The Curious Task

Ep. 177: Noah Schwartz - Does Canada Have A Gun Problem?

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.

Ep. 176: Liya Palagashvili - What Is The State Of The Gig Economy?

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.

Ep. 175: Jay Goldberg - Does Canada Have A Censorship Problem?

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.

Special Episode 15: Bryan Caplan — What’s a University Degree Worth?

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.

Ep. 174: Neil Boyd - Does Drug Decriminalization Work?

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.

Ep. 173: Vincent Geloso - What Effects Income Mobility?

Alex speaks with Vincent Geloso about income mobility, distinguishing it from income inequality and the effects of markets and government regulations on each. 

Ep. 172: David D’Amato - Should Intellectual Property Be Part Of A Free Society?

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 

Ep. 171: Jeremy Horpedahl - Why Do Baptists Need Bootleggers?

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:

1. 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.
2. Regulation (Cato Institute Journal) Spring 2021 issue
3. "Not So Unlikely Coalitions" article by Thomas W. Hazlett in the Regulation (Cato Institute Journal) Spring 2021 issue.

 

Ep. 170: Scott Beyer - What Does Urbanism Look Like Around The World?

Alex speaks with Scott Beyer about the insights he's gleaned from traveling 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. 

Ep. 169: Brandon Turner - What Is Conservatism?

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.

Ep. 168: Rachel Lomasky - Can A.I. Be Ethical?

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. 

Ep. 167: Geoff Sigalet - What Is The Alberta Sovereignty Act?

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. 

Special Episode 14: Russ Roberts — How Can Adam Smith Change Your Life?

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.  

Ep. 166: 2022 Holiday Wrap-up Episode

Alex, Sabine and Matt reflect on the year that was 2022.

Special Episode 13: Lauren Hall — What’s Wrong With Modern Healthcare?

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.

Ep. 165: Matt Bufton - How Do We Feel About The Monarchy?

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. 

Ep. 164: Peter Jaworski - What Is The Ought-State Gap?

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.

Ep. 163: Christy Horpedahl - How Can Books Advance Liberal Society?

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

Ep. 162: Alex Aragona - What Is Classical Liberalism (According To Our Host)?

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. 

Ep. 161: Jayme Lemke - Who Was Elinor Ostrom?

Alex speaks with Jayme Lemke about the life, work, and legacy of American Nobel Prize-winning political economist Elinor Ostrom.