The Curious Task

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

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

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

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)

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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/

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

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

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.

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/

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

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/

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

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

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/

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/

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/

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.

Sabine speaks with Christy Horpedahl about the entrepreneurial spirit that imbues Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop".

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.

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 speaks with Thomas Bunting about politics, democracy, social progress and more as they relate to baseball and athletics more broadly.

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.