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 ht...
Nov 22, 2023•59 min•Ep. 222
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/...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 221
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 Un...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 220
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 Read some of Cory’s published and unpublished pieces on prison abolition here: thttp://corymassimino.com/tag/prison-abolition/
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 219
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
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 218
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/e...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 217
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
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 216
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...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 215
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, Me...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 214
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 epi...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 213
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%2...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 212
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...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 211
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 re...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 210
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...
Aug 23, 2023•51 min•Ep. 209
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: http...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 208
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...
Aug 09, 2023•41 min•Ep. 207
Alex speaks with Scott Scheall about Carl and Karl Menger and their influence on the history of economics, liberal theory, and - yes - mathematics. Further Reading: "Karl Menger as Son of Carl Menger" - Scott Scheall & Reinhard Schumacher https://philarchive.org/rec/SCHKMA-4 Econlib Biography of elder Menger: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Menger.html 1871. Principles of Economics. Translated by J. Dingwall and B. F. Hoselitz, with an introduction by Friedrich A. Hayek. New York: N...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 206
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 Recognit...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 205
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 http...
Jul 19, 2023•54 min•Ep. 204
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",...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 203
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/n...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 202
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 Expressio...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 201
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 ...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 200
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://cs...
Jun 14, 2023•48 min•Ep. 199
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.ca...
Jun 07, 2023•38 min•Ep. 198
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...
May 31, 2023•42 min•Ep. 197
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 “under...
May 24, 2023•58 min•Ep. 196
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 h...
May 17, 2023•54 min•Ep. 195
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/fu...
May 10, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 194
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...
May 03, 2023•59 min•Ep. 193
