Episodes

6 days ago
6 days ago
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.

Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Ep. 176: Liya Palagashvili - What Is The State Of The Gig Economy?
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
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.

Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Ep. 175: Jay Goldberg - Does Canada Have A Censorship Problem?
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
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.

Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Special Episode 15: Bryan Caplan — What’s a University Degree Worth?
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
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.

Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Ep. 174: Neil Boyd - Does Drug Decriminalization Work?
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
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.

Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Ep. 173: Vincent Geloso - What Effects Income Mobility?
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Alex speaks with Vincent Geloso about income mobility, distinguishing it from income inequality and the effects of markets and government regulations on each.

Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Ep. 172: David D’Amato - Should Intellectual Property Be Part Of A Free Society?
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
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

Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Ep. 171: Jeremy Horpedahl - Why Do Baptists Need Bootleggers?
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
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.

Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
Ep. 170: Scott Beyer - What Does Urbanism Look Like Around The World?
Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
Wednesday Jan 25, 2023
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.

Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Ep. 169: Brandon Turner - What Is Conservatism?
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
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.

Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Ep. 168: Rachel Lomasky - Can A.I. Be Ethical?
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
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.

Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Ep. 167: Geoff Sigalet - What Is The Alberta Sovereignty Act?
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
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.

Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Special Episode 14: Russ Roberts — How Can Adam Smith Change Your Life?
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
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.

Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Ep. 166: 2022 Holiday Wrap-up Episode
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Alex, Sabine and Matt reflect on the year that was 2022.

Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Special Episode 13: Lauren Hall — What’s Wrong With Modern Healthcare?
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
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.

Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Ep. 165: Matt Bufton - How Do We Feel About The Monarchy?
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
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.

Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Ep. 164: Peter Jaworski - What Is The Ought-State Gap?
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
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.

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Ep. 163: Christy Horpedahl - How Can Books Advance Liberal Society?
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Sabine speaks with Christy Horpedahl about the entrepreneurial spirit that imbues Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop".

Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Ep. 162: Alex Aragona - What Is Classical Liberalism (According To Our Host)?
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
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.

Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Ep. 161: Jayme Lemke - Who Was Elinor Ostrom?
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Alex speaks with Jayme Lemke about the life, work, and legacy of American Nobel Prize-winning political economist Elinor Ostrom.