?" https://reason.com/2022/03/19/two-libertarianisms/
Alexis De Toqueville’s concerns about the rising liberal democratic order https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2018/08/09/de-tocqueville-and-the-french-exception
John Stuart Mill “On Liberty” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Liberty

Aurelian Craiutu - Why Not Moderation?

Wed, 10 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Aurelian Craiutu about the importance of moderation when it comes to virtue, political discourse, and the balancing of extremes in a world full of radicals.

Episode Notes:

Aurelian Craiutu - Why Not Moderation? Letters to Young Radicals https://a.co/d/1LVcadG
Aurelian Craiutu - Faces of Moderation: The Art of Balance in an Age of Extremes https://a.co/d/6cVwv5F
Thomas Osborne - Moderation as Government: Montesquieu and the Divisibility of Power https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10848770.2023.2172780
The Golden Mean in Philosophy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)
The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence Paperback by Balthasar Gracian https://a.co/d/hgyXcYG
The 48 Laws of Power Paperback by Robert Greene https://a.co/d/96ifKoz
A Propensity to Self-Subversion by Albert O. Hirschman https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674715585

Jason Kuznicki - Why Is It So Hard To Think About Freedom?

Wed, 03 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Jason Kuznicki about the societal tendency towards stagnation - and away from liberalism - and its roots in some of the earliest human civilizations.

References

1. “Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For?” by Jason Kuznicki

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Technology-End-Authority-What-Government/dp/3319486918

2. Jason’s previous episode “What Is Government For?” on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-12-jason-kuznicki-%e2%80%94-what-is-government-for/

3. “The Domus Mindset: The Origins of Civilization, the Ruling Class, and Why It’s so Hard to Think About Freedom” by Jason Kuznicki

Link: https://pacification.substack.com/p/the-domus-mindset

4. “The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress” by Virginia Postrel

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Future-Its-Enemies-Creativity-Enterprise/dp/0684862697

Monica Guzman - How Can Curiosity Fix Polarization?

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Monica Guzman about the need for curiosity as a remedy for the increasing polarization in American discourse and her recent book on the subject "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times"

Monica's book:

https://a.co/d/j6xKME7

Nolan Gray - Do We Need Zoning?

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex and Nolan discuss a novel solution to many of the difficult issues surrounding housing in North America: the elimination of zoning laws.

Further Reading and References:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/zoning-housing-affordability-nimby-parking-houston/661289/

https://reason.com/2022/06/21/abolish-zoning-all-of-it/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-04/how-houston-s-zoning-can-help-hurricane-harvey-recovery

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-26/manufactured-homes-are-the-cheap-housing-fix-we-need

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-28/cities-don-t-use-zoning-to-exclude-families-with-kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRUbDvMpyCM&ab_channel=VancouverPublicLibrary

https://marketurbanism.com/2018/07/30/how-should-we-interpret-jane-jacobs/

https://marketurbanism.com/2016/02/21/who-plans-jane-jacobs-hayekian-critique-of-urban-planning/

https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/121786-jane-jacobs-and-zoning

Mike Munger - What Is The Difference Between Directionalism and Destinationism?

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex and Mike Munger discuss two strains of thought within the liberty movement - one concerned with philosophical purity and cohesion, the other with advancement towards a common ideal of greater freedom for all.

Episode Notes:

Mike's article "The Right Kind of Nothing": https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-right-kind-of-nothing/

An introduction to Coasian bargaining:

http://www.ejolt.org/2015/09/coasian-bargaining-2/

The Piece commissioned by Leonard Read by Milton Friedman and George Stigler on Rent Control:

https://fee.org/resources/roofs-or-ceilings-the-current-housing-problem/

Mike Munger's piece "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"

https://www.aier.org/article/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things-directionalists-vs-destinationists/

James Buchanan on Relatively Absolute Absolutes

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11127-021-00883-0

Dennis Rasmussen - Who Wrote The American Constitution?

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex and Dennis discuss the very colorful character who, unbeknownst to many, wrote the American Constitution.

Episode Notes:

Dennis' book "The Constitution's Penman"

https://a.co/d/iKnulei

The American Constitution https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

The Federalist Papers https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers

Roosevelt's biography of Morris

bit.ly/3zEEVlU

Gouverneur Morris' speech on the franchise for slaves:

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1787-gouverner-morris-curse-slavery/

William Pierce's description of Morris:

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/resource/convention/delegates/morris_g/#:~:text=William%20Pierce%20stated%20that%20%E2%80%9CMr,Morris.%E2%80%9D

Sabine El-Chidiac - How Is Classical Liberalism Doing In Canada?

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex and Sabine speak about the state of classical liberalism in terms of individual rights and economic freedom in Canada today.

Works referenced:

Hayek's "Why I Am Not A Conservative": https://press.uchicago.edu/books/excerpt/2011/hayek_constitution.html

Noah Schwartz - Does Canada Have A Gun Problem?

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Noah Schwartz about gun control in Canada and how recent attempts to review firearms policy have failed to address root issues and the causes of violence and crime.

References

1. “On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling, and the NRA” by Noah Schwartz

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Target-Gun-Culture-Storytelling-NRA/dp/1487548443/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

2. “Firearms Act, 1995” by Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/f-11.6/

3. “Firearms Licensing” by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Link: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing

4. “A Right to Bear Arms? Canadian Cases” by Leonid Sirota

Link: https://doubleaspect.blog/2012/04/15/a-right-to-bear-arms-canadian-cases/

5. “Nova Scotia Shooting Incident - Timeline” by Public Safety Canada

Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200730/021/index-en.aspx

6. “Bill C-21” by the Parliament of Canada

Link: https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-21

Liya Palagashvili - What Is The State Of The Gig Economy?

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Liya Palagashvili about the state - and the meaning - of the gig economy and how history can show the not-so-novel nature of modern labour.

References

1. Liya’s articles, The Mercatus Center

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/liya-palagashvili?utm_source=ad_link&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=scholar_branding&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgJa6BhCOARIsAMiL7V_UHKSWyzs0ydt2lCaeIHXRbhZXVi_aQuJgZo1Wo_T-Ijxa6Esw8DEaAg-REALw_wcB

2. Liya’s Substack

Link: https://liyapalagashvili.substack.com/

3. “Employee vs. Independent Worker” by Liya Palagashvili and Paola Suarez

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/research/working-papers/employee-vs-independent-worker

4. “Survey of Household Economics and Decision Making” by the Federal Reserve

Link: https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed.htm

Jay Goldberg - Does Canada Have A Censorship Problem?

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Jay Goldberg about Canada's Bill C-11 and the implications of the government's attempt to change what Canadians see on the internet.

References

1. “Bill C-11: An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts” by the Government of Canada

Link: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pl/charter-charte/c11_2.html

2. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Website

Link: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/home-accueil.htm

3. “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Handmaids-Tale-Margaret-Atwood/dp/038549081X

4. “Gotta Love Trump” Documentary

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Gotta-Love-Trump-Gene-Ho/dp/B0B6LMLHM1

Bryan Caplan — What’s a University Degree Worth?

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:33:36 -0500

As the university school year begins to wrap up, we're bringing back a classic episode of the Curious Task! Alex Aragona speaks with Bryan Caplan about the value of a formal education, and compares the alleged benefits against the reality.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 15 with Bryan Caplan

You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s New York Times best-seller, The Myth of the Rational Voter from Amazon Canada at this link. His other publications include Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids (book), The Case Against Education (the book upon which this episode was based), and Open Borders (graphic novel).
This is an outline of Bryan’s upcoming work on Poverty: Who to Blame.
You can refer to a breakdown of Bryan’s study of the Economic Models of Education, where he operationalizes his definition of “human capital purism” here.
Bryan builds off of Michael Spence’s work on signaling. One of Michael’s publications, Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets, can be accessed with an active JSTOR account.
Bryan briefly uses the term Catch-22 that was coined by Joseph Heller’s novel of the same name, which can be purchased through Amazon Canada.
There is a reference to the Indian caste system when Bryan was comparing the inclinations of degree-bearers to marry those who have a degree at a similar level. A thorough study of the sociopolitics of identity and status under the Indian caste system may be read here.
While discussing how to discipline thinking about the intelligent life in the universe, Bryan references the Drake Equation whose analysis by Leonor Sierra (University of Rochester) can be reviewed on NASA’s website.
The Corporate Finance Institute published a rundown on the meaning of “austerity,” which can be read here.
You can watch The Pianist, which Bryan references while forecasting relevancies in employer consideration, on Amazon Prime.

Neil Boyd - Does Drug Decriminalization Work?

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Neil Boyd about the effects of drug decriminalization and legalization in Canada and around the world, and how regulation and criminalization can have positive or negative impacts on users of various substances and the communities around them.

References

1. “Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 1996” by the Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/

2. “Cannabis Act, 2018” by Justice Laws Website

Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-24.5/

Vincent Geloso - What Effects Income Mobility?

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Vincent Geloso about income mobility, distinguishing it from income inequality and the effects of markets and government regulations on each.

References

1. Vincent’s Articles

Link: https://vincentgeloso.com/publications/

2. Vincent’s previous episode “Should We Care About Inequality?” on The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-28-vincent-geloso-%e2%80%94-should-we-care-about-inequality/

3. “Growth is Good for the Poor” by David Dollar and Aart Kraay

Link: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/pt/419351468782165950/pdf/multi0page.pdf

4. “Who are the champions? Inequality, economic freedom and the Olympics” by Vadim Kufenko and Vincent Geloso

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-institutional-economics/article/who-are-the-champions-inequality-economic-freedom-and-the-olympics/BEEA6B8F9473A7B8652A08E54E00C365

5. “Intergenerational Income Mobility and Economic Freedom” by Justin T. Callais and Vincent Geloso

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3939909

6. “Growing Public: Social Spending and Economic Growth since the Eighteenth Century” by Peter H. Lindert

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Growing-Public-Spending-Economic-Eighteenth/dp/0521529166

7. “Economic Freedom Improves Income Mobility: Evidence from Canadian Provinces, 1982-2018” by Vincent Geloso and James Dean

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3875551

David D’Amato - Should Intellectual Property Be Part Of A Free Society?

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with David D'Amato about the modern concept of intellectual property and how such a thing could exist at all in a free society.

References:

Copying is not theft cartoon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4

Jeremy Horpedahl - Why Do Baptists Need Bootleggers?

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Jeremy Horpedahl about the unusual political alliance between Baptists and Bootleggers - both figuratively and literally - and what these ties can tell us about public choice economics.

Sources Referenced:

Horpedahl, Jeremy. "Bootleggers and Baptists Revisited: A Reply to Critics." Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 62, no. 2, Oct. 2019, pp. 557-576. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26546700.
Regulation (Cato Institute Journal) Spring 2021 issue
"Not So Unlikely Coalitions" article by Thomas W. Hazlett in the Regulation (Cato Institute Journal) Spring 2021 issue.

Scott Beyer - What Does Urbanism Look Like Around The World?

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Scott Beyer about the insights he's gleaned from travelling the world in search of the most market-friendly urban centers and what other countries can teach us about central planning, solutions to homelessness, and more.

References

1. The Market Urbanist Website

Link: https://www.marketurbanist.com/

2. Scott’s previous episode “What Is Market Urbanism?” on The Curious Task podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-33-scott-beyer-%e2%80%94-what-is-market-urbanism/

3. “Scott Beyer’s Market Urbanism World Trip” by Market Urbanist

Link: https://www.marketurbanist.com/scott-beyer-market-urbanism-world-trip

4. “Startup Cities Tour” by Market Urbanist

Link: https://www.marketurbanist.com/startup-city

5. “Barrios Tropicales: The Making of Green Neighborhoods” by Scott Beyer

Link: https://catalyst.independent.org/2023/02/20/barrios-tropicales/

Brandon Turner - What Is Conservatism?

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Brandon Turner about the nature of conservatism and whether or not it constitutes an ideology, the rate of change within conservative thought, and the relationship between conservatism and liberalism.

References

1. “Conservatism, Ideology, Skepticism” by Brandon Turner

Link: https://digital.sandiego.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=jcli

2. “The Conservative Sensibility” by George F. Will

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Conservative-Sensibility-George-F-Will/dp/0316480932

3. “Conservatism: A Rediscovery” by Yoram Hazony

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Conservative-Rediscovery-Yoram-Hazony/dp/1684511097

Rachel Lomasky - Can A.I. Be Ethical?

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Rachel Lomasky about hot-button issues surrounding machine learning and artificial intelligence and the limitations and definitions of each, especially when it comes to ethical decision-making.

References

1. Rachel’s Articles, Law&Liberty

Link: https://lawliberty.org/author/rachel-lomasky/

2. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) vs. Machine Learning” by Columbia Engineering

Link: https://ai.engineering.columbia.edu/ai-vs-machine-learning/

3. “Transcending Technopessimism” by Rachel Lomasky

Link: https://lawliberty.org/transcending-technopessimism/

Geoff Sigalet - What Is The Alberta Sovereignty Act?

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Geoff Sigalet about Western Alienation and the events that led to the Alberta Sovereignty Act becoming law in Canada in December of 2022.

References

1. “Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act” by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Link: https://www.assembly.ab.ca/assembly-business/bills/bill?billinfoid=11984&from=bills

2. “Opinion: Alberta’s Sovereignty Act is constitutional but it needs nuance” by Jesse Hartery and Geoffrey Sigalet

Link: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/alberta-sovereignty-act-constitutional-but-needs-nuance

Russ Roberts — How Can Adam Smith Change Your Life?

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

As you think about your New Year's resolutions, take another listen to Alex's conversation from May 2020 with Russ Roberts as he talks about the ways in which the ideas of Adam Smith can still change your life, even so many years later.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 14 with Russ Roberts

You can purchase Russ Roberts’ book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life at Amazon Canada here
You can read the Theory of Moral Sentiments for free on the Online Library of Liberty here

2022 Holiday Wrap-up Episode

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex, Sabine and Matt reflect on the year that was 2022.

References

1. Christy Horpedahl’s episode “How Can Books Advance Liberal Society” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-163-christy-horpedahl-how-can-books-advance-liberal-society/

2. Russ Robert’s episode “What’s Wrong With Education?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-136-russ-roberts-what-s-wrong-with-education/

3. Lauren Hall’s episode “What’s Wrong with Modern Healthcare?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-19-lauren-hall-%e2%80%94-whats-wrong-with-modern-healthcare/

4. Edwards Slingerland’s episode “How Has Alcohol Influenced Civilizations?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-159-edward-slingerland-how-has-alcohol-influenced-civilization/

5. Jayme Lemke’s episode “Who Was Elinor Ostrum?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/episode-201-jayme-lemke-who-was-elinor-ostrom/

6. Emily Chamlee-Wright’s episode “Why Work to Advance Liberalism?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-150-emily-chamlee-wright-why-work-to-advance-liberalism/

7. Sarah Skwire’s episode “Can Literature Influence Liberalism?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-152-sarah-skwire-can-literature-influence-liberalism/

8. Will Clare Roberts’s episode “What Was Marx’s Relation to Liberalism?” of The Curious Task Episode

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-124-will-clare-roberts-what-was-marx-s-relation-to-liberalism/

Lauren Hall — What’s Wrong With Modern Healthcare?

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 14:45:39 -0500

In their conversation from December 2019, Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies.

References

1. “The Medicalization of Birth and Death” by Lauren K. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Medicalization-Birth-Death-Lauren-Hall/dp/1421433338

2. “Midwifery Licensing: Medicalization of Birth and Special Interests” by Steven Horowitz and Lauren Hall

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/research/working-papers/midwifery-licensing-medicalization-birth-and-special-interests

3. “Caroline Malatesta opens up about birth trauma, bait-and-switch advertising of Alabama hospital” by Anna Claire Vollers

Link: https://www.al.com/living/2016/08/malatesta_opens_up_about_birth.html

4. Jessica Flanigan’s episode “Should We Legalize All Drugs?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-9-jessica-flanigan-%e2%80%94-should-we-legalize-all-drugs/

Matt Bufton - How Do We Feel About The Monarchy?

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Matt Bufton about Canada's unique approach to power, monarchy, and government and how happy accidents have led to one of the best-governed and most free countries on earth being ruled by a King - at least symbolically.

References

1. “The Governor General’s Decision to Prorogue Parliament: Parliamentary Democracy Defended or Endangered?” by Andrew Heard

Link: https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Governor-Generals-Decision-to-Prorogue-Parliament.pdf

2. Fraser Institute

Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/

3. “When Jean Chretien wouldn’t ‘pass the torch’ 20 years ago” by CBC Archives

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/when-jean-chr%C3%A9tien-wouldn-t-pass-the-torch-20-years-ago-1.5480490

4. Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli’s episode “Is Monarchy Absurd?” of The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-112-victor-m-muniz-fraticelli-is-monarchy-absurd/

Peter Jaworski - What Is The Ought-State Gap?

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with frequent guest Peter Jaworski about the gap between a moral obligation and the expectation that some specific institution ought to be the one to realize that moral obligation - especially an institution like the state.

Christy Horpedahl - How Can Books Advance Liberal Society?

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with Christy Horpedahl about the entrepreneurial spirit that imbues Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop".

Alex Aragona - What Is Classical Liberalism (According To Our Host)?

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Sabine speaks with the host of the Curious Task Alex Aragona to find out more about him, especially what he considers classical liberalism to be in its essence.

Jayme Lemke - Who Was Elinor Ostrom?

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Jayme Lemke about the life, work, and legacy of American Nobel Prize-winning political economist Elinor Ostrom.

References

1. “Elinor Ostrum and the Bloomington School: Building a New Approach to Policy and Social Sciences” by Jayme Lemke and Vlad Tarko

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Elinor-Ostrom-Bloomington-School-Building/dp/0228004152

2. Elinor Ostrum Publications

Link: https://ostromworkshop.indiana.edu/library/bibliographies/ostrom-elinor.html

3. Elinor Ostrum Fellowship, Mercatus Centre

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/students/elinor-ostrom-fellowship

Thomas Bunting - What Can Baseball Tell Us About Politics?

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Thomas Bunting about politics, democracy, social progress and more as they relate to baseball and athletics more broadly.

Edward Slingerland - How Has Alcohol Influenced Civilization?

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:22:42 -0400

Alex speaks with Edward Slingerland about the dance that most civilizations have done with alcohol and the delicate balance between worshipping its creative effects and fearing its dangerous consequences.

Scott Scheall - Why Is Spontaneity Important For Liberalism?

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Scott Scheall about the importance of spontaneity for liberalism.

Claudia Williamson - Does Culture Effect Economic Progress?

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Claudia Williamson about what economists mean by culture and how individualism and other elements of culture can effect the economic progress of nations, peoples and groups.

Rosemarie Fike - How Does Inequality Effect Women’s Wellbeing?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Rosemarie Fike about the relationship between women's rights and economic freedom and the disparities that persist in contemporary economies around the world.

John Wood Jr. - Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with John Wood Jr. about political polarization in America and its effects on democracy, civil rights and activism today.

Brent Orrell - How Can We Flourish At Work?

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Brent Orrell about the current challenges facing the workforce and labour market in America and abroad today.

Rachel Davison Humphries - What Is Education For A Free Society?

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Rachel Davison Humphries about various schools of thought in the study of education and how they may offer alternatives to learning more compatible with a free society.

Sarah Skwire - Can Literature Influence Liberalism?

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Sabine speaks with Sarah Skwire about the role of liberalism in literature and ways in which all forms of literature can influence our ideas about markets, trust, and the value of others.

Paige MacPherson - What Does School Choice Look Like?

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Paige MacPherson about school choice - and the lack thereof - in each of Canada's provinces today.

References

1. Paige’s articles, The Fraser Institute

Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/profile/paige-macpherson

2. Paige’s Blog

Link: https://www.paigetmacpherson.com/blog

3. “Public, private, and charter schools: How they compare” by Understood

Link: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/public-private-and-charter-schools-how-they-compare

4. “Explore: The Canadian education system by province and territory” by Future Learn

Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/canada-public-education-by-province

Emily Chamlee-Wright - Why Work To Advance Liberalism?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Emily Chamlee-Wright about what exactly liberalism is and why it is worth defending in a world that can no longer take it for granted.

Chris Freiman - Why Not Anarchism?

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Chris Freiman about ideal theory and the case for no state being the best state in a perfect world.

Lauren Hall - How Do Libertarians Approach The Family?

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Lauren Hall about the unique approach that libertarians and classical liberals take when it comes to questions of consent, rights, and agency with respect to family and children.

Moin Yahya - What Is Inflation Really?

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Moin Yahya about debates both new and old surrounding the causes and history of inflation.

Jen Dirmeyer - What Do Markets Do For Us?

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives.

References

1. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek

Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf

Graeme Thompson - What Is Canadian Liberalism?

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like.

References

A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon here.
Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher Pennington can be found from Penguin House here.
Graeme Thompson’s piece “Whatever Happened to Laurier” can be found in the National Post here.
Graeme mentions positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin, which is discussed on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy here.
The works of Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and J.S. Mill can be read for free through the Online Library of Liberty.

Peter Jaworski — What Is Libertarianism?

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions.

References

Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Peter mentions B. van der Vossen’s article on self-ownership published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which can be read here. The general article on libertarianism starts at this link.
You can read more about Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations theory on the website, moralfoundations.org.
Peter mentions the three-way division between people cited in Jason Brennan’s book, Against Democracy, which is also available on Amazon Canada at this link.
This article on libertarianism.org captures David Hume’s is-ought dichotomy that was briefly mentioned by Peter during the podcast.
The Acton Institute publishes many articles that demonstrate how their theological views endorse libertarian institutions on their website, acton.org.
You can read John Stuart Mill’s libertarian conclusions in On Liberty at this link.
Peter mentions Chris Freiman during the episode, who has published blogposts on learnliberty.org.
You can read more about the natural rights argument of Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this article on libertarianism.org.
The Lockean-Nozick justification of property rights has also been written about in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is the link to Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness, that explores the concept of ethical egoism.
Michael L. Frazer has a book on Adam Smith’s theory of sentimentalism and how it departs from that of David Hume, which can be accessed here.
You can purchase Michael Huemer’s book, Ethical Institutionalism, that was recommended by Peter at this link.
Jan Narveson makes a contractarian case for libertarianism in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is Roderick Long’s article, Eudaimonist Libertarianism, that was published on bleedingheartlibertarians.org.
Dan Sanchez published an article called, In Defense of Mises’s Utilitarianism, through the Mises Institute and is available for reading here.
Here is Kevin Vallier’s article, A Rawlisan Case for Libertarianism, which also draws parallels to F. A. Hayek.
You can explore Milton Friedman’s natural rights-oriented political philosophy in his book, Capitalism and Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is a joint article by John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski called, A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism, which was published in Cato Unbound and can be read at this link.
This is a link to the Libertarian Party of the United States.
Deirdre McCloskey elaborated on her idea of The Great Enrichment in this article published on the Foundation for Economic Education.

Janet Bufton - Are Libertarians Liberals?

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 9 with Janet Bufton

Janet Bufton manages the Liberal Studies Guides project and is a consultant at Adam Smith Works, whose websites have been hyperlinked.
You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a system of natural liberty, the rules of commercial society, and the decisions people make at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at this link.
Follow this link to learn more about the non-aggression principle as libertarian philosophy.
In the podcast, Janet mentions Adam Smith’s caution against business people who can turn economic power into political power to harm consumers. His argument against monopolies was summarized by Heinz D. Kurz in the article, Adam Smith on markets, competition, and violations of natural liberty, available here.
Alex and Janet discuss how Milton Friedman identified differently overtime: early into his career he described himself as a neoliberal, which is evident in his essay, Neo-Liberalism and its Prospects, (The Curious Task also dedicated Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser to discussing neoliberalism) and later as a “liberal without adjectives” on The Donahue Show, and towards the end of life, he advocates for consequentialist freedom (all references hyperlinked).
Like Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard strongly identified as a libertarian (as evident in his work, For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, which can be accessed at this link) but along with Rockwell was a pioneer of the paleo-libertarianism movement which aimed to unite traditional conservatives. Its origin story first featured in Rothbard’s essay, Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement, which available for reading at this link.
Here is the Wikipedia article for Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign, where he ran with the Republican Party on principles such as anti-war but economic freedom.
Robert Nozick coined the term “nightwatchman state” in his work, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
The Freeman was a libertarian magazine by the Foundation for Economic Education that was consulted by Ronald Reagan. Archives of the magazine can be accessed on the FEE’s website at this link.
This link will direct you to a historical run-down of fusionism by Libertarianism.org.
Janet references Steve Davies’s appearance to discuss the pandemic on Episode 45 of The Curious Task. If you would like a refresher on the topics covered in that episode, here is the link.
More readings on cosmopolitanism are available at this link.

Jacob Levy — What Is Academic Freedom?

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0400

As we shift into our break, our first special episode is one of our recent favourites, Alex's chat with McGill University professor Jacob Levy about how he looks at the issue of academic freedom.

References

1. “Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rationalism-Pluralism-Freedom-Jacob-Levy/dp/0198808917

2. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

3. Jacob Levy's Episodes on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/?s=jacob%20levy

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia? (Part Two)

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks again with philosopher Eric Mack about "Anarchy, State and Utopia", this time touching on some of the challenges to Nozick's theory and Eric's own personal connection to Robert Nozick during his life.

References

1. Part 1 of Eric Mack’s The Curious Task Episode on “Why Read Anarchy, State, and Utopia?”

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-145-eric-mack-why-read-anarchy-state-and-utopia/

2. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/

3. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006

4. “Who Would Choose Socialism” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://reason.com/1978/05/01/who-would-chose-socialism/

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia?

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Philosopher Eric Mack about Robert Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" and how the book shaped the conversation around natural rights theory, philosophical libertarianism, and the study of political utopias for decades to come.

References

1. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/

2. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006

3. “Robert Nozick” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Nozick

4. “Murray Rothbard” by Mises Institute

Link: https://mises.org/profile/murray-n-rothbard

5. “A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Justice-Revised-John-Rawls/dp/0674000781

Abigail Hall - How Does Government Propaganda Manufacture Militarism?

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Abigail Hall about propaganda - an elusive and at times far-reaching concept that can be found everywhere: from overt wartime speeches by presidents to covert uses of sports and film to promote the ends of state militarism.

References

1. “Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

2. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272

3. Abigail Hall’s Previous Episode on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-13-abigail-hall-%e2%80%94-how-does-foreign-policy-create-a-boomerang-effect-at-home/

4. “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On

5. “Uncle Sam” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam

6. “Smith-Mundt Act” by US Agency for Global Media

Link: https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/smith-mundt/

7. “Dick Cheney” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dick-Cheney

8. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Colin Powell (1937-2021)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/powell-colin-luther

9. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954-)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/rice-condoleezza

10. “Pat Tillman” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Tillman

11. “The Life and Death of Phil Strub” by Spy Culture

Link: https://www.spyculture.com/the-life-and-death-of-phil-strub/

12. “Windtalkers” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245562/

13. “Top Gun” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/

14. "Transformers" by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/

Kevin Munger - Why Do Baby Boomers Still Dominate Politics and Culture?

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Kevin Munger about why the oft-parodied and dismissed subject of inter-generational conflict may help us to better understand current economic and policy trends in America and abroad.

References

1. “Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture” by Kevin Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Generation-Gap-Dominate-American-Politics/dp/B08ZK7YV47

Stephen Davies — What is Global Catastrophic Risk?

Wed, 25 May 2022 06:30:00 -0400

Due to Ottawa's electricity grids being all but completely destroyed after the city was treated to a derecho over the long weekend, we were unable to use our devices to produce episodes or the internet to upload a new one. For now, please enjoy a timely re-release of our conversation with Stephen Davies on global catastrophic risk.

References

1. “Empiricism and History” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Empiricism-History-Theory-Stephen-Davies/dp/0333964705

2. “A Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought” by Nigel Ashford and Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Conservative-Libertarian-Routledge-Revivals/dp/0415670527

3. “Apocalypse Next: The Economics of Global Catastrophic Risk” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apocalypse-Next-Economics-Global-Catastrophic/dp/0255368216

Deirdre McCloskey - Why Does Liberalism Work?

Wed, 18 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works.

References

1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Liberalism-Works-Liberal-Prosperous/dp/0300235089

2. “The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Virtues-Ethics-Age-Commerce/dp/0226556646

3. “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain Modern World” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Dignity-Economics-Explain-Modern/dp/0226556743

4. “Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World”

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Equality-Capital-Institutions-Enriched/dp/022633399X

5. “Dierdre N. McCloskey presents the lecture ‘The Impossibility of Policy’ hosted by the Erasmus Forum” by the Cato Institute

Link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/deirdre-n-mccloskey-presents-lecture-impossibility-policy-hosted

6. “1984” by George Orwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934

7. “Forever Flowing” by Vasily Grossman

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88459.Forever_Flowing

Dwight Newman - How Can We Maintain The Rule Of Law In An Emergency?

Wed, 11 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Dwight Newman, who encourages listeners to think critically about the use of emergency powers, the term "crisis", and recent events in the history of government limits on freedom and rights.

References

1. “The Duty to Consult: New Relationships with Aboriginal Peoples” by Dwight G. Newman

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Duty-Consult-Relationships-Aboriginal-Peoples/dp/1895830370

2. “The Law of Canadian Constitution, 2nd Edition” by Guy Regimbald and Dwight Newman

Link: https://store.lexisnexis.ca/en/products/the-law-of-the-canadian-constitution-2nd-edition-i-lexisnexis-canada-skusku-cad-6117/details

3. “Parliamentary Committee Notes: Overview - Freedom Convoy 2022” by Public Safety Canada

Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20221013/03-en.aspx

4. “Canada’s Emergencies Act” by Department of Justice Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2022/02/canadas-emergencies-act.html

5. “Legislation” by Canadian Security Intelligence Services

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/legislation.html

Jason Lee Byas - How Should We Deal With Historic Injustice?

Wed, 04 May 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Jason Lee Byas about the complexities of responding to questions of historic injustice, reparations, and compensation within a libertarian framework.

References

1. Articles by Jason Lee Byas, Center for a Stateless Society

Link: https://c4ss.org/content/author/jason-byas

2. “Rectification and Historic Injustice” by Jason Lee Byas

Link: https://philpapers.org/archive/BYARAH.pdf

3. “A Black Commons: A Framework for Recognition, Reconciliation, and Reparations” by Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone

Link: https://www.academia.edu/113180745/The_Black_CommonsA_Framework_for_Recognition_Reconciliation_Reparations

4. “Compensation for Historic Injustices: Completing the Boxill and Sher Argument” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40212837.pdf

5. “Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions” by David Boonin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Should-Race-Matter-Unusual-Questions/dp/0521149800

6. “The Ethics of Liberty” by Murray N. Rothbard

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594

7. “Historical Rights and Fair Shares” by A. John Simmons

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3505011

8. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

9. “Apologies and Moral Repair: Rights, Duties, and Corrective Justice” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apologies-Moral-Repair-Corrective-Justice/dp/0367508036

David Friedman - What Does Law Have To Do With Economics?

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with David Friedman about the history of legal systems around the world from an economic standpoint.

References

1. “The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to Radical Capitalism” by David D. Friedman

Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf

2. “Law’s Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters” by David D. Friedman

Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Laws_Order_draft/laws_order_ToC.htm

3. “Who Is David Ricardo and What Is He Famous For?” by the Investopedia Team

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/david-ricardo.asp#:~:text=Ricardo's%20widely%20acclaimed%20comparative%20advantage,as%20compared%20to%20other%20nations.

4. “Ordeals” by Peter T. Leeson

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/664010

Ryan Patrick Hanley - What Is Our Great Purpose?

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Ryan Patrick Hanley about the enduring power of Adam Smith's contributions to not only political and moral philosophy, but to what it means to live a good life.

References

1. “Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue” by Ryan Patrick Hanley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Smith-Character-Virtue-Patrick-Hanley/dp/0521449294

2. “Adam Smith: His Life, Though, and Legacy” by Ryan Patrick Hanley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Life-Thought-Legacy/dp/0691154058

3. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Adam Smith, Ryan Patrick Hanley, and Amartya Sen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0143105922

4. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments and on the Origins of Language” by Adam Smith

Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/smith-the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-and-on-the-origins-of-languages-stewart-ed

5. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

6. “Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life” by Ryan Patrick Hanley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Our-Great-Purpose-Living-Better/dp/0691179441

Jacob Levy - What Is Academic Freedom?

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about the fine line between the generalized right to free speech and the distinct concept of academic freedom - and what implications there may be for academics and students alike in today's modern university.

References

1. “Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rationalism-Pluralism-Freedom-Jacob-Levy/dp/0198808917

2. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

3. Jacob Levy's Episodes on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/?s=jacob%20levy

Russ Roberts - What’s Wrong With Education?

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Russ Roberts about the nature of education and how we should rethink it in today's world. This is a special episode being released in conjunction with this week's episode of Econtalk.

References

1. The Center for Experiential Learning at Washington University

Link: https://olin.wustl.edu/student-resources/center-for-experiential-learning.php#:~:text=The%20Center%20for%20Experiential%20Learning,Driven%E2%84%A2%20practice%20and%20application.

2. EconTalk Podcast

Link: https://simplecast.econtalk.org/

3. “How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness” by Russ Roberts

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life/dp/1591847958

Aaron Powell - Is Fusionism Dead?

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Aaron Powell about the origins of fusionism, where it stands today, and why non-traditional alliances might be the way of the future.

References

1. Free Thoughts Podcast

Link: https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts

2. ReImagining Liberty Podcast

Link: https://www.reimaginingliberty.com/podcast/

3. “After protests, Disney CEO speaks out against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” by Elizabeth Blair

Link: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/08/1085130633/disney-response-florida-bill-dont-say-gay

4. “An Introduction to Marxism for Non-Marxists” ReImagined Podcast Episode

Link: https://www.reimaginingliberty.com/an-introduction-to-marxism-for-non-marxists-w-ian-bennett/

Sabine El-Chidiac and Peter Jaworski - Does Immigration Make A Better World?

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac and Peter Jaworski about the advantages of advocating for more refugees and immigrants in Canada, and how it makes both immigrants and receiving countries better off.

References

1. Institute for Liberal Studies

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/

Charles Cockell - Why Is Freedom Important Beyond Earth?

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Charles Cockell about his focus on the future of liberty in space. They discuss solutions for protecting individual freedoms and rights on settlements beyond earth, and the novel solutions to the problems that would emerge from these overlooked facts of life in space.

References

1. “The Meaning of Liberty Beyond Earth” by Charles S. Cockell

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Liberty-Beyond-Earth-Society/dp/3319095668

2. Earth and Space Foundation

Link: https://www.earthandspace.org/

3. “Interplanetary Liberty: Building Free Societies in the Cosmos” by Charles S. Cockell

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Interplanetary-Liberty-Building-Societies-Cosmos/dp/0192866249

Pete Boettke — Is a Better World Possible?

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Economist Pete Boettke joins Alex to discuss the promise of liberalism in creating a better world. (This episode originally aired Aug 21, 2021.)

References

1. “The Struggle for a Better World” by Pete Boettke

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876

2. “Hayek on the Role of Reason in Human Affairs” by Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Link: https://isi.org/hayek-on-the-role-of-reason-in-human-affairs/#:~:text=Hayek's%20argument%20is%20primarily%20directed,socially%20autonomous%20human%20reason%20capable

3. Read more about Frederick Douglass and Lysander Spooner on Abolitionism

Link: https://teachdemocracy.org/images/pdf/Abolitionists-and-the-Constitution.pdf

4. “National Economic Planning: What is Left?” by Don Lavoy

Link: https://www.amazon.com/National-Economic-Planning-What-Left/dp/1942951264

5. “Politically Impossible” by W.H. Hutt

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/politically-impossible

6. “The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy” by Lionel Robbins

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/theory-economic-policy-english-classical-political-economy

7. “Liberty’s Dawn: A People's History of the Industrial Revolution” by Emma Griffin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertys-Dawn-Peoples-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0300205252

8. “So Who is Carmen Segarra? A Fed Whistleblower Q&A” by Jake Bernstein

Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/so-who-is-carmen-segarra-a-fed-whistleblower-qa

9. “Rothbard and the Nature of the State” by Matt Palmer

Link: https://mises.org/mises-daily/rothbard-and-nature-state

10. “Libertarianism as Humanism: Remembering Steve Horwitz” by Trevor Burrus

Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/libertarianism-humanism-remembering-steve-horwitz

Matt Bufton - What Is The Future Of Liberalism From 2022?

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Matt Bufton about the effects of pandemic policy, impending war and populism on a once-optimistic outlook for liberalism's future.

References

1. Institute for Liberal Studies

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/

2. “What is the Future of Liberalism” The Curious Task Episode with Matt Bufton

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-22-matt-bufton-%e2%80%94-what-is-the-future-of-liberalism/

3. “Portland Protesters Create ‘Autonomous Zone’ by Pitching Tents, Rebuilding Barricades Removed by Police” by Danielle Wallace

Link: https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-protest-autonomous-zone-tents-barricade-seattle-chop-chaz

4. “Ukraine in Maps: Tracking the War in Russia” by the BBC Visual Journalism Team

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682

5. “Government of Canada prohibits Russian aircraft to enter Canadian airspace” by Transport Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/02/government-of-canada-prohibits-russian-aircraft-to-enter-canadian-airspace.html

Mike Munger - What’s Wrong With Anti-Trust and Industrial Policy?

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the concept of monopoly and the history of anti-trust and industrial policy in America.

References

1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739

2. “Michael Munger on Antitrust” Podcast by Econlib

Link: https://www.econtalk.org/michael-munger-on-antitrust/

3. “The Antitrust Laws” by the Federal Trade Commission

Link: https://www.ftc.gov/advice-guidance/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws

4. “The Antitrust Paradox” by Robert H. Borke

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Antitrust-Paradox-Robert-H-Bork/dp/1736089706

5. “Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall)” by Federal Reserve History

Link: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/glass-steagall-act#:~:text=The%20Glass%2DSteagall%20Act%20effectively,Roosevelt%20in%20June%201933

Bryan Caplan - How Do We Fix The Housing Crisis?

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Bryan Caplan about his novel solutions to the housing crisis, his affinity for graphic novels as a teaching tool, and the market-based approaches that are already working despite what our psychology is leading us to believe.

References

1. “The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Rational-Voter-Democracies-Policies/dp/0691138737

2. “The Case Against Education: Why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Case-against-Education-System-Waste/dp/0691174652

3. “Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Open-Borders-Science-Ethics-Immigration/dp/1250316960

4. “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being A Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Selfish-Reasons-Have-More-Kids/dp/0465028616

5. “Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Build-Baby-Science-Housing-Regulation/dp/1952223415

6. “Build, Baby, Build: Now Under Construction” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.econlib.org/build-baby-build-now-under-construction/

7. “Laisseze-faire” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/money/laissez-faire

8. “Labour Econ Versus the World: Essays on the World’s Greatest Market” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Labor-Econ-Versus-World-Greatest/dp/B09QF44HHG

Andrew Smith - Do Entrepreneurs Help Create Peace?

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Andrew Smith about capitalist peace theory and discusses a Canadian case study as an example of mutually beneficial exchange leading to peace and prosperity.

References

1. “Canadian Entrepreneurs and the Preservation of the Capitalist Peace in the North Atlantic Triangle in the Civil War Era, 1861-1871” by Andrew D. Smith and Laurence B. Mussio

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/abs/canadian-entrepreneurs-and-the-preservation-of-the-capitalist-peace-in-the-north-atlantic-triangle-in-the-civil-war-era-18611871/228FB9ECC4A2E2BA40799185F77B0239

Adam Gurri - What ls Mere Liberalism?

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Adam Gurri about how the large umbrella of liberalism under which a number of movements, systems of thought, and ideological identities may have more in common than is often thought.

References

1. Liberal Currents Magazine

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/

2. Embodiment and Exclusion Blog

Link: https://embodimentandexclusion.com/

3. Jacobin Magazine

Link: https://jacobin.com/

4. “The Communitarian Critique of Liberalism” by Michael Walzer

Link: https://www.ias.edu/sites/default/files/sss/pdfs/Walzer/CommunitarianCritiqueLiberalism.pdf

5. Matthew McMannis Articles

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/mattmcmanus/

6. “Private Government: How Employer’s Rule our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk about It)” by Elizabeth Anderson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Private-Government-Employers-Lives-about/dp/0691176515

7. Alex Aragona Articles

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/alexaragona/

Chandran Kukathas - What’s Wrong With Immigration Control?

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Chandran Kukathas about the costs of limiting immigration and what effects there may be on policy if the question of who counts as an immigrant is itself unclear.

References

1. “Immigration and Freedom” by Chandran Kukathas

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Immigration-Freedom-Chandran-Kukathas/dp/0691189684

Stephen Davies - What Is Global Catastrophic Risk?

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Steve Davies about the meaning of "Global Catastrophic Risk", and what it can reveal about how restructuring our understanding of big gambles can help us combat the threats of pandemics, climate change, and even technological singularity.

References

1. “Empiricism and History” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Empiricism-History-Theory-Stephen-Davies/dp/0333964705

2. “A Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought” by Nigel Ashford and Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Conservative-Libertarian-Routledge-Revivals/dp/0415670527

3. “Apocalypse Next: The Economics of Global Catastrophic Risk” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apocalypse-Next-Economics-Global-Catastrophic/dp/0255368216

Dan Shahar - Is It Okay To Eat Meat?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Dan Shahar about the ethical implications of meat-eating, activism in relation to problematic markets, and a tricky thought experiment involving aliens and cows.

References

1. “Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works” by David Schmidtz and Dan C. Shahar

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Environmental-Ethics-Really-Matters-Works/dp/0190259221

2. “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” by Dan C. Shahar

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Its-OK-Eat-Meat/dp/0367172763

Will Clare Roberts - What Was Marx’s Relation To Liberalism?

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Professor Will Clare Roberts about Marx's life, his liberal past, and the relationship between the Marxist and liberal conceptions of freedom.

References

1. “Marx’s Inferno: The Political Theory of Capitalism” by William Clare Roberts

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Marxs-Inferno-Political-Theory-Capital/dp/0691172900

2. “Capital: Volume I” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Kapital-ebook/dp/B002XHNMN0

3. “The Civil War In France” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/

4. “The Paris Commune” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/ch05.htm

5. “The International Workingmen’s Association: General Rules, October 1864” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1864/rules.htm

6. “Free Time and Free People” by William Clare Roberts

Link: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/free-time-free-people/

7. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

8. “The Eighteenth Brumiare of Louis Bonaparte” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Brumaire-Louis-Bonaparte-Karl/dp/0717800563

9. “Articles by Karl Marx in the New York Tribune, 1852-61” by Marxist Internet Archives

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/newspapers/new-york-tribune.htm

James Harrigan - What Does Pop Culture Say About A Society?

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with James Harrigan about popular culture as a source of social change and the many ways in which the export of American pop culture has shaped the world.

References

1. “Brown v. Board of Education” by the National Archives

Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education

2. “Roe v. Wade” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade

Year in Review with Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Curious Task Executive Producer Matt Bufton and Producer Sabine El-Chidiac about topics related to freedom from 2021, and reflect on their favourite moments and accomplishments from the past year of The Curious Task.

References

1. “Welcoming Afghans to Canada” by the Government of Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/afghanistan.html?utm_campaign=gac-amc-afghanistan-21-22&utm_source=countrypageafghanistan&utm_medium=notice&utm_content=en

2. “What is Classical Liberalism” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Nigel Ashford

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-1-nigel-ashford-%E2%80%94-what-is-classical-liberalism/

3. “Is Scarborough the Dining Capitol of the World?” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Tyler Cowen

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-100-tyler-cowen-%e2%80%94%c2%a0is-scarborough-the-dining-capital-of-the-world/

4. Learn more about the Institute for Liberal Studies here:

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/about/

5. Learn more about Freedom Week hosted by the Institute for Liberal Studies here:

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/freedom-week/

6. “How do We Bridge Divides” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Ben Klutsey

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-117-ben-klutsey/

7. “Do Markets Need Capitalism?” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Gary Chartier

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-118-gary-chartier-do-markets-need-capitalism/

Tony Gill - Why Do We Give Gifts?

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Tony Gill about the pros and cons of gift-giving from an economist's perspective - just in time for the holiday season!

References

1. “Research on Religion” Podcast by Anthony Gill

Link: http://www.researchonreligion.org/

2. “The Comparative Endurance and Efficiency of Religion: A Public Choice Approach” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3400324

3. “Gift Giving is Better for Society than Economists Think” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://aier.org/article/gift-giving-is-better-for-society-than-economists-think/

4. “The Dynamic Efficiency of Giving” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/FDC663C9C0AC7498C8AD2811CDA77936/S1744137422000200a.pdf/the-dynamic-efficiency-of-gifting.pdf

5. “Why Give Gifts?” Poem Reading by Anthony Gill

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQBxNO7ofI&ab_channel=UW%28UniversityofWashington%29

6. “The Deadweight Loss of Christmas” by Joel Waldfogel

Link: https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/104699/original/christmas.pdf

7. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek

Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf

Lotta Stern - Is Classical Liberalism Important for Sociology?

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Lotta Stern about the tendency in sociology to overlook voluntary actions and associations as a means of addressing some of the largest social challenges of our day, and about the importance of avoiding absolutism in sociological thinking.

References

1. “Class Origin and Elite Position of Men in Business Firms in Sweden, 1993-2007: The Importance of Education, Cognitive Ability, and Personality” by Eric Bihagen, Magnus Nermo, and Charlotta Stern

Link: https://academic.oup.com/esr/article-abstract/29/5/939/430557?login=false

2. “Sociology and Classical Liberalism” by Daniel B. Klein and Charlotta Stern

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24562033

3. “Social Darwinism” by History.com Editors

Link: https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/social-darwinism

4. “Conflict Theory Definition, Founder, and Examples” by Adam Hayes

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/conflict-theory.asp#:~:text=Marxist%20conflict%20theory%20sees%20society,dominance%20of%20the%20ruling%20class

5. “Rent Seeking” by CFI Team

Link: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/rent-seeking/#:~:text=Rent%2Dseeking%20is%20a%20concept,the%20distribution%20of%20economic%20resources

Bill Glod - Is It Okay To Make Bad Choices?

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Bill Glod about bad choices, coercion, and paternalism in order to flesh out the ideas from his 2020 book "Why It's Okay To Make Bad Choices".

References

1. “Why It’s OK to Make Bad Choices” by William Glod

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Its-Make-Bad-Choices/dp/0367195178

2. “Why it’s OK: The Ethics and Aesthetics of How We Live” Book Series by Routledge

Link: https://www.routledge.com/Why-Its-OK/book-series/WIOK?srsltid=AfmBOopRQGuXr21UGdvawsLMPBYdAoBPvZ_t_iAYHMvyFO6W_H3OfL4a

3. “Why Paternalists and Social Welfarists Should Oppose Criminal Drug Laws” by William Glod and Andrew Jason Cohen

Link: https://philarchive.org/rec/COHWPA

Gary Chartier - Do Markets Need Capitalism?

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Gary Chartier about the varied ways in which the term "capitalism" is used today, the distinction between left-libertarianism and anarchism, and the future of market-based approaches to rooting out injustice from today's complex world.

References

1. “Public Practice, Private Law: An Essay of Love, Marriage, and the State” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Public-Practice-Private-Law-Marriage/dp/1316506088

2. “Anarchy and Legal Order: Law and Politics for a Stateless Society” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-Legal-Order-Politics-Stateless/dp/1107661617

3. “The Conscience of an Anarchist: Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the State and Build a Free Society” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Conscience-Anarchist-Good-Bye-State-Society/dp/1935942026

4. “Markets not Capitalism: Individualist Anarchism Against Bosses, Inequality, Corporate Power, and Structural Poverty” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Markets-Not-Capitalism-Individualist-Inequality/dp/1570272425

5. “Intervention: An Economic Analysis” by Ludwig Von Mises

Link: https://store.mises.org/Interventionism-An-Economic-Analysis-P86.aspx

6. “Freidrich August Hayek” by Econlib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Hayek.html#:~:text=The%20reason%20socialist%20economists%20thought,or%20small%20number%20of%20minds.

Ben Klutsey - How Do We Bridge Divides?

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Ben Klutsey about the political polarization that is endemic to American society today, and how novel attempts to bridge the divide are being made by both individuals and organizations.

References

1. “Overdoing Democracy: Why We Must Put Politics in its Place” by Robert B. Talisse

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Overdoing-Democracy-Must-Politics-Place/dp/0190924195

2. Read more about Ben’s Pluralism and Civil Exchange program at the Mercatus Center here:

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/tags/pluralism-and-civil-exchange

3. “Living Together with Deep Divides” by Ben Klutsey

Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/living-together-with-deep-divides

4. “The Four Corners of Liberalism” by Emily Chamlee-Wright

Link: https://www.theihs.org/blog/the-four-corners-of-liberalism/

5. “Talking to Strangers: Anxieties and Citizenship Since Brown v. Board of Education” by Danielle Allen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0226014673?ref_=cb_interstitial_us_ca_desktop_rec_bullseye_unk_dp_dp

Jacob Levy - Why Is Montesquieu Important For Liberalism?

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about Montesquieu's role in shaping contemporary political science, the American revolutionary project, and the role of the separation of powers as a bulwark against despotism.

References

1. “Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rationalism-Pluralism-Freedom-Jacob-Levy/dp/0198808917

2. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122

3. “Montesquieu’s Constitutional Legacies” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1117087

4. “Beyond Publius: Montesquieu, Liberal Republicanism, and the Small-Republic Thesis” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=739447

5. “The Spirit of Laws” by Charles Baron de Montesquieu

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Spirit-Laws-Charles-Baron-Montesquieu/dp/1616405287#:~:text=The%20Spirit%20of%20Laws%2C%20first,by%20the%20Roman%20Catholic%20Church.

6. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm

7. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm

Geoff Kellow - Do Markets Promote Virtue?

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex speaks with Geoff Kellow about the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin and whether they can help us better understand the connection between markets and virtue.

References

1. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091

2. “Benjamin Franklin and Adam Smith: Two Strangers and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Geoff Kellow

Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/50/2/321/134723/Benjamin-Franklin-and-Adam-SmithTwo-Strangers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext

3. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

Dan Smith - Can The Rule of Law Fix Monetary Problems?

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with Dan Smith about the lack of accountability in the contemporary world of monetary policy and why greater discretion may not be the answer.

References

1. “Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Money-Rule-Law-Predictability-Institutions/dp/1108479847

2. “Who Is Ben Bernake? Why Is He Important?” by Julia Kagan

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/benbernanke.asp

3. “Federal Reserve Independence” by Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135232

4. “An Episodic History of Modern Fed Independence” by Daniel Smith and Peter Boettke

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135233

5. “Everything You Need to Know About the Federal Reserve Scandal” by Better Markets

Link: https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-federal-reserve-trading-scandal-exposing-pandemic-profiteering-at-americans-central-bank-leadership-failures-cover-up/

6. “Sweep Accounts Definition: Types and How They Work” by Investopedia

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sweepaccount.asp

7. “What LawMicro Has to Teach LawMacro: An Exploration of the Rule of Law and Monetary Policy” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4721380

Bruce Caldwell - How Did The Mont Pelerin Society Begin?

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 11:47:01 -0400

Alex speaks with Bruce Caldwell on the history of one of the world's most exclusive intellectual societies.

References

1. “Hayek’s Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek” by Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biography-F/dp/0226091937

2. “Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950” by Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo136253636.html

3. “Mont Pelerin 1947: Transcripts of the Founding Meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society” by Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mont-P%C3%A8lerin-1947-Transcripts-Founding/dp/0817924841

4. “Cicely Veronica Wedgewood” by The British Academy

Link: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1408/97p521.pdf

5. “Ludwig Von Mises” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Mises.html

6. “Frank Hyneman Knight” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Knight.html

7. “Lionel Robbins” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Robbins.html

8. “Marshall Plan (1948)” by National Archives

Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan#:~:text=On%20April%203%2C%201948%2C%20President,economic%20infrastructure%20of%20postwar%20Europe.

Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli - Is Monarchy Absurd?

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli about whether the monarchy might seem absurd, and whether a little absurdity can be a good thing.

References

1. “The Monarchy and the Constitution” by Vernon Bogdanor

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Monarchy-Constitution-Vernon-Bogdanor/dp/0198293348

Maria Pia Paganelli - Why Read The Wealth of Nations?

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Maria Pia Paganelli as she sheds light on the historical context of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, and some of the surprising insights within it that make it more relevant than ever today.

References

1. “The Routledge Guidebook to Smith’s Wealth of Nations” by Maria Pia Paginelli

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Routledge-Guidebook-Smiths-Wealth-Nations/dp/1138686158

2. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

3. “The Adam Smith Problem in Reverse: Self-Interest in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Maria Pia Paginelli

Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/40/2/365/38402/The-Adam-Smith-Problem-in-Reverse-Self-Interest-in?redirectedFrom=PDF

Emily Nacol — Is Politics Risky Business?

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Emily Nacol as she breaks down both the origins and contemporary puzzles of the concept of risk.

References

1. "An Age of Risk: Politics and Economy in Early Britain" by Emily Nacol

Link: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691165103/an-age-of-risk?srsltid=AfmBOoqPrhGB4AqvPOCalJPxFfkdI6iTXt5dkYsLvm5jCerE2A063rcP

2. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

3. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm

4. “A Treatise of Human Nature” by David Hume

Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/bigge-a-treatise-of-human-nature

5. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

Andrew Sabl — What Is Realist Liberalism?

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Andrew Sabl as he explores what he means by "realist liberalism" and how it works to curb some of the misguided tendencies of other liberalisms.

References

1. Liberalism Beyond Markets by Andrew Stabl

Link: https://www.niskanencenter.org/liberalism-beyond-markets/

2. Realist liberalism: an agenda by Andrew Stabl

Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13698230.2017.1293916

3. A Look Back: Sedition, Free Speech and the President by Scott Bomboy

Link: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-look-back-sedition-free-speech-and-the-president

4. Presidential Power and Modern Presidents by Richard E. Neustadt

Link: http://ereserve.library.utah.edu/Annual/POLS/3150/Curry/neustadt.pdf

5. “The Meaning of the Welfare State” by F.A. Hayek

Link: http://bev.berkeley.edu/ipe/Hayek%20The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Welfare%20State.pdf

Michelle Schwarze — Should We Sympathize With Resentment?

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Michelle Schwarze as she presents what she means by resentment, and whether there is a place for it in politics.

References

1. "Recognizing Resentment: Sympathy, Injustice and Liberal Political Thought" by Michelle Schwarze

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Recognizing-Resentment-Michelle-Schwarze/dp/1108478662

2. Second Emancipation Proclamation letter from Martin Luther King to President Kennedy

Link: https://www.crmvet.org/info/emancip2.pdf

Stefan Kolev — What Is Ordoliberalism?

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Stefan Kolev as he tours through the origins of Ordoliberalism and some of its fundamental principles.

References

1. When Liberty Presupposes Order: F. A. Hayek’s Contextual Ordoliberalism by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-history-of-economic-thought/article/when-liberty-presupposes-order-f-a-hayeks-contextual-ordoliberalism/E3B96673B94952167704B24FC3A91857

2. “Old Chicago” and Freiburg: Why Ordoliberalism Was No “German Oddity” by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/07/25/chicago-freiburg-ordoliberalism-neoliberalism-germany/

3. The quote is from “Power Is Evil in Itself”: The Ordoliberal Quest for a Privilege-Free Order by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/03/28/ordoliberal-privilege-free-order-walter-eucken-franz-bohm-germany/

Travis Smith — The Tyranny of Which Majority?

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Travis Smith as he explores some key insights from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

References

1. “Superhero Ethics” by Travis Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Superhero-Ethics-Comic-Heroes-World/dp/1599474549

2. “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Tocqueville-Mansfield-Winthrop/dp/0226805360

3. “Democracy in America, Volume 2” by Alexis de Tocqueville

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Vol-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0679728260

Caroline Breashears — What Does Adam Smith Have To Do With Literature?

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Caroline Breashears as she explores concepts from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, and connects them to various characters and stories in English literature.

References

1. “Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing and the 'Scandalous Memoir’” by Caroline Breashears

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Century-Womens-Writing-Scandalous-Memoir/dp/3319486543

2. “The Practical Morality of Life: Adam Smith, George Anne Bellamy, and the Theatre”

Link: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-practical-morality-of-life.html

3. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments and on the Origins of Language” by Adam Smith

Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/smith-the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-and-on-the-origins-of-languages-stewart-ed

4. “Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination” by J.K. Rowling

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Very-Good-Lives-Importance-Imagination/dp/0316369152

5. “1984” by George Orwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934

6. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Frankenstein-Mary-Shelley/dp/1512308056

Pete Boettke — Is A Better World Possible?

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Pete Boettke as he presents his thinking on whether the world needs more classical liberalism, and how understanding the principles of liberalism might be the way to a better world.

References

1. “The Struggle for a Better World” by Pete Boettke

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876

2. “Hayek on the Role of Reason in Human Affairs” by Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Link: https://isi.org/hayek-on-the-role-of-reason-in-human-affairs/#:~:text=Hayek's%20argument%20is%20primarily%20directed,socially%20autonomous%20human%20reason%20capable

3. Read more about Frederick Douglass and Lysander Spooner on Abolitionism

Link: https://teachdemocracy.org/images/pdf/Abolitionists-and-the-Constitution.pdf

4. “National Economic Planning: What is Left?” by Don Lavoy

Link: https://www.amazon.com/National-Economic-Planning-What-Left/dp/1942951264

5. “Politically Impossible” by W.H. Hutt

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/politically-impossible

6. “The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy” by Lionel Robbins

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/theory-economic-policy-english-classical-political-economy

7. “Liberty’s Dawn: A People's History of the Industrial Revolution” by Emma Griffin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertys-Dawn-Peoples-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0300205252

8. “So Who is Carmen Segarra? A Fed Whistleblower Q&A” by Jake Bernstein

Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/so-who-is-carmen-segarra-a-fed-whistleblower-qa

9. “Rothbard and the Nature of the State” by Matt Palmer

Link: https://mises.org/mises-daily/rothbard-and-nature-state

10. “Libertarianism as Humanism: Remembering Steve Horwitz” by Trevor Burrus

Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/libertarianism-humanism-remembering-steve-horwitz

James Otteson — What Are The Seven Deadly Sins of Economics?

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with James Otteson as he tours through the seven deadly sins of economics, and how they can avoiding them can improve your thinking on public policy and in personal matters.

References

1. "Seven Deadly Economic Sins: Obstacles to Prosperity and Happiness Every Citizen Should Know" by James Otteson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Deadly-Economic-Sins-Prosperity/dp/1108843379

2. “Adam Smith and the Great Mind Fallacy” by James Otteson

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-philosophy-and-policy/article/abs/adam-smith-and-the-great-mind-fallacy/06F55076F21567E6F95D2310C4DDE540

3. Learn more about Dierdre McCloskey on her website

Link: https://www.deirdremccloskey.com

4. “The Confusion of Language in Political Thought” by F.A. Hayek

Link: https://iea.org.uk/publications/research/the-confusion-of-language-in-political-thought

Moshe Lander — Should Governments Build Stadiums?

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Moshe Lander about the supposed economic benefits of building sports and entertainment stadiums, and why those claims may not be as accurate as most people may think.

References

1. “New Calgary event centre deal finalized, construction expected to begin in 2024” by Adam Toy

Link: https://globalnews.ca/news/10007181/update-calgary-flames-arena-deal/

Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili — Does Self Governance Work?

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili as she tours through some of her findings from Afghanistan, how she found Hayek in Afghanistan, and what the customs she observed say about polycentric authority and "anarchy as a policy alternative."

References

1. “Land, the State and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/land-the-state-and-war/A7B8C98CB24780A3CC0EA1CD265D888A

2. “Informal Order and the State of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/5B0FB8D4B407988910AE737DB46C0E66

3. “Customary Organization and Support for the State” by Jennifer Murtazashvili

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/customary-organizations-and-support-for-the-state/AD9A7954B84975E3C85854BE6B332D3C

4. “The Origins of Private Property Rights: States or Customary Organizations?” by Jennifer Murtazashvili

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-institutional-economics/article/origins-of-private-property-rights-states-or-customary-organizations/7DA1623EC21CD53C9BAE843D2C2D38E5

5. “The Collapse of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili

Link: https://www.murtazashvili.org/content/files/2022/01/Murtazashvili---2022---The-Collapse-of-Afghanistan.pdf

6. “Warlords, Strongman Governors and the State in Afghanistan” by Dipali Mukhopadhyay

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/warlords-strongman-governors-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/BCA6CD9EA581F78D88C295D613381835#fndtn-information

Eric Schliesser — What Is Neoliberalism?

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 11:02:58 -0400

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task host Alex Aragona pointed to Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser as one of his favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release!

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 5 with Eric Schliesser

Here is a list of Eric Schliesser’s publications.
Dr. Karen Horn and Dr. Stefan Kolev’s joint work, entitled Economic Thinking, has a German version available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Walter Lippmann’s book, The Good Society, which went on to become an international hit as for “its insight of neoliberalism as the intellectual status quo in the 19th century” can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Marxist Scholar David Harvey’s book, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, where he equated neoliberalism “to everything he hated about capitalism” is available on Amazon Canada at this link.
Mishel Foucault’s lecture series where he traced the history of neoliberalism from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries was published as The Birth of Biopolitics, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Mark Buchanan’s article Wealth Happens analyzes the the “butchers and bakers” quote that was mentioned in passing by Alex Aragona at this online publishing from The Harvard Business Review.
Milton Friedman’s article, Laws That Do Harm, is available for viewing at the Center of the American Experiment’s blog, which features the quote to “judge public policies by their results, not their intentions.”
According to Eric Schliesser, the harm principle is a core liberal value and can be extended to markets. You can read about the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s lesson on John Stuart Mill’s version of the harm principle (Chapter 3.6) here.
You can read Milton Friedman’s The Basic Principles of Liberalism here.
You can watch Milton Friedman speak about the enemies of markets on the American Enterprise Institute’s website at this link.
The Elgar Companian to the Chicago School of Economics can be purchased directly from the publishers here.
Alex Aragona quotes this blogpost, How ‘Neoliberalism’ came to refer to Everything I reject from Digressions&Impressions.

Tom Palmer — War, What Is It Good For?

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:46:05 -0400

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task producer Sabine El-Chidiac pointed to Episode 67 with Tom Palmer as one of her favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Tom Palmer talks about the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war, and why the concept of war might be closer to home than some might think. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release!

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 4 with Tom Palmer

Tom Palmer’s book, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Tom has additionally wrote and/or edited the following works:
The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You (link)
After the Welfare State (link)
Why Liberty (link)
Self-Control or State Control? You Decide (link)
Peace, Love, and Liberty - the basis of this episode from which many of quotes, interview references, and military case studies were selected (link)
Dignity and Democracy with co-author Matt Warner (publication coming out next year)
Erik Gartzke found that trading countries are less likely to war in his article, The Capitalist Peace, which is available online.
Tom’s Interview with a Businessman for Peace with Chris Rufer on peacemaking in business and trade, appears in Chapter 4 of Peace, Love, and Liberty.
Frédéric Bastiat’s was an economist and peace advocate who argued the costs of long-term consumption from tax-produced weaponry in his book, That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, which can be read on the Mises Institute’s website.
Robert Higgs’ article, Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s, (featured in The Journal of Economic History) clarified how productive efforts in jeeps and vans shipped to other countries do not constitute economic benefit due to the lack of private vehicle production. This article can be accessed here through an active JSTOR account or your educational institution.
Tom’s essay, Peace is a Choice, presents a case study on political science professor and former US government official Madeline Albright and her view of the exemplary nation and how professors have a tendency to think about wars differently than those who have witnessed them. This is a chapter in Peace, Love, and Liberty.
A transcript of Colin Powell’s infamous 2003 speech to the United Nations on the disarmament of Iraq which touches on themes of human lives and consequence can be read on The Washington Post archives.
Tom’s recommended two German novels of the Great War to enrich an understanding of war from different perspectives on anguish and glory, respectively: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque (link) and Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (link).
Parker Thomas Moon’s book, Imperialism and World Politics, highlights the devaluation of important political science questions when personal pronouns are employed during conflict. This book is available on Google Books at this link.
Joshua Greene’s book discussing our psychological propensities to cooperate and designate teams to destroy other groups, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them is available on Amazon Canada for purchase here.
Robert Musil’s book, The Man Without Qualities, explores how a nation exists to offset responsibilities without remorse and is available for purchase on Amazon at this link.
Samuel P. Huntington’s study, The Clash of Civilizations?, noting how much territory is under military control can be viewed at this link through an active JSTOR or partner institution account.
Tom cites Carl Schmitt and his theory on the irreconcilibity of conflicts as a foundation for solidarity in the podcast. An overview of Schmitt’s essential works was published by John P. McCormick from the University of Chicago in the Annual Review of Political Science at this link.
Chapter Five of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, covering the types of friendships human beings can have, was briefly mentioned on the podcast and can be read at this link courtesy of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences.
Ernesto Laclau emphasizes the importance of identifying the enemy for successful populist rhetoric in his book, On Populist Reason, available on Amazon Canada here.
George Orwell’s essay on how language can be operationalized to “obscure pure violence,” Politics and the English Language, can be accessed online at this link.

James Tooley — Is Low-Cost Private Education Possible?

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In Special Episode 2, Matt Bufton pointed to The Curious Task Episode 77 with James Tooley as one of his favourites. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release!

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 3 with James Tooley

The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West. This page will direct listeners to his various articles and reports.
James’ book, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves is the basis of today’s discussion and can be purchased from Amazon Canada here.
You can read more about the John Templeton Foundation’s work at this link.
Here is a link to James’ case study research about for-profit private education in India.
This is The Economist article about Indian private schools educating 50% of the population that James mentions briefly on the podcast.
Here is a synopsis of The Elementary Education Act of 1870 which mandated public education for schoolchildren between five to thirteen years of age. James’ book with the Independent Institute, Really Good Schools can be purchased h ere.

Celebrating 100 Episodes

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0400

To celebrate reaching 100 episodes, host Alex Aragona, producer Sabine El-Chidiac, and executive producer Matt Bufton look back on the origins and growth of the podcast, some of their favourite episodes, and so much more in this very special bonus episode.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 2 with Matt Bufton, Sabine El-Chidiac and Alex Aragona

You can listen to Graeme Thompson discuss Canadian Liberalism here. Dennis Rasmussen discusses if America failed here.
The very first episode of The Curious Task with Nigel Ashford can be listened to here.
Alex Salter talks about central banking on The Curious Task here.
Matt mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Mustafa Akyol on freedom in the Muslim world here, and James Tooley on private education here.
The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley can be purchased from Amazon here.
Sabine mentions that two of her favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Tom Palmer on what is war good for here, and Jacob Levy on civil society here.
Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob Levy can be purchased from Amazon here.
Alex mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Aeon Skoble on anarchy here, and Eric Schliesser on neoliberalism here.
You can learn more about our Patreon here.

Steve Horwitz — What Drives Progress?

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In honour of Steve Horwitz (1964-2021), we are re-releasing his conversation with Alex Aragona on what drives progress — a topic near and dear to Steve's heart.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 1 with Steve Horwitz

Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked).
This article entitled Persistent Fallacies by Vuk Vukovic recounts the misconceptions surrounding growth and is a response to the book, Why Nations Fail, featuring an anecdote on Paul Samuelson’s forecast of the USSR overtaking the US economy that was referenced by Steve in the episode.
In case you missed Virginia Postrel’s episode on The Curious Task and wish to catch up with her research, her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
The Cato Institute published an article by Adam D. Thierer on permissionless innovation, which also provides an overview of Deidre McCloskey’s contributions to the theory. It can be read here.
You can read Steve’s article, Privilege and the Liberal Tradition, on libertarianism.org.
Here is an excerpt on Ludwig’s von Mises’ concept of peaceful transference from his book, Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition.
You can learn more about Robert Higgs’ concept of regime uncertainty through this downloadable PDF published by the Independent Institute.
This article by Gerald P. O’Driscoll, Jr. is an introduction to “sound money” that Steve also talks about during the podcast.
You can watch Hans Rosling’s TED video on The Magic Washing Machine at this link.
The joint research on inequality published by Steve and Vincent Geloso is available for reading here.
Here is the article written by Steve on Tyler Cowen’s joint article on The Great Stagnation, which is also available for reading online at this link.
Here is some more background on precision medicine that Steve mentions briefly on the podcast.
Here is the link to the 2007 panel discussion with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that Alex mentions in the podcast.
The Back to the Future trilogy and Demolition Man can be purchased and/or streamed from Amazon Canada. You can read more about John Stuart Mill’s “experiments of living” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s website (Chapter 4.6).

Tyler Cowen — Is Scarborough The Dining Capital of the World?

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Tyler Cowen chats with Alex Aragona about all things food — great things to eat, where to find them, and how an economist gets lunch.

References from The Curious Task Episode 100 with Tyler Cowen

You can purchase An Economist Gets Lunch by Tyler Cowen from Amazon here.
You can read more from Tyler Cowen at the blog Marginal Revolution here. Find their course materials at Marginal Revolution University here.
Tyler Cowen also has a food blog here.
Read more about locavorism in The Locavore's Dilemma by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu, available through Amazon here.

Aeon Skoble — Is Anarchy Relevant For Classical Liberalism?

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona peaks with Aeon Skoble as he outlines his ideas on what anarchism is, how we should think on it, and how it overlaps with classical liberal ideas.

References from The Curious Task Episode 99 with Aeon Skoble

Aeon Skoble is author of Deleting the State and editor of a collection of essays called The Simpsons and Philosophy. He has a chapter titled “What Is the Point of Anarchism” in The Routledge Handbook of Anarchy and Anarchist Thought. Read more from Aeon Skoble on the blog Radical Classical Liberal here.
Aeon Skoble mentions Robert Nozick, who argues for a minimal state in Anarchy, State, and Utopia available for purchase here. Aeon Skoble further discusses Robert Nozick in this video produced by the Fraser Institute here.
Learn more about the prisoner’s dilemma here.
The relationship between anarchism and law is explored by Bruce Benson in his book The Enterprise of Law, available for purchase here.

Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire — Why Tweet The Wealth of Nations?

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with SmithTweeters Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire as they describe what drew them to the idea of reading through all of The Wealth of Nations and providing an ongoing commentary on Twitter, and how Adam Smith's ideas remain relevant.

References from The Curious Task Episode 98 with Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire

Janet Bufton previously spoke on The Curious Task, which you can listen to here. Sarah Skwire has also appeared on The Curious Task here.
You can read the #WealthofTweets here.
The digression on silver in the Wealth of Nations can be read online here.
Previous Smith Questionnaires can be watched on YouTube here.
Learn more about the works of Adam Smith from Adam Smith Works here.
Sarah and Janet reflect on their experience with the #WealthofTweets here.

Anton Howes — What Powered Innovation In Britain?

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Anton Howes about when the sparks of innovation started in Britain, and what fanned the flames moving forward.

References from The Curious Task Episode 97 with Anton Howes

You can read more about the Age of Invention at the substack where Anton Howes writes about his ideas here. You can also find his working paper titled The Spread of Improvement here.
Deirdre McCloskey details her arguments about ethics and commerce in her series which begins with Bourgeois Virtues, available for purchase from Amazon here.
The European Guilds by Sheilagh Ogilvie is available for purchase through Princeton Press here.

Bill Easterly — What Is The Tyranny of Experts?

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Bill Easterly tours some of the concepts from his book The Tyranny of Experts, and explores why technocrats imposing their own form of economic development on cultures and peoples can produce more harm than good.

References from The Curious Task Episode 96 with Bill Easterly

You can purchase a copy of The Tyranny of the Experts by Bill Easterly here.
The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs can be found on Amazon here.
The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek can be purchased here.

Dennis Rasmussen — Did America Fail?

Wed, 26 May 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen about his findings on how the American Founding Fathers truly felt about the experiment they designed and built as time went on.

References from The Curious Task Episode 95 with Dennis Rasmussen

Dennis Rasmussen previously joined The Curious Task to speak about his book The Infidel and the Professor, and you can listen to that episode here.
The book discussed on this episode of The Curious Task is Fears of the Setting Sun by Dennis Rasmussen, which can be purchased from Amazon here.
The rising sun armchair can be seen digitally here.
More information on the Federalists can be found here, and the Anti-Federalists here.
The soundtrack to Hamilton can be listened to here.

Graeme Thompson — What Is Canadian Liberalism?

Wed, 19 May 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like.

References from The Curious Task Episode 94 with Graeme Thompson

A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon here.
Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher Pennington can be found from Penguin House here.
Graeme Thompson’s piece “Whatever Happened to Laurier” can be found in the National Post here.
Graeme mentions positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin, which is discussed on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy here.
The works of Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and J.S. Mill can be read for free through the Online Library of Liberty.

Jacob Levy — How Should Liberals Think of Social Injustice?

Tue, 18 May 2021 19:18:27 -0400

Jacob Levy gives a tour of his thoughts on the conversations surrounding social justice, and how liberals might consider the topic from the perspective of social "injustice".

References from The Curious Task Episode 93 with Jacob Levy

You can listen to Jacob Levy’s other appearances on The Curious Task here and here.
Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob T. Levy can be purchased from Amazon here.
You can purchase Free Market Fairness by John Tomasi from Amazon here.
You can read more concepts of spontaneous and emergent order found in Hayek here.
Judith Shklar lays out her argument about injustice in her book The Faces of Injustice (which can be purchased here).

Sandy Ikeda — What Would Jane Jacobs Do?

Wed, 05 May 2021 06:00:00 -0400

In honour of her birthday, Sandy Ikeda explores the ideas of Jane Jacobs and reflects on how her thinking on urban centres is still relevant today.

References from The Curious Task Episode 92 with Sandy Ikeda

You can listen to Sandy Ikeda discuss “Why Can’t a City Be a Work of Art?” on The Curious Task here.
A copy of Jane Jacob’s Death and Life of Great American Cities can be purchased from Amazon here. Some of her other works include The Economy of Cities (available here) and Systems of Survival (available here).
For those who want to learn more about Austrian economics, our friends at the Frasier Institute have released an introduction to the subject here.
You can read more about the thoughts Sandy Ikeda has on Urban Design and Social Complexity here.

Terence Kealey — Should Government Fund Science?

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Terence Kealey speaks about the history of state involvement in funding science and technology, and why it may not be as good or innovative of an idea as it may seem.

References from The Curious Task Episode 91 with Terence Kealey

You can purchase a copy of Sex Science and Profits by Terence Kealey on Amazon here.
The story of Katalin Karikó is explored in detail in this article.
Terence Kealey has a chapter in Visions of Liberty, available for purchase here.

Nick Cowen — Should We Regulate Online Sex Work?

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Nick Cowen as he explores the current state of sex work regulation, and what approaches regulators could (and should) take when considering the increasing online landscape for these services.

References from The Curious Task Episode 90 with Nick Cowen

Nick Cowen is the author of Neoliberal Social Justice. You can read the first chapter of his book here.
Nick Cowen’s article Sex Work and Online Platforms: What Should Regulation Do? can be downloaded and read here. Within the article, the section which specifically explores the various models of sex work regulation begins on page 5.
Markets without Limits by Peter Jaworski and Jason Brennan can be found here.
Michael Munger speaks more about transaction costs in the economy with our friends at Econtalk here.
An explanation of the key debates currently about sex work can be found by following this link.

Alex Salter — Did Central Banks Get COVID-19 Right?

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Salter dives into Federal Reserve policies during the pandemic, what it got right and wrong, and what the lasting impacts will be.

References from The Curious Task Episode 89 with Alex Salter

Alex Salter is the co-author of Money and the Rule of Law along with Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith. His book can be purchased from Amazon here.
To read more about the Federal Reserve’s actions during the financial crisis from Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Donald Kohn, see here.
Alex Salter’s most recent commentary on the Federal Reserve at AIER can be found here and here.
Alex Salter discusses the Federal Reserves response to COVID-19 here.
For more information about the accountability and transparency of the federal reserve, see the report from Scott Sumner at the Mercatus Center found here.

Dan Griswold & Sabine El-Chidiac — What Should Immigration Policy Look Like After The Pandemic?

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Dan and Sabine discuss their newest policy brief with the Mercatus Center, and what changes they'd like to see to Canadian and American immigration policy as it relates to movement between the two countries.

References from The Curious Task Episode 88 with Dan Griswold & Sabine El-Chidiac

The policy brief co-authored by Daniel Griswold and Sabine El-Chidiac titled “Deepen Us-Canada Ties with a Post-COVID-19 Agreement for the Free Movement of People can be found here.
Dan Griswold’s book Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization can be purchased on Amazon here.
For more information on Canadian Immigrants in the United States, see this information from the Migration Policy Institute here.
Dan Griswold explains his stance on Employment-Based Immigration Policies found in Australia and Canada in an interview with the Washington Journal here.
Find Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration and Political Freedom by Ilya Somin available for purchase here. Ilya Somin also appeared on the Curious Task to speak about voting with your feet here.

Bas van der Vossen — Who Owns Your Labour?

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona explores standard readings of Lockean property rights theories with Bas van der Vossen, and then explore Bas' idea on what might be missing from these traditional understandings and interpretations.

References from The Curious Task Episode 87 with Bas van der Vossen

Bas van der Vossen explores the historical entitlement theory, including some of the points he included in his presentation about Robert Nozick’s version during the podcast, at this link.
You can read John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government online at this link. Chapter 5, On Property, forms the basis of much of this week’s discussion,
This article titled, John Locke: Some Problems in Locke’s Theory of Private Property, on libertarianism.org features Nozick’s famous tomato juice analogy that objects Locke’s principle of labour mixing, and is also an extension of the discussion brought up by Bas during this episode.
Here is an excerpt by Bas van der Vosen on Hume’s idea of property rights as convention.
You can access Bas van der Vossen’s work on the “Enough and As Good” Lockean proviso here.
Here is a paper by Hillsdale College on the appropriative water rights doctrine in the Western United States that Bas briefly mentions during the podcast.
Bas mentions the water shortages that California faces from waterway droughts. An article that details the “Tahoe to tap” option can be accessed at this link.

Matt Warner — What's Wrong With Foreign Aid?

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Matt Warner as he explores the dilemma that outsiders face when trying to do good for others, and why local knowledge is so important.

References from Episode 86 with Matt Warner

Matt Warner is the author of, Poverty and Freedom: Case Studies on Global Economic Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada here.
Eric Beinhocker’s book, The Origin of Wealth, was mentioned by Matt because it makes a Hayekian case for use of knowledge in society and that there is more than one type of knowledge in an array of complex adaptive systems. This book can also be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Matt mentions Jeffrey Sachs’ crop yield project in Uganda during the podcast. You can read some of Sachs’ work for the Africa Growth Initiative here.
Francis Fukuyama’s book, The End of History, can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
Stephen Holmes co-authored the book, The Light That Failed, with Ivan Krastev, which is also available for purchase on Amazon Canada here.
Why Nations Fail is another book cited by Matt during the podcast. It was co-authored by James Robinson and is available on Amazon Canada here.
You can read Mohamed Bouazizi’s story and how it ignited the Arab Spring here.
Mauricio Miller’s book, The Alternative, is listed on Amazon Canada at this link.
Amartya Sen’s book, Development as Freedom, can be found on Amazon Canada here.
You can explore Jeremy Shapiro’s work on development economics on his website.
Samantha Power’s memoir, The Education of an Idealist, is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinsson’s book, The Narrow Corridor, was also mentioned by Matt during the podcast and can be purchased here.
You can read Freedom House’s report on the state of democracy around the world in 2021 here.

Paul Robinson — Is Russia a Threat to Democracy?

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Paul Robinson about whether Russia is trying to meddle with Western democracy, and if he thinks the recommended solutions might be worse than the alleged threat.

References from Episode 85 with Paul Robinson

You can listen to Paul Robinson speak about military intervention on The Curious Task
Paul Robinson regularly writes on his blog Irrussianality, which you can read online He is also the author and editor of several books, which can be found here.
Alex references an essay on disinformation which was published on the CRTC website, which can be read
Paul Robinson talks specifically about disinformation on his blog in the post “Watching the Disinformation Watchers” which can be read
Alex suggests you read the unpublished introduction to Animal Farm by George Orwell, which can be found

Scott Scheall — What Is The Fundamental Problem of Political Life?

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Scheall as he explores how the knowledge problem and other epistemological considerations must be considered before political incentives.

References from Episode 84 with Scott Scheall

Scott Scheall is the author of the book, F. A. Hayek and the Epistemology of Politics: The Curious Task of Economics, which can be purchased from Routledge at this link.
You can read The Green New Deal resolution presented during the 1st session of the 116th Congress here.
David Hume’s essay, Of the Independency of Parliament, where he talks about political writers as a maxim and how every man ought to be a knave, is available for reading at this link.
Scott references James Buchanan’s idea of “politics without romance” in public choice theory where the assumption of knowledge is a starting point from his co-authored book, The Calculus of Consent. This book can be accessed here.
You can read more about Milton Friedman’s work on command economies here.can
Scott cites F. A. Hayek’s book, The Use of Knowledge in Society, to the argument that gathering data is not a problem for central planning, but that the particular circumstances of time and place are what determine success. This book can be accessed here.
You can read F. A. Hayek’s work, Cosmos and Taxis, here.
You can read Scott’s op-ed with Parker Crutchfield, There Are No Experts On That for Which We Really Need Experts, published on the American Institute for Economic Research at this link.

Shikha Dalmia — How Does Minority Activism Help Stop Authoritarianism?

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Shikha Dalmia about minority groups as defenders of rights and freedoms, and the North American libertarian movement during and after Donald Trump's presidency.

References from Episode 83 with Shikha Dalmia

You can read Shikha’s articles published at Reason Foundation here and her articles in The Week here.
Here are some statistics of the the share of votes for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election by ethnicity, produced by Statista.
This is the Washington Post article by Radley Balko that was referenced by Shikha during the podcast, titled, Meet the police chief turned yoga instructor prodding wealthy suburbanites to civil war.
Here is Ward Connerly’s biography.
You can access the full text of the Federalist Papers by James Madison at this link.
The Liberty Fund has a full version of the letter written by Lord Acton to Bishop Creighton which includes the famous quote, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (1887) at this link.
This link will direct you to the original text of The Civil Rights Act (1964).
This is an article detailing the history of the poll tax in America.
This is a BBC article that discusses the exclusion of Muslims from the reforms to India’s Citizenship Act.
Shikha briefly mentions the population dynamics inAntebellum America. Here is an article on the demography of the slave population in Antebellum America for extended reading that was featured in The Journal of Interdisciplinary History.
This is the codification of Title XI of the Education Amendments Act (1972).
The Washington Post has an article on Barry Goldwater’s history that was released in commemoration of his passing in 1998 and can be accessed here.
You can read more articles written by David French, a Christian conservative critical of Trump and proactive on the topic of religious freedom, at his profile on The Dispatch here.
This is a link to some quotes by Samuel Johnson on liberty.

Art Carden — Why Are We Rich?

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona chats with Art Carden as he explains the kind of deal we need to make if we want to see great prosperity.

References from Episode 82 with Art Carden

Art Carden is the co-author of the book, Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich, with Deirdre McCloskey, which is available on Amazon Canada at this link (Kindle Edition and Hardcover).
Art references Shylock from The Merchant of Venice and Iago from Othello, whose full texts are accessible through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s website (titles hyperlinked).
This is an interactive graphic by Our World in Data on the world literacy rate overtime.
Here is a link to a further elaboration of Adam Smith’s quote that “people of the same trades seldom meet together … but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices” and one of “the great deal of ruin in a nation” that were mentioned by Art (Courtesy of the Adam Smith Institute).
This is a link to William Nordhaus’ working paper on the gains from innovation.
You can read more about Fred Shuttlesworth on the encyclopedia website of the King Institute at Stanford University at this link.
You can watch the 2007 D5 Conference that hosted Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together and features a question on the “desktop paradigm” on Youtube at this link.
You can read Thomas Malthus’ An Essay on the Principle Population on The Library of Economics and Liberty website.
Here is a link to the Youtube series, Free to Choose, featuring Milton Friedman.
You can purchase John Kenneth Galbraith’s book, The New Industrial State, on Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is a list of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies.
Andrew McAfee’s book, More from Less, talks about the dematrialization of economic growth and can be purchased on Amazon Canada here.
Art mentions Robin Hanson’s concept of the Futures Market during the podcast. You can read more about it in this article by Robin Hanson.
Thomas Sowell’s book, A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, is available on Amazon Canada at this link.

Erik Kimbrough — What Influences Our Choices?

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Erik Kimbrough as he explores the role social norms, groups, and other factors play in our decision making processes.

References from Episode 81 with Erik Kimbrough

You can find a list of Erik’s work here, or on SSRN and RePEc (Erik Kimbrough), some of which were quoted during this episode and formed the basis of discussion. These include Erik’s discussions on norm-compliance (with Mark Pickup and Eline de Rooij), corruption, social preferences (with Alexander Vostroknutov), and marriage (with Mahsa Akbari).
This is a rundown of The Dictator Game in economics as presented by Daniel Kahneman et al.
This is the paper written by George Stigler and Gary Becker, Accounting for Taste, that was mentioned by Erik in the podcast.
You can read about Adam Smith’s impartial spectator and sentiments at this link (Adam Smith Institute).
You can read more about the economist Douglass North at this link (The Library of Economics and Liberty).
The book, The WEIRDest People in the World by Joe Henrich, that was mentioned by Erik is available on Amazon Canada at this link.
Friedrich Hayek’s quote that “Man is much a rule-following animal as a purpose-seeking one” is from his book, Law, Legislation and Liberty, which can be accessed here.

Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski — What Policies Hurt Business?

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona chats with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski as they explore the policies that can hurt businesses, and their work on the Doing Business North America index.

References from Episode 80 with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski

Ross Emmett and Stephen Slivinski are directors of the Doing Business North America project. Their 2020 report forms the basis of this episode and can be found at their website at this link.
Here is a link to the Doing Business Report by the World Bank that was briefly mentioned in the podcast.
You can read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article on the barriers of doing business in Philadelphia here.
An in-depth explanation of the DBNA’s methodology and business categories is available for reading at this link.
The DBNA Land Use index was inspired by The Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index, which can be accessed here.
Here are the recent rankings of the DBNA report, which includes a comparison of the performance in cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States (including the top five and five lowest-performing cities).
You can interact with the data collected by DBNA at this link.
Virginia Postrel’s book, The Future and its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is an article on the Bootleggers and Baptists problem coined by Bruce Yandle.

Peter Jaworski — What Is Libertarianism?

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions.

References from Episode 79 with Peter Jaworski

Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Peter mentions B. van der Vossen’s article on self-ownership published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which can be read here. The general article on libertarianism starts at this link.
You can read more about Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations theory on the website, moralfoundations.org.
Peter mentions the three-way division between people cited in Jason Brennan’s book, Against Democracy, which is also available on Amazon Canada at this link.
This article on libertarianism.org captures David Hume’s is-ought dichotomy that was briefly mentioned by Peter during the podcast.
The Acton Institute publishes many articles that demonstrate how their theological views endorse libertarian institutions on their website, acton.org.
You can read John Stuart Mill’s libertarian conclusions in On Liberty at this link.
Peter mentions Chris Freiman during the episode, who has published blogposts on learnliberty.org.
You can read more about the natural rights argument of Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this article on libertarianism.org.
The Lockean-Nozick justification of property rights has also been written about in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is the link to Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness, that explores the concept of ethical egoism.
Michael L. Frazer has a book on Adam Smith’s theory of sentimentalism and how it departs from that of David Hume, which can be accessed here.
You can purchase Michael Huemer’s book, Ethical Institutionalism, that was recommended by Peter at this link.
Jan Narveson makes a contractarian case for libertarianism in this article on libertarianism.org.
Here is Roderick Long’s article, Eudaimonist Libertarianism, that was published on bleedingheartlibertarians.org.
Dan Sanchez published an article called, In Defense of Mises’s Utilitarianism, through the Mises Institute and is available for reading here.
Here is Kevin Vallier’s article, A Rawlisan Case for Libertarianism, which also draws parallels to F. A. Hayek.
You can explore Milton Friedman’s natural rights-oriented political philosophy in his book, Capitalism and Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is a joint article by John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski called, A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism, which was published in Cato Unbound and can be read at this link.
This is a link to the Libertarian Party of the United States.
Deirdre McCloskey elaborated on her idea of The Great Enrichment in this article published on the Foundation for Economic Education.

Sandra Peart — What Can We Learn From John Stuart Mill?

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Sandra Peart as she traces the life of John Stuart Mill and explores some of the key pillars of his thinking.

References from Episode 78 with Sandra Peart

Sandra Peart is the author of Towards an Economics of Natural Equals: A Documentary History of the Early Virginia School, Escape from Democracy: The Role of Experts and the Public in Economic Policy, and the Essential John Stuart Mill, some of which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked).
The liberal themes of social tyranny, expression, and democracy were drawn from John Stuart Mill’s works, On Liberty (Batoche Books), and Utilitarianism (McMaster, Batoche Books) which are available for reading online (titles hyperlinked).
David Ricardo’s book, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, can be read online on McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences website at this link.
You can read The Later Letters of John Stuart Mill (1849-1873) that were referenced by Sandra throughout the podcast on Liberty Fund’s website here.
Here is one journal article on Wordsworth’s influence on Mill by Liz McKinnell.
The United Kingdom Parliament has published the following websites on the reformative legislative legacy of John Stuart Mill while he was an MP: John Start Mill Amendment and John Stuart Mill and the 1866 Petition.
This is a link to the cartoon ridiculing John Stuart Mill’s franchise for women as “persons” published by Punch Magazine.
This is the harsher cartoon, “Miss Mill Joins the Ladies,” published by Judy.
Here is a link to Hayek on Mill, which was edited by Sandra and features Hayek’s skepticism of Mill’s originality and the Taylor-Mill correspondence that was published by Hayek.

James Tooley — Is Low-Cost Private Education Possible?

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with James Tooley as he retells some of his experiences discovering quality private education solutions in poorer communities, and how they compared to the government's offerings.

References from Episode 77 with James Tooley

The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West. This page will direct listeners to his various articles and reports.
James’ book, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves is the basis of today’s discussion and can be purchased from Amazon Canada here.
You can read more about the John Templeton Foundation’s work at this link.
Here is a link to James’ case study research about for-profit private education in India.
This is The Economist article about Indian private schools educating 50% of the population that James mentions briefly on the podcast.
Here is a synopsis of The Elementary Education Act of 1870 which mandated public education for schoolchildren between five to thirteen years of age. James’ book with the Independent Institute, Really Good Schools is set for release in March 2021 and can be preordered here.

Steve Horwitz — What Drives Progress?

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores what drives human progress, and why the market is so crucial to that.

References from Episode 76 with Steve Horwitz

Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked).
This article entitled Persistent Fallacies by Vuk Vukovic recounts the misconceptions surrounding growth and is a response to the book, Why Nations Fail, featuring an anecdote on Paul Samuelson’s forecast of the USSR overtaking the US economy that was referenced by Steve in the episode.
In case you missed Virginia Postrel’s episode on The Curious Task and wish to catch up with her research, her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
The Cato Institute published an article by Adam D. Thierer on permissionless innovation, which also provides an overview of Deidre McCloskey’s contributions to the theory. It can be read here.
You can read Steve’s article, Privilege and the Liberal Tradition, on libertarianism.org.
Here is an excerpt on Ludwig’s von Mises’ concept of peaceful transference from his book, Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition.
You can learn more about Robert Higgs’ concept of regime uncertainty through this downloadable PDF published by the Independent Institute.
This article by Gerald P. O’Driscoll, Jr. is an introduction to “sound money” that Steve also talks about during the podcast.
You can watch Hans Rosling’s TED video on The Magic Washing Machine at this link.
The joint research on inequality published by Steve and Vincent Geloso is available for reading here.
Here is the article written by Steve on Tyler Cowen’s joint article on The Great Stagnation, which is also available for reading online at this link.
Here is some more background on precision medicine that Steve mentions briefly on the podcast.
Here is the link to the 2007 panel discussion with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that Alex mentions in the podcast.
The Back to the Future trilogy and Demolition Man can be purchased and/or streamed from Amazon Canada. You can read more about John Stuart Mill’s “experiments of living” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s website (Chapter 4.6).

Clark Neily — How Can America's Policing Problem Be Fixed?

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Clark Neily as he explores the causes of America's policing problems, and policies that may fix them.

References

1. “Terms of Engagement: How Our Courts Should Enforce the Constitution’s Promise of Limited Government” by Clark M. Neily

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Terms-Engagement-Enforce-Constitutions-Government/dp/1594036969

2. “A Libertarian Vision for Criminal Justice” by Clark Neily

Link: https://www.libertarianism.org/essays/libertarian-vision-for-criminal-justice

3. “Sagging Pants and the Long History of ‘Dangerous’ Street Fashion” by Gene Demby

Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/09/11/347143588/sagging-pants-and-the-long-history-of-dangerous-street-fashion

4. “America’s Criminal Justice System is Rotten to the Core” by Clark Neily

Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/americas-criminal-justice-system-rotten-core

5. “Varsity Blues Scandal Explained” by BC Law

Link: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2023/12/varsity-blues-sandal-explained/

6. “Qualified Immunity FAQ” by Legal Defense Fund

Link: https://www.naacpldf.org/qualified-immunity/#:~:text=The%20doctrine%20of%20qualified%20immunity,engaging%20in%20violent%20and%20abusive

7. “Cop Who Accidentally Shot 10-Year-Old When Aiming For Family Dog Can’t Be Sued, Federal Court Rules” by Nick Sibilla

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksibilla/2019/07/18/cop-who-accidentally-shot-10-year-old-when-aiming-for-family-dog-cant-be-sued-federal-court-rules/

8. “Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest (2014-2015)” by BlackPast

Link: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015/

Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac — What Was 2020 Like For Liberalism?

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

It's our 2020 roundup episode! Alex Aragona chats with Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac about topics and ideas surrounding liberalism in the past year, and choose their favourite Curious Task episodes from 2020.

References from Episode 74 with Sabine El-Chidiac and Matt Bufton

Matt mentions the 1992 Los Angeles riots stemming from the police brutality against Rodney King. An article on these incidents can be found on National Public Radio’s website at this link.
You can learn more about the international movement to defund the police here.
Matt briefly talks about polls coming from the United States on whether parents would mind their children marrying across party lines. One such poll was conducted by YouGov and can be accessed here.
You can register for Stephen Davies’ upcoming online lecture with the Institute for Liberal Studies (Friday, January 15 at 12:00 PM) here! If you need a refresher on Steve Davies’ episode with The Curious Task, consider giving it a relisten at this link.
Sabine reference’s Steve Horowitz’s book Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions as well as a previous Curious Task episode with him (titles hyperlinked).
Matt notes that fusionism was at its peak during the Reagan era. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has an article recounting the relationship between Reagan and libertarians in this article.
Mises Wire has an article about Murray Rothbard and War and his effort to unite anti-Vietnam war sentiment in the United States. This work is available for viewing here.
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine design occurred over two days and can be read in detail in this article by Business Insider.
If you are interested in Maude Barlow’s criticisms of economic globalization and trade, visit this page on The Council of Canadians’ website that recaps Barlow’s interview with CBC Radio.To delve deeper into the discussions on educational alternatives and belief in experts, Episode 53 and Episode 65 of The Curious Task provides a holistic overview.
The Curious Task in Review: Our Producers’ Favourite Episodes From 2020!
- Matt recommended Episode 40 with Pete Boettke: “What Is The Curious Task of Economics?”
  - A great primer for the rest of this podcast
- Sabine recommended Episode 29 with Jacob Levy: “How Should Liberals Think of Civil Society?”
  - Explores the greater themes in liberalism, such as tensions between pluralism and rationalization and in-group and out-group oppression
- Alex recommended Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser: “What Is Neoliberalism?”
  - May be a part of the project of rehabilitating the connotations of neoliberalism and other permanent frustrations with the term

Mike Tanner — Why Does Poverty Persist?

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Tanner as he explores the factors that contribute to the persistence of poverty, and different policy recommendations that can help alleviate it.

References from Episode 73 with Mike Tanner

Mike Tanner is the author of Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis, Leviathan on the Right: How the Rise of Big Government Conservatism Threatens Our Freedom and Our Future, and The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor. All titles are hyperlinked and available for purchase on Amazon Canada.
You can read more about the United States’ government spending on anti-poverty policies and programs at the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions website here.
Mike likens the final step of self-actualization in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the policy goal of self-sufficiency for welfare programs. An explanation of the Hierarchy can be accessed here in a study by Robert J. Taormina and Jennifer H. Gao.
Articles by the Cato Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education discuss how poverty traps are a fixture of the welfare system (organizations hyperlinked).
Here is a study by Elaine Maag, C. Eugene Steuerle, Ritadhi Chakravarti, and Caleb Quakenbush on how marginal tax rates are at a high point for those who leave welfare and take their first job.
Mike references a poll conducted by the Cato Institute on whether the government should prioritize welfare spending or economic growth, which can be found at this link.
This article by the Foundation for Economic Education on the Davis-Bacon Act features Walter Williams’ congressional opinion on the union labour as well as Miles Allgood’s sponsorship of Act, both of which were quoted in the podcast.
Mike looks to William Julius Wilson’s theory on “marrigiablility” and how that may be impacted by criminal convictions. This theory was developed in his work, The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy, and is available for purchase on Amazon Canada here.
Here is an investigation by the United States Department of Justice into the Ferguson Police Department following the murder of Michael Brown. The report investigates topics Mike touches on in the podcast, including how fines from parking violations can be a large source of revenue for the police.
Here is the Wikipedia article on the murder of Eric Garner that was mentioned by Mike during the episode.
Here is a link to an education watchdog’s cross-sectional study of the mathematical and reading proficiencies of students hailing from different neighbourhoods in Oakland that Mike mentions briefly this episode.
To complement Mike’s discussion on zoning, The Local Government Commission released a report on single-family zoning and affordable housing supply in California and can be accessed through this link. A local news release on Former Labour Secretary Robert Reich’s preventative housing development efforts in Berkeley can be found here.
Here is an entry by Dean Karlan, Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan, and Jonathan Zinman in The Review of Income and Wealth on how inaccessible banking may be a barrier to reducing poverty.

Janet Bufton — Are Libertarians Liberals?

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians.

References from Episode 72 with Janet Bufton

Janet Bufton manages the Liberal Studies Guides project and is a consultant at Adam Smith Works, whose websites have been hyperlinked.
You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a system of natural liberty, the rules of commercial society, and the decisions people make at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at this link.
Follow this link to learn more about the non-aggression principle as libertarian philosophy.
In the podcast, Janet mentions Adam Smith’s caution against business people who can turn economic power into political power to harm consumers. His argument against monopolies was summarized by Heinz D. Kurz in the article, Adam Smith on markets, competition, and violations of natural liberty, available here.
Alex and Janet discuss how Milton Friedman identified differently overtime: early into his career he described himself as a neoliberal, which is evident in his essay, Neo-Liberalism and its Prospects, (The Curious Task also dedicated Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser to discussing neoliberalism) and later as a “liberal without adjectives” on The Donahue Show, and towards the end of life, he advocates for consequentialist freedom (all references hyperlinked).
Like Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard strongly identified as a libertarian (as evident in his work, For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, which can be accessed at this link) but along with Rockwell was a pioneer of the paleo-libertarianism movement which aimed to unite traditional conservatives. Its origin story first featured in Rothbard’s essay, Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement, which available for reading at this link.
Here is the Wikipedia article for Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign, where he ran with the Republican Party on principles such as anti-war but economic freedom.
Robert Nozick coined the term “nightwatchman state” in his work, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
The Freeman was a libertarian magazine by the Foundation for Economic Education that was consulted by Ronald Reagan. Archives of the magazine can be accessed on the FEE’s website at this link.
This link will direct you to a historical run-down of fusionism by Libertarianism.org.
Janet references Steve Davies’s appearance to discuss the pandemic on Episode 45 of The Curious Task. If you would like a refresher on the topics covered in that episode, here is the link.
More readings on cosmopolitanism are available at this link.

David Skarbek — How Do Prisoners Govern?

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with David Skarbek as he explores the different governance structures that prisoners live under and create in prisons around the world.

References from The Curious Task Episode 71 with David Skarbek

You can purchase The Puzzle of Prison Order by David Skarbek He looks specifically at the American prison system in his earlier book The Social Order of the Underworld, which is available for purchase here.

Mustafa Akyol — How Free Is The Muslim World?

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Mustafa Akyol as he explores whether Islam can be compatible with liberalism, and his recent research on freedom in Muslim-majority countries.

References from Episode 70 with Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol is the author of Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next? (Turkish), Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty, The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims, and his book set for release in April 2021, Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (all available titles hyperlinked to Amazon Canada store pages).
You can read Mustafa’s articles featured on his profile on the CATO Institute’s website at this link.
The concluding segment of this podcast was dedicated to discussing Mustafa’s findings in his study, Freedom in the Muslim World, which was published on the Cato Institute’s website and is available for reading here.
Mustafa quotes the observation that Islam had compatible socio-legal setups for embracing liberal society early on had it abided by its foundational teachings from Professor David Forte’s article, Islam’s Trajectory. This article can be read on the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s website at this link.
One of the themes in his upcoming book, Reopening Muslim Minds, Mustafa cites Ash’arism as one of the theological paradigms predating modernity which gave rise to the insularity in Islamic philosophy towards thoughts not originating from revelation. The journal Studia Islamica has an article recounting the religious history of Ash’arism and can be accessed at this link through an active JSTOR account.
Mustafa briefly mentions the Euthyphro Dilemma (Wikipedia), Divine Command Theory (Michael W. Austin, Eastern Kentucky University), and Ethical Objectivism (Oxford Reference) whilst discussing the different camps in Islamic thought. More can be read about these topics through their respective hyperlinks.
You can read more about philosopher John Locke’s premises on toleration of religion and heresy here (A Letter Concerning Toleration courtesy of McMaster University), as well as his view on the separation of church and state at this link (Liberty Fund).
While literature on Islamic liberalism is vast, a good place to start is this article titled What Is Liberal Islam?: The Sources of Enlightend Muslim Thought featured in the Journal of Democracy at this link.
This article on Deutsche Welle summarizes the domestic and international tensions stemming from the cartoons of religious caricatures that were published in France.
Mustafa quotes Daniel Philpott’s book, Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (available on Amazon Canada), about how Islam “had seeds of freedom, but those seeds need to be cultivated.”
You can read the excerpt where the French jurist, Jean Bodin, commended the religious freedom of the Ottoman empire compared to the denominational violence amongst Christians in Europe in Daniel Goffman’s book, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe here.
Here are Wikipedia articles to the controversy of Islamic scarfs in France, policing over the burkini, and Saudi Arabia’s legislation on public head coverings for women.

Kevin Vallier — Can Polarization Be Reversed?

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier as he explores the different tenets of political and social polarization, and whether the divisions we're seeing today can be reversed.

References from Episode 69 with Kevin Vallier

Kevin Vallier is the author of Liberal Politics and Public Faith: Beyond Separation, Must Politics Be War?: Restoring Our Trust in Open Society, and Trust in a Polarized Age, which is the basis of this episode’s discussion. All books are available on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked).
Kevin talks about the two empirical literature camps on social trust: one is the economics, lab-based games of trust; the second is macro-survey data provided by institutions such as the World Values Survey, the General Social Survey, the American National Election Studies, and barometers (Afrobarometer, Eurobarometer). All names are hyperlinked.
This is a link to the Corporate Finance Institute’s overview of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Kevin briefly mentions the Georgia Secretary of State’s certification of the election outcome disputing voter fraud. A report of the Secretary of State’s statements can be read here.
Here is a brief overview of the contact hypothesis by the American Psychological Association, which Kevin contrasted to in the podcast with a lack of contract enforcement and the ill-definition of property titles which do not result in economic interactions being trust-building.
Kevin discusses legislation such as For the People Act of 2019 as a possible remedy to polarization. This specific Act contained legal rulings on automatic voter registration, delays in joining the private sector, and divestment requirements. It is available for reading on the United States’ Congress website at this link.

Sabine El-Chidiac — What Helps Refugees Succeed?

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home.

References from Episode 68 with Sabine El Chidiac

You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options here
The Government of Canada’s website contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrants are admitted into Canada.
Here is some more information about the express entry pathway.
As Sabine noted in the podcast, admission under the Provincial Nominee Program is dependent upon what the destination province deems to be their biggest occupational and employment goals and needs. This link provides a brief overview of the program and hyperlinks to province-specific guidelines.
You can read more about the UNHCR’s Refugee Status Designation process on their website here, as well as their procedural standards here.
This is the link to the Government of Canada’s guide to the private refugee sponsorship process.
Sabine mentioned the work of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to accommodate and build a community for refugees by performing fundraisers and food drives amongst the parishioners. You can read their mission statement on their website.
Sabine’s article, The success of the privately sponsored refugee system, discusses some of the themes from this podcast, such as the principle of civil society, and is available for reading on Policy Options.
Here is a link to the Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2016. It compares the outcomes, living standards, and satisfaction of government and privately sponsored Syrian refugees between 2015-2016.
This is a link to the joint statement to the UN General Assembly by the Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand speaking in favour of community-led sponsorship approaches that Alex briefly mentions on the podcast.
Here is a link to the official PSR cap published by the Government of Canada. Some examples of the lobbying against PSR caps include the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association.
Alex and Sabine discuss Danby Appliances’ CEO Jim Estill’s sponsorship and hiring of over fifty refugee families in Guelph, Ontario. You can read more about this in the article linked here.
On the podcast, Sabine shares the inspiring story coming out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia with regards to how the refugees who were once sponsored to the area eventually became systems of support for new incoming refugees. You can follow the community work for refugees in Haida Gwaii through one of their local newspaper’s website.

Tom Palmer — War, What Is It Good For?

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Tom Palmer as he explores the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war.

References from Episode 67 with Tom Palmer

Tom Palmer’s book, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Tom has additionally wrote and/or edited the following works:
The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You (link)
After the Welfare State (link)
Why Liberty (link)
Self-Control or State Control? You Decide (link)
Peace, Love, and Liberty - the basis of this episode from which many of quotes, interview references, and military case studies were selected (link)
Dignity and Democracy with co-author Matt Warner (publication coming out next year)
Erik Gartzke found that trading countries are less likely to war in his article, The Capitalist Peace, which is available online.
Tom’s Interview with a Businessman for Peace with Chris Rufer on peacemaking in business and trade, appears in Chapter 4 of Peace, Love, and Liberty.
Frédéric Bastiat’s was an economist and peace advocate who argued the costs of long-term consumption from tax-produced weaponry in his book, That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, which can be read on the Mises Institute’s website.
Robert Higgs’ article, Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s, (featured in The Journal of Economic History) clarified how productive efforts in jeeps and vans shipped to other countries do not constitute economic benefit due to the lack of private vehicle production. This article can be accessed here through an active JSTOR account or your educational institution.
Tom’s essay, Peace is a Choice, presents a case study on political science professor and former US government official Madeline Albright and her view of the exemplary nation and how professors have a tendency to think about wars differently than those who have witnessed them. This is a chapter in Peace, Love, and Liberty.
A transcript of Colin Powell’s infamous 2003 speech to the United Nations on the disarmament of Iraq which touches on themes of human lives and consequence can be read on The Washington Post archives.
Tom’s recommended two German novels of the Great War to enrich an understanding of war from different perspectives on anguish and glory, respectively: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque (link) and Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (link).
Parker Thomas Moon’s book, Imperialism and World Politics, highlights the devaluation of important political science questions when personal pronouns are employed during conflict. This book is available on Google Books at this link.
Joshua Greene’s book discussing our psychological propensities to cooperate and designate teams to destroy other groups, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them is available on Amazon Canada for purchase here.
Robert Musil’s book, The Man Without Qualities, explores how a nation exists to offset responsibilities without remorse and is available for purchase on Amazon at this link.
Samuel P. Huntington’s study, The Clash of Civilizations?, noting how much territory is under military control can be viewed at this link through an active JSTOR or partner institution account.
Tom cites Carl Schmitt and his theory on the irreconcilibity of conflicts as a foundation for solidarity in the podcast. An overview of Schmitt’s essential works was published by John P. McCormick from the University of Chicago in the Annual Review of Political Science at this link.
Chapter Five of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, covering the types of friendships human beings can have, was briefly mentioned on the podcast and can be read at this link courtesy of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences.
Ernesto Laclau emphasizes the importance of identifying the enemy for successful populist rhetoric in his book, On Populist Reason, available on Amazon Canada here.
George Orwell’s essay on how language can be operationalized to “obscure pure violence,” Politics and the English Language, can be accessed online at this link.

Virginia Postrel — How Do Textiles Shape Society?

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Virginia Postrel as she explores how her newest book traces how textiles shaped our modern societies.

References from Episode 66 with Virginia Postrel

Virgina Postrel is the author of The Power of Glamour: Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion; The Substance of Style: How The Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness; The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress, and The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, featuring the majority of this episode’s quotes and chapter references. All titles are available for order on Amazon (book titles are hyperlinked).
Steve Horwitz’s book, Hayek's Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions, commentates gender roles over time and can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
Virginia mention’s David Friedman’s study on Medieval Iceland’s cloth currency and can be read here.
John Styles, a historian of the industrial revolution, noted how Northern Italy outnumbered Lanarkshire’s water-powered factories in his work, Fashion, Textiles and the Origins of Industrial Revolution, available at this link.
You can learn more about the Caraglio silk-throwing mill in Piedmont, Italy that Virgina recommends in the podcast at this link.

Eric Merkley — Why Don't We Trust The Experts?

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Merkley as he explores the reasons why the public often mistrusts experts.

References from Episode 65 with Eric Merkley

Eric has a list of his publications on his website.
Alex references the following excerpts from Eric’s article “Anti-Intellectualism, Populism, and Motivated Resistance to Expert Consensus,” which can be accessed through an active account with Oxford Academic or your Institution at this link:
“… anti-intellectualism, the generalized mistrust and suspicion of intellectuals and experts...”
“Populism and anti-intellectualism have a complex relationship. They are connected to one another, but the latter should not be seen as a component of the former.”
Alex also references the following excerpts from Eric’s article “Are Experts (News)Worthy? Balance, Conflict, and Mass Media Coverage of Expert Consensus,” which can be accessed through an active account with Taylor and Francis Online or your Institution at this link:
“The fault for sharply diverging opinions between experts and the public may not entirely rest with citizens, however. Scholars must also be attentive to the political information environment – the information space used by citizens to learn about political issues – of which the news media is a critical part.”
“News coverage of expert consensus on general matters of policy is likely limited as a result of journalists’ emphasis in news production on novelty and drama at the expense of thematic context.”
Bill Clinton’s speech on American protectionism from the Washington Boeing Hangar is available for viewing on Youtube here.
More contextual information on the top-down model of attitude formation is available from this study published on the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health or this article by Ryan M. Stolier and Jonathan B. Freeman.
Martin A. Nie published an article on Bill Clinton and Al Gore’s relationship to the environment for Presidential Studies Quarterly, which can be accessed with an active JSTOR account here.
You can read Eric’s article, “The causes and consequences of COVID-19 misperceptions: understanding the role of news and social media,” that was featured on the Harvard Kennedy School’s Misinformation Review at this link. It discusses how social media is more responsible for misinformation than newsmedia (infodemic).

Bart Wilson — Is The Idea of Property Universal?

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Bart Wilson as he explores the natural tendencies of humans in relation to their views and attitudes on property.

References from Episode 64 with Bart Wilson

You can purchase Bart Wilson’s book, The Property Species: Mine, Yours, and The Human Mind on Amazon Canada.
Bart referenced a study by linguists Cliff Goddard and Anna Wierzbicka on the conceptual semantics of possession found in every language, which may be accessed through ScienceDirect at this link.
The full Bing episode, Not Yours, which demonstrates the morality of possession within children is available for viewing on Youtube.
Bart’s laboratory study, “Exchange and Specialization as a Discovery Process,” was co-authored with Sean Crockett and Vernon L. Smith and appeared in volume 119, issue 539 of The Economic Journal (2009). You can access an e-version of the article through Wiley Online Library.
In the podcast, Bart draws upon the whaling norms in the absence of formal sea jurisdictions featured in Robert C. Ellickson’s publication, Order without Law, and additionally informed one of his experiments’ testing for the rules of competition. Order without Law is available for purchase from the Harvard University Press’ website.
A PDF copy of The Case of the Swans that was briefly mentioned by Bart and contains the concept of “hath property in” is available for viewing on CommonLII here.
You can purchase the Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans study, The Semantics of English Propositions, from which Bart illustrates the lingual relationship between physical objects and functionality in the podcast directly from the publisher’s website.

Michael Strong — Can Entrepreneurship Solve The World's Problems?

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Michael Strong as he explores how entrepreneurship improves the lives of people all over the world.

References

1. “Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems” by Michael Strong and John Mackey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Be-Solution-Entrepreneurs-Conscious-Capitalists/dp/0470450037

2. “The Magic Washing Machine” video by Hans Rosling

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoKfap4g4w&ab_channel=TED

Cara Zwibel — Can We Maintain Civil Liberties During a Pandemic?

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Cara Zwibel as she offers her thoughts on whether we can maintain our civil liberties during an emergency like a pandemic, and how we can do so.

References from Episode 62 with Cara Zwibel

This is the website for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
The Government of Canada has sector and industry-specific guidelines in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be reviewed here.
You can refresh yourself on the articles of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the Canada Justice Laws Website.
You can read about the Government of Canada’s travel restrictions and position on face coverings (Note: provinces and territories may have varying mandatory rules on face coverings).
Provincial and territorial travel restrictions may be accessed through this official masterlist.
Taylor v. Her Majesty the Queen, 2020 NLSC 125 is the Newfoundland Court challenge pursued by the CCLA.
The transcript of Cara’s interview with The Halifax Examiner can be read here.
This is the CCLA’s letter to the Correctional Service of Canada outlining their concerns “regarding the health and well-being of the inmates and staff in Canada’s federal correctional institutions.”
A link to the CCLA’s press release on their mission to support Toronto’s homeless population can be accessed here.

Bryan Caplan — What's a University Degree Worth?

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Bryan Caplan about the value of a formal education, and compares the alleged benefits against the reality.

References from Episode 61 with Bryan Caplan

You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s New York Times best-seller, The Myth of the Rational Voter from Amazon Canada at this link. His other publications include Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids (book), The Case Against Education (the book upon which this episode was based), and Open Borders (graphic novel).
This is an outline of Bryan’s upcoming work on Poverty: Who to Blame.
You can refer to a breakdown of Bryan’s study of the Economic Models of Education, where he operationalizes his definition of “human capital purism” here.
Bryan builds off of Michael Spence’s work on signaling. One of Michael’s publications, Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets, can be accessed with an active JSTOR account.
Bryan briefly uses the term Catch-22 that was coined by Joseph Heller’s novel of the same name, which can be purchased through Amazon Canada.
There is a reference to the Indian caste system when Bryan was comparing the inclinations of degree-bearers to marry those who have a degree at a similar level. A thorough study of the sociopolitics of identity and status under the Indian caste system may be read here.
While discussing how to discipline thinking about the intelligent life in the universe, Bryan references the Drake Equation whose analysis by Leonor Sierra (University of Rochester) can be reviewed on NASA’s website.
The Corporate Finance Institute published a rundown on the meaning of “austerity,” which can be read here.
You can watch The Pianist, which Bryan references while forecasting relevancies in employer consideration, on Amazon Prime.

Eric Schliesser — What Is Neoliberalism?

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today.

References from episode 60 with Eric Schliesser

Here is a list of Eric Schliesser’s publications.
Dr. Karen Horn and Dr. Stefan Kolev’s joint work, entitled Economic Thinking, has a German version available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
Walter Lippmann’s book, The Good Society, which went on to become an international hit as for “its insight of neoliberalism as the intellectual status quo in the 19th century” can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Marxist Scholar David Harvey’s book, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, where he equated neoliberalism “to everything he hated about capitalism” is available on Amazon Canada at this link.
Mishel Foucault’s lecture series where he traced the history of neoliberalism from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries was published as The Birth of Biopolitics, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Mark Buchanan’s article Wealth Happens analyzes the the “butchers and bakers” quote that was mentioned in passing by Alex Aragona at this online publishing from The Harvard Business Review.
Milton Friedman’s article, Laws That Do Harm, is available for viewing at the Center of the American Experiment’s blog, which features the quote to “judge public policies by their results, not their intentions.”
According to Eric Schliesser, the harm principle is a core liberal value and can be extended to markets. You can read about the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s lesson on John Stuart Mill’s version of the harm principle (Chapter 3.6) here.
You can read Milton Friedman’s The Basic Principles of Liberalism here.
You can watch Milton Friedman speak about the enemies of markets on the American Enterprise Institute’s website at this link.
The Elgar Companian to the Chicago School of Economics can be purchased directly from the publishers here.
Alex Aragona quotes this blogpost, How ‘Neoliberalism’ came to refer to Everything I reject from Digressions&Impressions.

Lynne Kiesling — Can Markets Restructure Energy?

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Lynne Kiesling as she explores the current structure of energy systems and delivery, and how they can be restructured in more market-oriented ways.

References from Episode 59 with Lynne Kiesling

You can buy Lynne Kiesling’s book, Deregulation, Innovation and Market Liberalization: Electricity Regulation in a Continually Evolving Environment, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can read more about Ben Franklin’s famous Kite-in-a-Thunderstorm Experiment that was briefly mentioned by Lynne here.
Paul M. Sweezy’s analysis of Schumpeter’s Theory of Innovation may be accessed through an active account with the JSTOR database.
Adam Smith’s law of mutually-beneficial commerce and exchange was introduced in his book, The Wealth of Nations, whose Second Part has been summarized in a module by the Cato Institute here. An in-depth explanation of Adam Smith’s benefits of free trade and commercial society may be read here.
You can read Israel M. Kirzner’s article on Hayek and the Meaning of Subjectivism here.

Matt Ridley — How Does Innovation Flourish?

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Matt Ridley as he explores the nature of innovation and the conditions that enable it to flourish.

References

1. Mind & Matter Column, Wall Street Journal

Link: https://www.wsj.com/news/types/mind-matter

2. “How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/How-Innovation-Works-Flourishes-Freedom/dp/0062916599

3. “Northumberlandia” by The Gardens Trust

Link: https://thegardenstrust.blog/2015/08/15/northumberlandia/

4. “Thomas Newcomen” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Newcomen

5. “George Stephenson” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Stephenson

6. “The Wright Brothers” by the National Air and Space Museum

Link: https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/wright-brothers

7. “How Mary Wortley Montagu’s bold experiment led to smallpox vaccine - 75 years before Jenner” by The Guardian

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/28/how-mary-wortley-montagus-bold-experiment-led-to-smallpox-vaccine-75-years-before-jenner

8. “Charles Hard Townes” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Hard-Townes

9. “Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Historic Interview”

Link: https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/steve-jobs-and-bill-gates-historic-interview-15-minutes-750k-views/#:~:text=Steve%20Jobs%20and%20Bill%20Gates%20appeared%20together%20for%20a%20rare,Walt%20Mossberg%20and%20Kara%20Swisher.

10. “Samuel F.B. Morse” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-F-B-Morse

Terry Anderson — How Can We Unlock The Wealth of Indigenous Nations?

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Terry Anderson as he explores the external forces that have restrained the wealth and well-being of Indigenous peoples in the West, and how that wealth can be unlocked.

References

1. “Free Market Environmentalism for the Next Generation” by Terry L. Anderson and Donald R. Leal

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Market-Environmentalism-Generation-Anderson-Paperback/dp/B010CKSG1M

2. “Unlocking the Wealth of Indian Nations” by Terry Anderson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Unlocking-Wealth-Indian-Nations-Anderson/dp/1498525679

3. Indigenous Econ Organization Website

Link: https://indigenousecon.org/about

4. “American-Indian Wars” by History.com

Link: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/american-indian-wars

5. “Civil War” by the National Museum of the American Indian

Link: https://americanindian.si.edu/static/why-we-serve/topics/civil-war/#:~:text=The%20war%20exacted%20a%20terrible,less%20secure%20after%20the%20war.

6. “The Cherokee Nation Cases” by the Supreme Court Historical Society

Link: https://civics.supremecourthistory.org/article/the-cherokee-nation-cases/

7. “Potlatch Ban” by Living Tradition

Link: https://umistapotlatch.ca/potlatch_interdire-potlatch_ban-eng.php#:~:text=In%20the%20late%201800s%2C%20the,became%20law%20January%201%2C%201885

8. “Northern Cheyenne Tribe: Traditional Law and Constitutional Reform” by Sheldon Spotted Elk

Link: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&context=tlj

9. “Our Story: A History of Resilience and Perseverance” by Coushatta.org

Link: https://www.coushatta.org/our-story/

Diana Thomas — Why Is Childcare So Expensive?

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Diana Thomas as she explores the factors that play into increasing childcare costs, and some potential solutions to the problem.

References

1. “Regulation and the Cost of Childcare” by Diana Thomas and Devon Gorry

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/students/research/working-papers/regulation-and-cost-child-care

2. Child Care Aware of America

Link: https://www.childcareaware.org/

Vincent Geloso — Are Anarcho-Capitalists Insane?

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Vincent Geloso as he explores anarcho-capitalist economic concepts and whether there are real life examples to back them up.

References

1. Vincent’s Previous Episode “Should We Care About Equality” on The Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-28-vincent-geloso-%e2%80%94-should-we-care-about-inequality/

2. “Private Creation and Enforcement of Law: A Historical Case” by David Friedman

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/724116?seq=1

3. “Are Anarcho-Capitalists Insane? Living Standards under Medieval Icelandic Conflict Institutions” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://vincentgeloso.com/2020/04/06/are-anarcho-capitalists-insane-medieval-icelandic-living-standards-in-comparative-perspective/

4. “Trade or Raid: Acadian Settlers and Native Indians Before 1755” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://vincentgeloso.com/2017/08/28/trade-or-raid-acadian-settlers-and-native-indians-before-1755/

5. “Dynamics of Interventionism and Economic Development in Quebec before 1854” by Vincent Geloso

Link: https://ebhsoc.org/journal/index.php/ebhs/article/view/313

6. “State Capacity and Economic Development: Causal Mechanism or Correlative Filter?” by Vincent Geloso and Alexander Salter

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3294086

Dan Griswold — Can You Win a Trade War?

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Dan Griswold as he explores the benefits of open markets and free trade, and whether you can "win" a trade war.

References

1. “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Mad-About-Trade-America-Globalization/dp/193530819X

2. “Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Steel on U.S. National Security” by U.S Department of Commerce

Link: https://www.commerce.gov/issues/trade-enforcement/section-232-steel

3. “China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusions Process” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/tariff-actions

4. “Only Congress can end the China trade war quagmire” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/expert-commentary/only-congress-can-end-china-trade-war-quagmire

5. “The Coronavirus Should Not Prompt Us to Rethink Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-coronavirus-should-not-prompt-us-to-rethink-globalization

6. “Daniel Griswold: Curbing globalization would compound coronavirus damage” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/13/daniel-griswold-curbing-globalization-would-compound-coronavirus-damage/

7. “Daniel Griswold on US Demographic Decline and the Case for Expanding Immigration” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/macro-musings/daniel-griswold-us-demographic-decline-and-case-expanding-immigration

8. “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy” by Douglas Irwin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Clashing-over-Commerce-History-Policy/dp/022639896X

9. “Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - A Global Call to Action” by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Death-China-Confronting-Dragon-paperback/dp/0134319036

10. “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement

Kerry McDonald — Do We Need Schooling Alternatives?

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Author of 'Unschooled' Kerry McDonald joins Alex Aragona to talk about how choice in education can allow children to lead happier and more fulfilled lives, and the positive impacts of taking education outside the conventional classroom.

References from Episode 53 with Kerry McDonald:

You can buy Kerry McDonald’s book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can buy Noam Chomsky’s book, Chomsky on Mis-Education, which Alex references in the podcast, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can read more about Timothy Layton’s Harvard study on the mental effects of younger children starting school on the Harvard Gazette here.
You can read more about the Vanderbilt study on the correlation between youth suicide attempts and the academic year at this link.
You can read more about the Yale research study on the dissatisfaction of children in high school here.
You can read Kerry McDonald’s Fee.org article on parents favouring homeschooling in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic here.

Nimish Adhia — Did Bollywood Liberalize India?

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Nimish Adhia as he explores how Bollywood films traced cultural changes in India, and how the films themselves directly affect social attitudes.

References from Episode 52 with Nimish Adhia:

You can read Nimish Adhia’s paper “The role of ideological change in India’s economic liberalization”, which is referenced throughout the podcast, at this link
You can read more about the Hindi film Mother India (1957) here
You can read the Eastern Eye op-ed “Did Bollywood write the script for the Indian economic miracle?” by Raj Persaud at this link
Nimish’s Bollywood film recommendations:
- - Upkar (1967), directed by Manoj Kumar
  - Guru (2007), directed and written by Mani Ratnam

Malcolm Lavoie — Why Are Property Rights So Important?

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Malcolm Lavoie about the importance of property rights to decentralization and the use of resources, and discusses how FA Hayek's work plays a part in understanding this connection.

References from Episode 51 with Malcolm Lavoie:

You can read Malcolm Lavoie’s paper “Property and Local Knowledge”, which is referenced throughout the podcast, at this link.
You can read FA Hayek’s essay “The Use of Knowledge in Society” on EconLib here
You can purchase FA Hayek’s book, Law, Legislation, and Liberty, on Amazon Canada at this link.

Linda Kavuka — How Do Free Markets Help Africa?

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Linda Kavuka as she explores why it's so important to rediscover Africa's free-market past, and how the ideas surrounding free markets can help remedy the problems facing many African countries.

References from Episode 50 with Linda Kavuka:

You can read Linda Kavuka’s Telegraph article on Africa and access to the free market referenced in the podcast here
You can watch Linda Kavuka’s talk on the impact of colonialism on property rights in Africa, referenced in the podcast here

Fabio Rojas — What Happened to the Anti-War Movement?

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Fabio Rojas as he traces the history of the post 9/11 anti-war movement and what caused it to lose momentum.

References from Episode 49 with Fabio Rojas:

You can purchase Fabio Rojas’ book, From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can buy Fabio Rojas’ book, Party in the Street: The Antiwar Movement and the Democratic Party After 9/11, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can purchase Fabio Rojas’ book, Theory for the Working Sociologist, on Amazon Canada here.
You can read the transcript of Barack Obama’s 2002 speech against the Iraq War, which Fabio refers to in the podcast, here

Travis Smith — Why Are Superheroes So Popular?

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona nerds out with Travis Smith as they discuss his book 'Superhero Ethics', why superheroes are so popular, and the ten ways superheros save the world.

References from Episode 48 with Travis Smith:

You can purchase Travis Smith’s book Superhero Ethics: 10 Comic Book Heroes; 10 Ways to Save the World; Which One Do We Need Most Now? on Amazon Canada at this link
You can watch the trailer for Watchmen, the American superhero drama limited television series Alex mentions in the podcast here.

Ilya Somin — Can You Vote With Your Feet?

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Ilya Somin as he explores how you can vote with your feet and if it is effective.

References from Episode 47 with Ilya Somin:

You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter, on Amazon Canada at this link
You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, The Grasping Hand: “Kelo V. City of New London” and the Limits of Eminent Domain, on Amazon Canada at this link
You can purchase Illya Somin’s book, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom, on Amazon Canada at this link

Dennis Rasmussen — How Did A Friendship Shape Modern Thought?

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen as he traces the friendship between Adam Smith and David Hume, and how it helped shaped modern thought.

References from Episode 46 with Dennis Rasmussen:

You can purchase Dennis Rasmussen’s book, The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can purchase David Hume’s book, A Treatise of Human Nature, on Amazon Canada at this link
You can read Adam Smith’s book, A Theory on Moral Sentiments, for free on the Online Library of Liberty at this link.
You can purchase David Hume’s book, Dialogue Concerning Natural Religion, on Amazon Canada at this link
You can read Adam Smith’s book, The Wealth of Nations, for free on The Library of Economics and Liberty here.
You can read David Hume’s essay, Of Refinement in the Arts, for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty at this link.
You can read Adam Smith’s publication of Letter from Adam Smith, L.L.D. to William Strahan for free on The Liberty of Economics and Liberty here.

Steve Davies — What Happens After The Pandemic?

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Davies as he explores what he thinks life after the pandemic will look like, including our relationship with the welfare state.

References from Episode 45 with Steve Davies:

You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, Empiricism and History, at Amazon at this link
You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity, at Amazon at this link
You can purchase Steve Davies’ book, The Economics and Politics of Brexit: The Realignment of British Public Life, at Amazon at this link
You can read Steve Davies’ article on What History Teaches Us About the Coronavirus Pandemic here
You can read more about Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s argument on news sensationalization that Steve Davies mentions at this link.
Steve Davies talks about the Bathtub Fallacy here
You can read Steve Davie’s briefing paper on C-19: Redefining the State of Welfare here

Shikha Dalmia — How Are Indian Immigrants Saving Canadian Hockey?

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona talks with Shikha Sood Dalmia as she explores the story of a Sikh-Canadian broadcaster's rise to fame, and what stories like these mean for the broader immigrant community when it comes to joining, and changing, the world around them.

References from Episode 44 with Shikha Dalmia:

You can read Shikha Dalmia’s original Reason article about this topic at this link

Ben Perrin — What's the Solution to the Opioid Crisis?

Wed, 27 May 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Ben Perrin as he explores the causes of, and solutions to, the opioid crisis in Canada and the United States.

References from Episode 43 with Ben Perrin:

You can purchase Ben Perrin’s new book Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis at Amazon Canada at this link
You can listen to the episode of The Curious Task that Alex mentioned that features Trevor Burrus at this link

Sarah Skwire — Why Should Women Care About Economic Freedom?

Wed, 20 May 2020 05:30:00 -0400

Everyone should care about economic freedom. But why is economic freedom especially relevant for women? Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Skwire as she explores why economic freedom has been, and is, important for women to cherish and defend.

References from Episode 42 with Sarah Skwire:

You can check out Adam Smith Works here
You can purchase Sarah’s article on Margaret Fell here
You can read Sarah Skwire’s article on How the State Became the American Woman’s Real Enemy here
Sarah Skwire talks about Round About a Pound a Week here
Sarah Skwire talks about Roast Beef, Medium here

Russ Roberts — How Can Adam Smith Change Your Life?

Wed, 13 May 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Russ Roberts as he talks about the ways in which the ideas of Adam Smith can change your life, even so many years later.

References from Episode 41 with Russ Roberts

You can purchase Russ Roberts’ book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life at Amazon Canada here
You can read the Theory of Moral Sentiments for free on the Online Library of Liberty here

Pete Boettke — What Is The Curious Task of Economics?

Wed, 06 May 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona chats with Pete Boettke as he dives into what the curious task of economics is and relates it back to the work of Friedrich Hayek.

References from Episode 40 with Pete Boettke

You can purchase Pete Boettke’s book on F.A. Hayek on Amazon Canada here
Check out Pete Boettke’s economics blog here

Mike Munger — Is Price Gouging Wrong?

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Mike Munger as he explores what's truly happening when we see rapid price changes during a crisis, and whether suppliers raising their prices in a time of crisis is wrong.

References

1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739

2. “Three Undeniable Problems with Anti-Gouging Laws” by Michael Munger

Link: https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-undeniable-problems-with-anti-gouging-laws/

David Clement — Is Marijuana Legalization Working?

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex speaks with the Consumer Choice Centre's David Clement about why Canada's marijuana legalization regulations missed the mark, and what government could have done to make legalization work.

References from Episode 38 with David Clement:

Here are a few articles by David Clement on marijuana legalization

Globe and Mail: Ottawa is baking a bitter taste into its rules around edibles
Globe and Mail: Minor changes could have a major positive impact on Ontario’s cannabis plan
Globe and Mail: Health Canada shows again that it can’t properly regulate cannabis
Globe and Mail: Consumers are paying for government’s failure to understand cannabis
Globe and Mail: Are excise taxes killing the cannabis industry?
Globe and Mail: Quick and smart fixes for Canada’s cannabis mess
Globe and Mail: Ontario Cannabis Lottery was a disaster. It should be the last
National Post: Ontario delivers yet another cannabis decision that hurts retailers and helps illegal dealers
National Post: Ottawa’s latest rules risk ruining cannabis-infused beverages before they’re even legal
National Post: Liberals are blowing smoke with claim that they’ve wiped out half of the illicit market
Toronto Star: Banning cannabis at local level is bad policy

Ray Pennings — Does School Choice Work?

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona chats with Cardus' Ray Pennings as he explores the benefits of more school choice to both students and society, and look at some data to see if, and how, it works.

References from Episode 37 with Ray Pennings:

You can check out the Canadian Cardus Survey here
You can read the U.S. Cardus Education Survey 2018 here
You can read the Cardus survey on Who Chooses Ontario Independent Schools and Why here

Jason Brennan — Why Not Capitalism?

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona chats with Jason Brennan's about his response to G.A. Cohen's book and question "Why Not Socialism?" and his thoughts on ideal capitalism.

References from Episode 36 with Jason Brennan:

You can purchase Jason Brennan’s book Why Not Capitalism on Amazon Canada here

Jesse Walker — Did We Really Go to The Moon? (April Fool's Day Episode)

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jesse Walker as they explore whether a human being truly set foot on the moon.

References

1. “Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America” by Jesse Walker

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rebels-Air-Alternative-History-America/dp/0814793827

2. “The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory” by Jesse Walker

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/United-States-Paranoia-Conspiracy-Theory/dp/0062135562

Matt Bufton — Are There Libertarians in a Pandemic?

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Matt Bufton talks with Alex Aragona about the effects the response to COVID-19 will have on freedom, the proper government response to a pandemic, how lifting certain regulations can help, and more.

References from Episode 34 with Matt Bufton:

You can read the Atlantic article referenced in the podcast here
You can read more about hand sanitizer regulations being relaxed here
Check out more information on the Mercatus COVID-19 Innovation Prizes here

Scott Beyer — What is Market Urbanism?

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Scott Beyer as he explores the basic tenets of market urbanism and the ideas behind market driven solutions to problems in our communities.

References from Episode 33 with Scott Beyer:

You can check out Scott’s website The Market Urbanism Report here
You can check out the popular Market Urbanism Report Facebook page here

Jason Sorens — Could Alberta Leave Canada?

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 05:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Sorens as he explores what it takes for a group to secede or gain independence from a state, and whether Alberta could leave Canada.

References from Episode 32 with Jason Sorens:

You can purchase Jason Sorens’ book on Secessionism on Amazon Canada here
You can listen to Jason Sorens’ appearance on the Danielle Smith show in Alberta here

Chris Freiman — Is it Okay to Ignore Politics?

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics.

References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman:

You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out here
You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog here
You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ on Amazon Canada here

Adam Bartha — Is Populism a Threat to Liberalism?

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona and Adam Bartha discuss whether populism is a threat to liberalism and what political landscapes look like after political realignment.

References from Episode 30 with Adam Bartha:

You can read Adam’s article referenced in this episode here
You can read Dr. Steven Davies’ article on The Great Realignment here

Jacob Levy — How Should Liberals Think of Civil Society?

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Jacob Levy speaks with Alex about how liberals should approach the ideas of freedom of association and civil society, and what that means for the way groups interact with other groups and the state.

References from Episode 29 with Jacob Levy:

You can purchase Jacob Levy’s book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom on Amazon Canada here
You can purchase the book Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott, which was mentioned by Jacob on the podcast, at Amazon Canada here

Vincent Geloso — Should We Care About Inequality?

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with economist Vincent Geloso about whether we should care about inequality, and how we should approach measuring and understanding it.

References from Episode 28 with Vincent Geloso:

For further reading, you can check out this paper written by Vincent Geloso and Steve Horwitz, one of our other previous podcast guests, here

Trevor Burrus — How Has The Drug War Failed?

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society.

References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus:

You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor here

Kevin Vallier — Must Politics Be War?

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more.

References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier:

You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War here
You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here
You can purchase From Politics to the Pews here

Glenn Fox — Is Free Market Environmentalism an Oxymoron?

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction.

References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox:

If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article here
You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty here

Sandy Ikeda — Why Can't a City Be a Work of Art?

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art.

References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda

You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website here
Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here
Sandy appears in the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, you can find it on all online rental platforms, but Canadian who subscribe to Crave can find it here
You can purchase a copy of Jane Jacob’s popular book Death and Life of Great American Cities on Amazon Canada here

Mike Munger — Is Capitalism Sustainable?

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it.

References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger

You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada here
You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada here

Matt Bufton — What is the Future of Liberalism?

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!).

References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton

Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle
Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two
You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada here
You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellectuals and Socialism here

Alex Tabarrok — Is Giving Gifts Inefficient?

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others.

References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok

You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving here
Giving to my Wild Self article can be found here

James Stacey Taylor — Should People Be Allowed to Sell Their Organs?

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with James Stacey Taylor as he makes the case for a market for organs.

References from Episode 20 with James Stacey Taylor

You can purchase James Stacey Taylor’s book Stakes and Kidneys in Amazon Canada here

Lauren Hall — What's Wrong With Modern Healthcare?

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies.

References from Episode 19 with Lauren Hall:

You can read more from Lauren Hall on the subject of rights violations in delivery rooms here

Alex Nowrasteh — Is Immigration Important to a Free Society?

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh about why immigration is important to a free society, and the common misconceptions some people have that keep them from being more open to immigration.

References from Episode 18 with Alex Nowrasteh:

You can read Alex Nowrasteh’s studies and commentaries on his page at the Cato Institute’s website
Check out Jens Hainmueller’s paper on cultural anxiety and immigration here
Read Alex’s thoughts on the paper on perceptions of chaos by Allison Harell, Stuart Soroka, and Shanto Iyengar here

Sarah Burns — Is American Foreign Policy Broken?

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Burns about whether American foreign policy is broken as a result of a breakdown of the separation, and increased centralization, of power.

References from Episode 17 with Sarah Burns:

You can buy Sarah Burns’ book The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism here on Amazon Canada

Alain Bertaud — Who Knows Best About Planning a City?

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona chats with Alain Bertaud as he shares his thoughts on how cities truly flourish and how urban planners should approach their role.

References from Episode 16 with Alain Bertaud:

You can buy Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities here on Amazon Canada

Jen Dirmeyer — What Do Markets Do For Us?

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives.

References

1. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek

Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf

Steve Horwitz — How Has Capitalism Helped Create The Modern Family?

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores how the evolution of capitalism also shaped the modern family.

References

1. “Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions” by Steve Horwitz

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Modern-Family-Liberalism-Institutions/dp/1137448229

Abigail Hall — How Does Foreign Policy Create a Boomerang Effect at Home?

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Abigail Hall as she describes how various elements of United States foreign policy ultimately come back home from abroad and affect domestic life.

References

1. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Abigail Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272

2. “Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest (2014-2015)” by BlackPast

Link: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015/

3. “Timeline: What Happened at the Boston Marathon Bombing” by Patrick J. Kiger

Link: https://www.history.com/news/boston-marathon-bombing-timeline

4. “The Spanish-American War in the Phillippines and the Battle for Manila” by American Experience

Link: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/macarthur-spanish-american-war-philippines-and-battle-for-manila/

5. “August Vollmar” by O.W. Wilson

Link: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4112&context=jclc

6. “Watts Riots of 1965” by Britannica

Link: https://prabook.com/web/john.nelson/2226689

7. “SWAT - America’s Specialty Peacekeepers” by Joel F. Shults

Link: https://nationalpolice.org/main/swat-americas-specialty-peace-keepers/

8. “Daryl F. Gates dies at 83; innovative but controversial chief of LAPD” by Elaine Woo and Eric Malnic

Link: https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-daryl-gates17-2010apr17-story.html

9. “1033 Program FAQs” by Defense Logistic Agency

Link: https://www.dla.mil/Disposition-Services/Offers/Law-Enforcement/Program-FAQs/

10. “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Force” by Radley Balko

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577

11. "The Burge Case" by Chicago Torture Justice Memorial

Link: https://chicagotorture.org/reparations/history/

Jason Kuznicki — What Is Government For?

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Kuznicki as he explores some history on how intellectuals viewed the state, and how we should view the state.

References from Episode 12 with Jason Kuznicki:

You can buy Jason Kuznicki’s book Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For? here on Amazon Canada

Sigal Ben-Porath — How Can Speech Be Protected on Campus?

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Sigal Ben-Porath as she details her perspective on campus free speech issues.

References

1. “Free Speech on Campus” by Sigal Ben-Porath

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Speech-Campus-Sigal-Ben-Porath/dp/0812250079

Chris Freiman — Do People Have the Right to Immigrate?

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Chris Freiman as he shares his thoughts on whether people have the right to immigrate.

References

1. Christopher Freiman’s Articles, Bleeding Heart Libertarianism

Link: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/author/christopher-freiman/

2. “A Defense of Open Borders” by Christopher Freiman

Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-93907-0_13

3. “Liberalism or Immigration Restriction, But Not Both” by Chris Freiman and Javier Hidalgo

Link: https://cafreiman.people.wm.edu/Site/Papers_files/Freiman%20and%20Hidalgo%20-%20Liberalism%20or%20Immigration%20Restrictions,%20But%20Not%20Both%20%28Preprint%29.pdf

Jessica Flanigan — Should We Legalize All Drugs?

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Jessica Flanigan as she explores whether all drugs should be legalized.

References

1. “Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate” by Jessica Flanigan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Pharmaceutical-Freedom-Patients-Right-Medicate/dp/0190684542

Andrew Work — Has The Extradition Law Conflict Pushed Hong Kong Toward a More Liberal Environment?

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona speaks with Hongkonger Andrew Work. Relying on his first-hand experience with the Hong Kong extradition law protests, he explores whether recent political tensions have pushed Hong Kong toward a more liberal environment.

References

1. Lion Rock Institute

Link: https://www.lionrockinstitute.org/en/

2. “What was Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ movement all about? By Reuters

Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/what-was-hong-kongs-occupy-movement-all-about-idUSKCN1S005M/

3. “Government Structure” by GovHK

Link: https://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govstructure.htm

4. “Carrie Lam” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carrie-Lam

5. “Hong Kong-China Extradition Plans Explained” by Jeff Li

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47810723

Eric Mack — Why Not Socialism?

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona asks Eric Mack to explore his views on what socialism is and if it's the answer to the problems proponents say it can solve.

References

1. “John Locke” by Eric Mack

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/John-Locke-Eric-Mack/dp/0826429815

2. “Libertarianism” by Eric Mack

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertarianism-Eric-Mack/dp/1509519297

3. “The Essential John Locke (Essential Scholars)” by Eric Mack

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Essential-John-Locke-Scholars-ebook/dp/B0861HV225

4. “The Road to Serfdom: Texts and Documents – The Definitive Edition” by F.A. Hayek and Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Documents-Definitive-Collected/dp/0226320553

5. “Democratic Socialists of America”

Link: https://www.dsausa.org/

6. “Ludwig Von Mises: Early Life, Economic Views, Theories” by Investopedia

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/ludwig-von-mises.asp#:~:text=Ludwig%20von%20Mises%20argued%20against,wealth%20and%20capital%20over%20time.

7. “Why Not Socialism” by G.A. Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Not-Socialism-G-Cohen/dp/0691143617

Paul Robinson — Does Military Intervention Work?

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona chats with Paul Robinson as he offers his thoughts on whether or not military intervention works (and explores what is meant by "works").

References

1. IRRUSIANALITY

Link: https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/

Pierre Desrochers & Joanna Szurmak — Is Overpopulation Hurting the Planet?

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona chats with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak as they explore whether or not an increasing population necessarily harms the planet.

References from Episode 5 with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak:

You can purchase Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak’s book Population Bombed!: Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change on Amazon Canada at this link.
You can read Thomas Malthus’ book An Essay on the Principle of Population here.
You can read Garrett Hardin’s article Lifeboat Ethics here.
You can read Matt Ridley’s article How Technology Evolves here.
You can purchase the book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund on Amazon Canada at this link.

James Harrigan — Can We Have Principled Politicians?

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona asks James Harrigan to explore his thoughts on whether or not we can have principled politicians that represent us.

References from Episode 4 with James Harrigan:

You can read more about James Madison’s thoughts on the importance of checks and balances, which James Harrigan refers to during the podcast, at this link.
You can read The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison for free on the online Library of Congress here.
Herbert Croly’s book The Promise of American Life that James mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here.
You can read more about Modern Monetary Theory here.

Jacob Levy — Does a Liberal Society Need to be Democratic?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 11:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona and Jacob Levy explore Jacob's belief on whether or not a liberal society requires democratic institutions.

References from Episode 3 with Jacob T. Levy:

Check out the article Political Libertarianism by Jacob T. Levy here
Buy the book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob T. Levy here

Peter Jaworski — Should Markets Have Limits?

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 13:00:00 -0400

Alex Aragona and Peter Jaworski explore Peter's perspective on what the limits of markets should be. The conversation also explores the ethics surrounding paid blood and plasma donations.

References from Episode 2 with Peter Jaworski:

Buy the book Markets Without Limits here
Check out the Donation Ethics website here

Nigel Ashford — What is Classical Liberalism?

Sun, 28 Jul 2019 20:30:58 -0400

Alex Aragona and Nigel Ashford explore what Nigel considers to be the basic tenets of classical liberalism.

References from Episode 1 with Nigel Ashford:

More on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case at https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-111_j4el.pdf
Read up on the Doing Business Index rankings at https://www.doingbusiness.org/en/rankingshere
Read On Liberty by John Stuart Mill at https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/mill/liberty.pdf