The DNA of War (with Andrew Heaton)
Andrew Heaton presents “International Relations Theory for Dummies” (his words, not ours). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 01, 2022•55 min
Free Thoughts
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.
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Episodes
Poverty in the Golden State (with Michael Tanner)
California has had solid economic growth recently, pockets of vast wealth, and an extensive social safety net—yet it also has the highest poverty rate of all 50 states. What makes California so strange in terms of poverty and inequality? Michael Tanner joins Trevor to breakdown the many causes influencing the various forms of poverty in The Golden State. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 25, 2022•45 min
Labor Econ Versus the World (with Bryan Caplan)
Bryan Caplan joins Trevor to explain how everything from immigration, education, workplace issues, and more are all part of labor economics (and why that matters). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 18, 2022•53 min
American Terror After 9/11 (with Spencer Ackerman)
Spencer Ackerman joins Trevor to discuss how the events of September 11th, 2001 changed terrorism from “something some people do” into “something some people are”; creating an opportunity for authoritarian violence, unfettered surveillance, and nationalist populism to grow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 11, 2022•51 min
Aaron's Farewell to Free Thoughts
After nearly a decade of hosting Free Thoughts, this is Aaron’s last episode. Trevor sits down with him to discuss how they met, how they’ve changed since then, and what they hope listeners take away from their time together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 04, 2022•54 min•Ep. 431
Is Nuclear Power Worth It? (with Peter Van Doren)
The "Notorious PVD" sits down with Aaron and Trevor to discuss his knowledge of nuclear regulation, gas taxes, roving motorcycle gangs, and the purpose of intellectual inquiry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 25, 2022•51 min
The Philosophy of Honesty (with Christian Miller)
Everyone values honesty, but figuring out just what it entails can be difficult. In today's episode, we're joined by philosopher Christian Miller to discuss what it means to be honest and which features of our environment can push us towards dishonesty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 18, 2022•52 min
The Allure of the “Natural” (with Alan Levinovitz)
Natural foods. Natural medicine. Natural living. They all sound good, and lots of people tell us we need more of them, and that government policy should support them. The trouble is, as guest Alan Levinovitz explains, nailing down just what counts as "natural" is awfully difficult, and that difficulty leads to a lot of bad thinking--and bad laws. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 11, 2022•43 min•Ep. 428
How to Protect Our Elections (with Walter Olson and Andy Craig)
Are elections really under more threat than they have been? Is there more fraud than there used to be? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 427
How Prisons are Governed (with David Skarbek)
Why are prisons so different from nation to nation? And how are these institutions governed internally and externally? David Skarbek sits down with Trevor and Aaron to explore differing methods of incarceration, the issues with each method, and how, or if, a prison can be considered “successful.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 28, 2022•49 min•Ep. 426
How The Force Can Fix The World (with Stephen Kent)
The Star Wars saga isn't just an epic story of galactic conflict. It's also a moral parable, exploring virtues, and probing questions of how to live, and how to live with each other. Stephen Kent, author of How the Force Can Fix the World: Lessons on Life, Liberty, and Happiness from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 21, 2022•53 min•Ep. 425
Punishment Without Trial (with Carissa Byrne Hessick)
Carissa Byrne Hessick joins the podcast to discuss the fact that 97% of convictions in the United States every year are the result of people pleading guilty, often via a plea bargain, rather than having a trial before a jury of their peers. How did we get to a situation where the vast majority of criminal convictions come prior to any trial taking place? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 14, 2022•56 min•Ep. 424
Rerun: Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future
Johan Norberg joins Trevor this week to talk about the notion of progress and gives us all a few reasons to look forward to the future. Why is there a systemic bias towards pessimism when hard data shows the world is getting better and better every day? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 07, 2022•53 min
Rerun: Why Can't You Email Your Doctor?
Dr. Ryan Neuhofel joins us this week to talk about his practice, NeuCare, which is a very different way to approach primary care medicine in the United States. What is direct primary care? How should health insurance work, and how is it broken in our health care system today? How do primary care doctors currently get paid? Why is managed health care so expensive? Is direct primary care part of what a free market in medicine might look like? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
Dec 31, 2021•53 min
Rerun: Lessons from a Bank-Robbing Law Professor
Shon Hopwood joins us this week to tell about his journey from bank robber to federal prisoner to U.S. Supreme Court practitioner and Georgetown law professor. What’s it like in federal prison? How did Hopwood become a jailhouse lawyer? If people do in fact “age out” of criminal activity, then what should our prison system look like? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 24, 2021•46 min
Tech Panic (with Robby Soave)
Not so long ago, we embraced social media as a life‐changing opportunity to connect with friends and family from across the world. But now, many people are choosing to see or argue the negative impact of social media and large tech companies. Robby Soave provided a comprehensive overview of this phenomenon in his new book, Tech Panic . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 17, 2021•54 min
Do Markets Make Us Worse? (with Ginny Choi)
Individuals like to argue that as we engage in market activity, the more likely we are to become selfish & corrupt. Even Adam Smith, who famously celebrated markets, believed that there were moral costs associated with life in market societies. Ginny Choi explains that successful markets require and produce virtuous participants. Markets serve as moral spaces that both rely on and reward their participants for being virtuous. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 10, 2021•47 min
A Libertarian in Government (with Mark Calabria)
Mark Calabria is the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates and supervises Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. During his service at the agency, Calabria led the response to COVID-19, as well as laid the groundwork for a removal of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government conservatorship. Prior to his heading of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Calabria served as chief economist to Vice President Mike Pence. In that role, he led the vice...
Dec 03, 2021•54 min
Rerun: Remaining Grateful with Steven Horwitz
Steve knows the world has truly gotten better for human beings. Not enough people recognize or appreciate that. We hope that this episode inspires you to help a neighbor or call a friend. How does gratitude compare to resentment? Do we have the mental space to be thinking about the welfare of everyone else? How different are you on social media compared to real life? Why do GoFundMe’s work? Is the demand curve for chemotherapy vertical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...
Nov 26, 2021•53 min
Nationalism in America
Samuel Goldman highlights three pillars of mid-twentieth-century nationalism, all of which are absent today: the social dominance of Protestant Christianity, the absorption of European immigrants in a broader white identity, and the defense of democracy abroad. Most of today's nationalists fail to recognize these necessary underpinnings of any renewed nationalism, or the potentially troubling consequences that they would engender. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 19, 2021•52 min
Regulation Games (with Peter Van Doren)
Fan favorite Peter Van Doren returns to the show to share with us his wealth of knowledge not only in regulation, but in many other areas of failed government oversight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 12, 2021•50 min
The Drug War in Mexico (with Benjamin T. Smith)
Benjamin T. Smith uncovers the origins of the drug trade in Mexico and how this illicit business essentially built modern Mexico, affecting everything from agriculture to medicine to economics―and the country’s all-important relationship with the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 05, 2021•52 min
Blind Injustice (with Mark Godsey)
Godsey explores distinct psychological human weaknesses inherent in the criminal justice system—confirmation bias, memory malleability, cognitive dissonance, bureaucratic denial, dehumanization, and others—and illustrates each with stories from his time as a hard-nosed prosecutor and then as an attorney for the Ohio Innocence Project. Why do people become prosecutors? What sorts of relationships do prosecutors have with judges? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 29, 2021•49 min
How to Fix African Poverty (with Magatte Wade)
Magatte Wade argues that the most unique challenge we face is that the world has come to perceive that Africans themselves are not capable of creating prosperity—and require charity in order to survive. The combination of negative perceptions of Africans, combined with widespread ignorance regarding the need for economic freedom is a toxic combination. And Wade is working to change not only the perception, but also provide opportunities for Africans to prosper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
Oct 22, 2021•46 min
Undoing Drugs (with Maia Szalavitz)
Maia Szalavitz writes that drug overdoses now kill more Americans annually than guns, cars, or breast cancer. But the United States has tried to solve this national crisis with policies that only made matters worse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 15, 2021•47 min
America’s War Propaganda (with Chris Coyne and Abby Hall)
Christopher Coyne and Abigail Hall delve into case studies from the War on Terror to show how propaganda operates in a democracy. From the darkened cinema to the football field to the airport screening line, the U.S. government has purposefully inflated the actual threat of terrorism and the necessity of a proactive military response. This biased, incomplete, and misleading information contributes to a broader culture of fear and militarism that, far from keeping Americans safe, ultimately threa...
Oct 08, 2021•54 min
Is Section 230 a Problem? (with Jeff Kosseff)
Jeff Kosseff exposes the workings of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which has lived mostly in the shadows since its enshrinement in 1996. Because many segments of American society now exist largely online, Kosseff argues that we need to understand and pay attention to what Section 230 really means and how it affects what we like, share, and comment upon every day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 01, 2021•47 min
What Happened in Afghanistan (with Sahar Khan)
It’s true that for the first time in 20 years, there is no US military presence in Afghanistan. But Sahar Khan suggests that the war is not really over. Throughout this episode they discuss what happened in Afghanistan over the last 2 decades and why the United States kept troops on the ground there longer than anticipated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 24, 2021•58 min
America's Political Instability
Strange things happen to parties that can win while getting fewer votes. For one thing, they’re driven to be more radical. Another is that a victorious party can still feel like a persecuted minority because they actually are the minority. And this phenomenon is running rampant in the United States. Andy Craig discusses how we can relieve pressure from our cracking political system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 17, 2021•47 min
Don't Do Your Own Research (with Julian Sanchez)
Many people have developed some level of skepticism about mainstream news media. By not trusting the news your alternative is to conduct your own research on certain topics. However, no one is capable of researching every possible domain without somehow relying on someone else's interpretation of the issue at hand. Why don't people trust the news or the government? Why should you not conduct your own research? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 10, 2021•47 min
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