The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society. References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus: You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor here

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 Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction. References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox: If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article here You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty here

Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art. References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website here Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here Sandy appears in the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, you can find it on all online rental platforms, but Canadian who subscribe to Crave can find it here You can purchase a copy of Jane Jacob’s popular book Death and Life of Great American Cities on Amazon Canada here

Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it. References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada here You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada here

Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!). References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada here You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellectuals and Socialism here

Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others. References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving here Giving to my Wild Self article can be found here

Alex Aragona speaks with James Stacey Taylor as he makes the case for a market for organs. References from Episode 20 with James Stacey Taylor You can purchase James Stacey Taylor’s book Stakes and Kidneys in Amazon Canada here

Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies. References from Episode 19 with Lauren Hall: You can read more from Lauren Hall on the subject of rights violations in delivery rooms here

Alex Aragona speaks with the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh about why immigration is important to a free society, and the common misconceptions some people have that keep them from being more open to immigration. References from Episode 18 with Alex Nowrasteh: You can read Alex Nowrasteh’s studies and commentaries on his page at the Cato Institute’s website Check out Jens Hainmueller’s paper on cultural anxiety and immigration here Read Alex’s thoughts on the paper on perceptions of chaos by Allison Harell, Stuart Soroka, and Shanto Iyengar here

Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Burns about whether American foreign policy is broken as a result of a breakdown of the separation, and increased centralization, of power. References from Episode 17 with Sarah Burns: You can buy Sarah Burns’ book The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism here on Amazon Canada

Alex Aragona chats with Alain Bertaud as he shares his thoughts on how cities truly flourish and how urban planners should approach their role. References from Episode 16 with Alain Bertaud: You can buy Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities here on Amazon Canada

Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives. References 1. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf

Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores how the evolution of capitalism also shaped the modern family. References 1. “Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions” by Steve Horwitz Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Modern-Family-Liberalism-Institutions/dp/1137448229

Alex Aragona speaks with Abigail Hall as she describes how various elements of United States foreign policy ultimately come back home from abroad and affect domestic life. References 1. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Abigail Hall Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272 2. “Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest (2014-2015)” by BlackPast Link: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015/ 3. “Timeline: What Happened at the Boston Marathon Bombing” by Patrick J. Kiger Link: https://www.history.com/news/boston-marathon-bombing-timeline 4. “The Spanish-American War in the Phillippines and the Battle for Manila” by American Experience Link: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/macarthur-spanish-american-war-philippines-and-battle-for-manila/ 5. “August Vollmar” by O.W. Wilson Link: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4112&context=jclc 6. “Watts Riots of 1965” by Britannica Link: https://prabook.com/web/john.nelson/2226689 7. “SWAT - America’s Specialty Peacekeepers” by Joel F. Shults Link: https://nationalpolice.org/main/swat-americas-specialty-peace-keepers/ 8. “Daryl F. Gates dies at 83; innovative but controversial chief of LAPD” by Elaine Woo and Eric Malnic Link: https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-daryl-gates17-2010apr17-story.html 9. “1033 Program FAQs” by Defense Logistic Agency Link: https://www.dla.mil/Disposition-Services/Offers/Law-Enforcement/Program-FAQs/ 10. “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Force” by Radley Balko Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577 11. "The Burge Case" by Chicago Torture Justice Memorial Link: https://chicagotorture.org/reparations/history/

Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Kuznicki as he explores some history on how intellectuals viewed the state, and how we should view the state. References from Episode 12 with Jason Kuznicki: You can buy Jason Kuznicki’s book Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For? here on Amazon Canada

Alex Aragona speaks with Sigal Ben-Porath as she details her perspective on campus free speech issues. References 1. “Free Speech on Campus” by Sigal Ben-Porath Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Speech-Campus-Sigal-Ben-Porath/dp/0812250079

Alex Aragona speaks with Chris Freiman as he shares his thoughts on whether people have the right to immigrate. References 1. Christopher Freiman’s Articles, Bleeding Heart Libertarianism Link: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/author/christopher-freiman/ 2. “A Defense of Open Borders” by Christopher Freiman Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-93907-0_13 3. “Liberalism or Immigration Restriction, But Not Both” by Chris Freiman and Javier Hidalgo Link: https://cafreiman.people.wm.edu/Site/Papers_files/Freiman%20and%20Hidalgo%20-%20Liberalism%20or%20Immigration%20Restrictions,%20But%20Not%20Both%20%28Preprint%29.pdf

Alex Aragona speaks with Jessica Flanigan as she explores whether all drugs should be legalized. References 1. “Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate” by Jessica Flanigan Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Pharmaceutical-Freedom-Patients-Right-Medicate/dp/0190684542

Alex Aragona speaks with Hongkonger Andrew Work. Relying on his first-hand experience with the Hong Kong extradition law protests, he explores whether recent political tensions have pushed Hong Kong toward a more liberal environment. References 1. Lion Rock Institute Link: https://www.lionrockinstitute.org/en/ 2. “What was Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ movement all about? By Reuters Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/what-was-hong-kongs-occupy-movement-all-about-idUSKCN1S005M/ 3. “Government Structure” by GovHK Link: https://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govstructure.htm 4. “Carrie Lam” by Britannica Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carrie-Lam 5. “Hong Kong-China Extradition Plans Explained” by Jeff Li Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47810723

Alex Aragona asks Eric Mack to explore his views on what socialism is and if it's the answer to the problems proponents say it can solve. References 1. “John Locke” by Eric Mack Link: https://www.amazon.ca/John-Locke-Eric-Mack/dp/0826429815 2. “Libertarianism” by Eric Mack Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertarianism-Eric-Mack/dp/1509519297 3. “The Essential John Locke (Essential Scholars)” by Eric Mack Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Essential-John-Locke-Scholars-ebook/dp/B0861HV225 4. “The Road to Serfdom: Texts and Documents – The Definitive Edition” by F.A. Hayek and Bruce Caldwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Documents-Definitive-Collected/dp/0226320553 5. “Democratic Socialists of America” Link: https://www.dsausa.org/ 6. “Ludwig Von Mises: Early Life, Economic Views, Theories” by Investopedia Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/ludwig-von-mises.asp#:~:text=Ludwig%20von%20Mises%20argued%20against,wealth%20and%20capital%20over%20time. 7. “Why Not Socialism” by G.A. Cohen Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Not-Socialism-G-Cohen/dp/0691143617

Alex Aragona chats with Paul Robinson as he offers his thoughts on whether or not military intervention works (and explores what is meant by "works"). References 1. IRRUSIANALITY Link: https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/

Alex Aragona chats with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak as they explore whether or not an increasing population necessarily harms the planet. References from Episode 5 with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak: You can purchase Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak’s book Population Bombed!: Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change on Amazon Canada at this link. You can read Thomas Malthus’ book An Essay on the Principle of Population here. You can read Garrett Hardin’s article Lifeboat Ethics here. You can read Matt Ridley’s article How Technology Evolves here. You can purchase the book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund on Amazon Canada at this link.

Alex Aragona asks James Harrigan to explore his thoughts on whether or not we can have principled politicians that represent us. References from Episode 4 with James Harrigan: You can read more about James Madison’s thoughts on the importance of checks and balances, which James Harrigan refers to during the podcast, at this link. You can read The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison for free on the online Library of Congress here. Herbert Croly’s book The Promise of American Life that James mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada here. You can read more about Modern Monetary Theory here.

Alex Aragona and Jacob Levy explore Jacob's belief on whether or not a liberal society requires democratic institutions. References from Episode 3 with Jacob T. Levy: Check out the article Political Libertarianism by Jacob T. Levy here Buy the book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob T. Levy here

Alex Aragona and Peter Jaworski explore Peter's perspective on what the limits of markets should be. The conversation also explores the ethics surrounding paid blood and plasma donations. References from Episode 2 with Peter Jaworski: Buy the book Markets Without Limits here Check out the Donation Ethics website here

Alex Aragona and Nigel Ashford explore what Nigel considers to be the basic tenets of classical liberalism. References from Episode 1 with Nigel Ashford: More on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case at https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-111_j4el.pdf Read up on the Doing Business Index rankings at https://www.doingbusiness.org/en/rankingshere Read On Liberty by John Stuart Mill at https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/mill/liberty.pdf