The Curious Task

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

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/

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 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

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

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

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

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

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/

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

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/

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

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

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

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/

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

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/

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/

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

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

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/

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

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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.

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/

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

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

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: New York University Press, 1981. 1892. “On the Origin of Money.” Economic Journal 2 (June): 239–255. “Mises Introduces the Austrian School,” http://mises.org/daily/3512 from Ludwig von Mises, Memoirs. Joseph T. Salerno, “Biography of Carl Menger: The Founder of the Austrian School (1840-1921),” http://mises.org/about/3239 Biography of Karl Menger https://www.hetwebsite.net/het/profiles/kmenger.htm Including the following Major Works: Dimensiontheorie, 1928 "On Intuitionism", 1930, Blatter der deutschen Pilosophy Kurventheorie, 1932 "The New Logic", 1933, in Krise und Neuaufbau in den Exackten Wissenschaften Moral Wille und Weltgestaltung, 1934. "The Role of Uncertainty in Economics", 1934, ZfN "Remarks on the Law of Diminishing Returns: A study in meta-economics", 1936, ZfN "The Logic of Laws of Return: A study in meta-economics", 1954, in Morgenstern, editor, Economic Activity Analysis. "Austrian Marginalism and Mathematical Economics", 1973, in Hicks and Weber, editors, Carl Menger and the Austrian School of Economics Morality, decision, and social organization : toward a logic of ethics, 1974. Selected Papers in Logic and Foundations, Didactics, Economics, 1979. Reminiscences of the Vienna Circle and the Mathematical Colloquium, 1994. (ed. L. Golland, B. McGuinness and A. Sklar) [prev] "On the direction of ideas and the principal tendencies of the Vienna Mathematical Colloqium", 1998, in E. Dierker & K. Sigismund, editors, Karl Menger Ergebnisse eines Mathematischen Kolloquiums

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

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

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

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