The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families

On today's episode, Larry Reed, President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, joins Connor and Brittany to talk about the role character plays in advancing the principles of liberty.

Before the internet taught us anything we wanted to know with the click of a button, information was hard to come by. In fact, before computers and even books, people had to rely on authority figures to acquire knowledge. But the printing press changed all that and decentralized information, making it accessible to anyone who could read.

For decades some scientists have warned that the earth is becoming overpopulated and soon, we won't have enough resources to accommodate everyone. But is this really true? Or is this a dangerous misconception?

With the new year beginning, Connor and Brittany talk about setting goals that will help you keep all your 2021 resolutions.

2020 is finally over! As we start the new year, now is the time to take stock of all the lessons this year has taught us.

On today's episode, Stephen Kent, host of the podcast "Beltway Banthas" joins Connor and Brittany to talk about Star Wars and what this classic story can teach us about liberty.

As we prepare to celebrate the holidays, Brittany and Connor spread some cheer with an uplifting Christmas story. During WWI, soldiers on opposing sides of the war practiced civil disobedience by laying down their weapons and refusing to fight on Christmas Day. Instead, they sang carols and exchanged gifts with each other, showing the world that there are no differences too big to overcome.

We're all familiar with the classic story, "A Christmas Carol," where Ebenezer Scrooge is the classic miser, demonized by all who have read the book. But what if we got some aspects of the story wrong? Today, Connor and Brittany talk about this classic tale and whether or not Scrooge is a villain or simply misunderstood.

Changing the world is a task unfit for the faint of heart. But before we can embark on a challenge this great, we have to make sure that we start small, improving and organizing our own lives before we try to enact change on a grander scale.

Many people regard FDR's "New Deal" as having saved the American economy from the Great Depression. But was it really so great? Today Brittany and Connor talk about the New Deal and how it had disastrous impacts on our economy that we still see today.

Whether it's a movie or a book, we often think of fiction as a break from the seriousness of the real world. But fiction plays a very important role in our human lives and it's how many of us learn important life lessons. Today Connor and Brittany discuss the role fictional stories play in our lives.

For people to be truly free, they must live in a society that values free speech. All too often, governments suppress speech that is contrary to their ends in order to maintain control. But it's not just governments. Lots of people use censorship to try and control the narrative instead of letting people freely voice their opinions and beliefs.

Governments like to claim they know enough to be able to control and plan out entire economies. But with so many individual actors contributing to the economy, it is impossible for one central body to have enough information to make informed decisions. Economist F.A. Hayek explained this conundrum with what if called "the knowledge problem."

Health care is one of the hottest topics in our country today. While American health care is in need of reform, many have tried to argue for a government takeover of the entire system. These people often justify this by claiming that health care is a human right. But what is a human right and why is it so important for us to understand how health care and the market go hand in hand.

People are always complaining about our present day by telling us that back in the "good ol' days" things things used to better. But every generation seems to think that their era was "the good ol' days." So the real question is, did such a time even exist? And if so, when were these "great" times we've built up in our minds?

We often hear the term "economy" thrown around on the news or during political debates. But what exactly is the economy and why do those in power think they can control it?

Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court of the United States, where nine Supreme Court Judges reside. These judges have a huge responsibility because their decisions will be used to interpret the Constitution for years to come. Join Connor and Brittany as they explain how the Supreme Court works and why they play such an important role in our country.

Our Constitution guarantees individuals the right to a jury by peers should they be accused of a crime. On this episode, Connor and Brittany talk about the important role juries play in our legal system and how they can be empowered to ensure justice prevails.

Sometimes the old ways of doing things have to be destroyed to make way for new and better ways. We see this all the time in our economy when innovation replaces outdated practices. This "creative destruction," as it is often referred, is what helps fill our world with an endless variety of goods and services that are always improving to meet the needs of consumers like us.

The holidays are upon us, but there is one aspect about Thanksgiving many people have never heard. When the pilgrims got to Plymouth Rock, their belief in communism almost led to their downfall. In fact, there was almost no first Thanksgiving at all.

Connor shares some quick info about three new non-fiction guidebooks we created, and they're now for sale!

Logical Fallacies, or flawed reasoning, occur all the time in our world. Politicians use them, the media uses them, and unfortunately, many people routinely fall for these fallacies. Today, Connor and Brittany discuss what a logical fallacy is and how you can avoid using them and falling for them in everyday life.

Nobody seems to be able to agree on much these days. And while it's good to stay true to your principles and beliefs, it doesn't mean you can't still talk to people with whom you disagree.

The world is a crazy place, but that doesn't mean we have to be sad and gloomy about it. There is so much to be optimistic about there are plenty of ways you can try your best to stay positive even when everything around us is chaotic.

Unlike other countries, who elect their officials through popular vote, our country uses something called the "Electoral College." Many people, even adults, don't really understand how it works. Today, Brittany and Connor explain the Electoral College and the role in plays in presidential elections.

Once upon a time, cars were a luxury item only the super rich could afford. But thanks to Henry Ford and an economic concept called "economies of scale," cars were able to mass produced, making them more affordable to everyday people.

The internet and the "internet of things" has completely changed our world. On one hand, this tech has helped make our world safer, on the other hand we now live in a world where tech has caused us to lose our privacy. Today Connor and Brittany discuss the role tech has played in our modern world.

On today's episode, Connor and Brittany continue their discussion on "isms," focusing specifically one we hear about a lot these days, "fascism." The pair dive into what fascism is and why it's such a threat to individual liberty.

During election season, the media and politicians like to tell us that the fate of the future depends on the outcome of the presidential election. While the president does have a lot of power, the truth is presidents and other politicians can't save us from all our problems. The truth is, when all is said and done, individuals are the only ones responsible for making our lives better.

College is an expensive investment. So expensive, in fact, that a lot of young people often take out student loans to pay for their education. But student loans come with a lot of problems that negatively impact a student's future, the economy, and the cost of tuition.

In this episode, Connor and Brittany sit down with the mother of four and author of the book, "Unschooled" to talk about the future of education in a post-pandemic world.

"Nationalism" and "Patriotism" often get mistaken for having the same meaning. While there are some small similarities, these words mean very different things, and as Brittany and Connor will discuss, one of these words has been very problematic throughout history.

Ever wonder why a candy bar costs a $1? Or why a pizza costs nearly $20? On today's episode Brittany and Connor dive into prices and where they come from. Spoiler alert, we might have more power over this as consumers than you might think!

For as long as there have been governments, those in power have been using media and art to manipulate the public into thinking or doing what they want. We often call this "propaganda." On today's episode, Brittany and Connor talk about what propaganda means and how individuals can learn to identify it in their everyday lives.

Former congressman Dr. Ron Paul joins Connor and Brittany today to talk about liberty for the next generation, his time in Congress, and what we can all do to spread the freedom philosophy.

Halloween is just around the corner. Traditionally, this has been a holiday where kids can dress up as people they love and admire as they go trick-or-treating. But over the last few years, some people have decided that it is inappropriate for kids to dress up in costumes that portray another person's culture. They call this "cultural appropriation." But is this really a problem, or merely a way of showing appreciation and respect for other cultures?

On past episodes, we've used the word "libertarian" before, but we've never really dug deeper into what this world means. Today, Connor and Brittany discuss what a libertarian is and how, just like in other ideologies, this name has taken on different meanings for different people.

For those who believe in a very limited government, there is a belief that government should not be telling us what to do or how to live our lives. But that doesn't mean society would be lawless and chaotic where everyone just does what they please at the expense of others.

A lot of people blame capitalism for climate problems and think we need the government to protect our environment. In reality, the best defender the environment is the free market. And many young individuals are already using the market to protect the environment.

At some point in each of our lives, we will fail at something. Often, we see "failure" as a negative, but failure is an important part of success. Even the most successful people have had to fail before experiencing their greatest victory.

Our country is founded on the belief that every single person has a right to life, liberty, and property. Today, Brittany and Connor discuss how property became a defining characteristic of free and independent people and why this is still so important today.

Every time an individual takes an action, there are consequences. Sometimes we can see the consequences of our actions immediately, like if we don't tie our shoe and then trip and fall down. Other times, it's more difficult to see the consequences of the things we do. Today we discuss what Frédéric Bastiat had to say about this phenomenon and how it leads many people astray.

On Today's episode, author and YouTuber Julie Borowski comes on to talk to Brittany and Connor about her new book, "Nobody Knows How to Make A Pizza."

On this episode, Connor and Brittany discuss a list of books that are considered to be "controversial classics." But why are these books considered "controversial" and why does that make it all the more important for individuals to read them?

Ever heard of Bitcoin? You've all probably held a dollar bill before, but what if "money" wasn't a physical thing you could hold in your hand? What if it was digital and lived in computers and smartphones?

Congressman Dr. Ron Paul took the 2008 Presidential Election by storm, inspiring an entire movement of young people to get involved in politics. In fact, he's one of the reasons Connor was inspired to write the Tuttle Twins series! In this episode, Connor and Brittany discuss the importance of Ron Paul and how he helped change U.S. politics.

Sometimes our U.S. economy is strong, employment is high, and the people are happy and successful. But other times, our economy goes through a rough patch, often called a "recession." But what causes the economy to struggle and is there anyway to avoid it?

We've all probably heard the term taxation before from our adults, but what does it really mean and why does everyone seem to hate this word so much?

Some people might not know this, but there is a practice known as "civil asset forfeiture" that actually allows police officers to take money and property from you without ever having to convict you of a crime in a court. How did this practice come to be and what can individuals like us do to change these laws and make sure that law enforcement doesn't have too much power?

In previous episodes, Connor and Brittany have talked about the Bill of Rights and how important it is to protecting us against governments that try to infringe on our rights. Today we talk about the Second Amendment included in the Bill of Rights, the right to bear arms.