Free Thoughts

Libertarianism.org•www.libertarianism.org

A weekly show about politics and liberty, featuring conversations with top scholars, philosophers, historians, economists, and public policy experts. Hosted by Trevor Burrus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last refreshed: July 17th, 2025 at 1:22 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Coming Soon: The Liberty Exchange

Coming soon, a brand new podcast from Libertarianism.org... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 02, 2023•3 min

Fighting Government Secrecy (with Patrick Eddington)

The Jones Act biases American shippers and shipbuilders at the expense of international competition, passing higher prices onto consumers and kneecapping free trade. The Cato Institute (and others) have been urging the government to reform this protectionist policy for several years now. But new findings prompt us to ask; how could such an ordinary task for a think tank constitute treason? Cato Institute Senior Fellow Patrick Eddington joins Trevor today to explain how the Freedom of Information...

Oct 21, 2022•53 min

When Is Democracy Undemocratic? (with Emily B. Finley)

The rise of global populism reveals a tension in Western thinking about democracy. Warnings about the "populist threat" to democracy and "authoritarian" populism are now commonplace. However, as Emily B. Finley argues in The Ideology of Democratism , dismissing "populism" as anti-democratic is highly problematic. In effect, such arguments essentially reject the actual popular will in favor of a purely theoretical and abstract "will of the people." On today’s episode, Emily Finley and Trevor sit ...

Oct 14, 2022•46 min

Floods, Nuclear Power, and Wages (with Peter Van Doren)

The illustrious, ingenious, notorious PVD is back with us once again. Today, he and Trevor sit down to discuss dilemmas of flood damages following Hurricane Ian, the viability of subsidies for nuclear energy, and minimum wage increase’s effects on workers’ wages. Peter references the following: The National Flood Insurance Program: Solving Congress’s Samaritan’s Dilemma by Peter Van Doren Hurricane Ian’s Toll Is Severe. Lack of Insurance Will Make It Worse. Subsidies to Nuclear Power in the Infl...

Oct 07, 2022•50 min

How the 14th Amendment Changed America (with Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick)

Adopted in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment profoundly changed the Constitution, giving the federal judiciary and Congress new powers to protect the fundamental rights of individuals from being violated by the states. Yet, according to Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick in their new book The Original Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment: Its Letter and Spirit , the Supreme Court has long misunderstood or ignored the original meaning of the amendment’s key clauses, covering the privileges and immunities...

Sep 30, 2022•52 min

Free Market: The History of an Idea (with Jacob Soll)

After two government bailouts of the US economy in less than twenty years, free market ideology is due for serious reappraisal. In his new book Free Market: The History of an Idea , MacArthur Fellow and USC professor Jacob Soll details how we got to this current crisis, and how we can find our way out by looking to earlier iterations of free market thought. He helps us answer questions such as; what role did early market theorists believe that states had in building and maintaining free markets?...

Sep 23, 2022•56 min

Can Public Schools Work? (with Neal McCluskey)

American public schooling was established to unify diverse people and prepare citizens for democracy. Intuitively, it would teach diverse people the same values, preferably in the same buildings, with the goal that they will learn to get along and uphold government by the people. But intuition can be wrong; significant evidence suggests that public schools have not brought diverse people together, whether from legally mandated racial segregation, espousing values many people could not accept, or...

Sep 16, 2022•53 min

Why More People Means More Wealth (with Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley)

Generations of people have been taught that population growth makes resources scarcer. In 2021, for example, one widely publicized report argued, “The world's rapidly growing population is consuming the planet's natural resources at an alarming rate . . . the world currently needs 1.6 Earths to satisfy the demand for natural resources . . . [a figure that] could rise to 2 planets by 2030.” But is that true? Today’s guests, Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley, authors of the new book Superabundance: The ...

Sep 09, 2022•53 min

Racial Classification in America (with David Bernstein)

Americans are understandably squeamish about official racial and ethnic classifications. Nevertheless, they are ubiquitous in American life. Applying for a job, mortgage, university admission, citizenship, government contracts, and much more involves checking a box stating whether one is Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American. David Bernstein’s new book, Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America , attempts to illuminate these “crude classifications”, showing how...

Sep 02, 2022•51 min

The Statrix: How Government Warps Our Perception of the World (Rerun)

We’re taking a break this week, but in the meantime, enjoy this treasure from the Free Thoughts vault where Trevor explains the “ Statrix”, how government warps our perception of the world around us, and how it disproportionately affects the poor. Trevor mentions the recent spate of track problems and fires that have been plaguing Washington D.C.‘s metro system, which led to the creation of this website, ismetroonfire.com . He also explains this song by the Kingston Trio, which was meant to a pr...

Aug 26, 2022•56 min

Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the Drug War (with Johann Hari)

We’re taking a break this week, but in the meantime, enjoy this treasure from the Free Thoughts vault with writer and journalist Johann Hari to discuss his book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs . In it, he seeks to answer questions such as; what was the U.S. government’s original motivation behind drug prohibition? How has the way we view addiction changed over time? What happens when a country—or a state—decriminalizes drugs? What about hard drugs? Hosted on Acast...

Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 2 min

The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge (with Matt Ridley) (Rerun)

We’re taking a break from new episodes for a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, enjoy this treasure from the Free Thoughts vault where Matt Ridley joins us t to discuss his book, The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge (2015). In it, he theorizes that much of the order we see in the natural world and in human culture and society is the result of unplanned, bottom‐up, emergent evolution. Is there a way to introduce these evolutionary pressures to government? Is there a bias to thinki...

Aug 12, 2022•42 min

Black Liberation Through the Marketplace (with Rachel Ferguson and Marcus Witcher)

Rachel Ferguson and Marcus Witcher’s new book, Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America, chronicles the achievements and failures of market-based attempts to achievement liberation for the Black community throughout American history. From the great shame of slavery to the racist roots of the minimum wage, their liberal examination uncovers both stumbles and strides in the quest for truly equal human flourishing, and urges readers to resist tribalism ...

Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 1 min

How Evil are Politicians? (with Bryan Caplan)

What is the difference between demagoguery and political strategy? It may be tough to tell, but Bryan Caplan, Professor of Economics at George Mason University and author of the new collection How Evil Are Politicians?: Essays on Demagoguery has a few ways to help tell the difference. Plus; what does Spiderman have to do with the "evil" nature of politicians and why should we focus on them instead of the voters who give them power? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jul 29, 2022•52 min

Inflation! (with Norbert Michel)

What can hurricanes teach us about supply side shocks? Norbert Michel, vice president and director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, joins the show to explain the Consumer Price Index, how the Federal Reserve responds, and how its period of “Great Moderation” was a better time. Plus: why should we have expected the rate of inflation to increase? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 22, 2022•43 min

What’s Wrong with Zoning (with M. Nolan Gray)

One border libertarians might be curious about lies between what zoning is and what zoning is not. M. Nolan Gray, author of the new book, “Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It” joins the show to explain the roots of our zoning regulations, clarify if overpopulated cities are the real problem, and describe how cities like Houston, Texas are adapting. Plus; where do we go from here? Is the complete abolition of zoning the end goal? What progress is left on the tabl...

Jul 15, 2022•50 min

Forensic Frauds and Criminal Justice (with M. Chris Fabricant)

How did bite mark analysis become one of the most misunderstood forms of forensics evidence in our criminal justice system? M. Chris Fabricant of the Innocence Project is leading the fight to bring accurate scientific analysis to the courtroom. He joins Trevor to explain how junk science, a reliance on expert witness testimony, and scientifically illiterate juries drive wrongful convictions and help create a sense of legitimacy for what he calls, “poor people science.” Hosted on Acast. See acast...

Jul 08, 2022•53 min

Conservatism Vs. The Right (with Matthew Continetti)

Where has the right gone wrong? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 01, 2022•48 min

The Socialist Temptation (with Iain Murray)

Socialism isn’t what is used to be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 27, 2022•43 min

A Conversation About Guns (with Clark Neily)

Why are gun-targeting policies ineffective and impractical, and what can we do instead to stop gun violence, while still respecting everyone’s rights? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 17, 2022•48 min

Why Did America Invade Iraq? (with Michael Mazarr)

A story of faithful foreign policy failure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 10, 2022•56 min

Seven Deadly Economic Sins

Is the “right” life the same for you as it is for others? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 03, 2022•45 min

What Broke American Health Care?

Why does your employer pay for your health coverage? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 27, 2022•49 min

Big Tech & Free Speech

Why are we talking about “Big Tech” now in a way we we weren’t 5 years ago? Cato’s own Matthew Feeney and Will Duffield join Trevor to discuss how the 2016 election changed the political landscape, the value of moderation, and how digital infrastructure influences a platform’s power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 20, 2022•53 min

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