The Curious Task

Dennis Rasmussen - Did America Fail?

In this episode from 2021, Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen about his findings on how the American Founding Fathers truly felt about the experiment they designed and built as time went on.

References

• Dennis Rasmussen previously joined The Curious Task to speak about his book The Infidel and the Professor, and you can listen to that episode here.
• The book discussed on this episode of The Curious Task is Fears of the Setting Sun by Dennis Rasmussen, which can be purchased from Amazon here.
• The rising sun armchair can be seen digitally here.
• More information on the Federalists can be found here, and the Anti-Federalists here.
• The soundtrack to Hamilton can be listened to here.

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Moshe Lander - Should Taxpayers Fund The FIFA World Cup?

Alex Eames speaks with Moshe Lander about whether Canada’s billion-dollar FIFA bill is a smart investment, or if politicans and taxpayers are being sold a bill of goods. Moshe argues that while the World Cup will absolutely be fun and meaningful for fans, the public was sold a dollars-and-cents case that does not really hold up once you factor in temporary jobs, displaced spending, security costs, and FIFA’s ability to push expenses onto host cities.

References

1. Parliamentary Budget Officer, Federal financial support for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
   https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/NT-2627-007-S--federal-financial-support-2026-fifa-men-world-cup--aide-financiere-federale-coupe-monde-masculine-fifa-2026
   
   
2. Moshe Lander, The World Cup Is an Economic Sinkhole, Maclean’s
   https://macleans.ca/economy/the-world-cup-is-an-economic-sinkhole/
   
   
3. Government of Canada, Canada welcomes the FIFA World Cup 2026
   https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/soccer-2026.html
   
   
4. Toronto FIFA World Cup 26 Match Schedule
   https://torontofwc26.ca/game

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Darrell Bricker - Is Canada At A Breaking Point?

Alex speaks with Darrell Bricker about whether Canada is at a breaking point, drawing from Bricker and John Ibbitson’s book Breaking Point to explore Canada’s economic stagnation, regional alienation, generational anxiety, and fragile national identity. Bricker argues that Canada’s challenges are serious but not fatal if Canadians are willing to stop kicking hard problems down the road and start building a country that younger generations can actually believe in.

References:

1. Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk
2. Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, The Big Shift
3. George Grant, Lament for a Nation
4. Statistics Canada — Canadian international merchandise trade data, including energy exports
5. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada-U.S. energy trade overview

Thanks to Our Patrons

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To support The Curious Task, visit:
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James Harrigan - What Does Pop Culture Say About A Society?

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with James Harrigan about popular culture as a source of social change and the many ways in which the export of American pop culture has shaped the world.

References

1. “Brown v. Board of Education” by the National Archives

Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education 

2. “Roe v. Wade” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade

Matt Zwolinski - Are Markets Coercive?

In this episode, Alex speaks with Matt Zwolinski about whether markets are coercive, and why the answer is more complicated than either “markets are voluntary” or “capitalism is coercion.” They discuss Robert Hale’s classic argument, the limits of standard libertarian responses, and why a better liberal defence of markets has to take real-world coercion seriously without treating all coercion as morally equal.

References:

1. Matt Zwolinski, “Are markets coercive?”
2. Robert L. Hale, “Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State”
3. Thomas Nixon Carver, Principles of National Economy
4. Sohrab Ahmari, Tyranny, Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty—and What to Do About It
5. F. A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Matt Dinan - Is AI Ruining Liberal Education?

Matt speaks with Matt Dinan about why AI is not so much ruining liberal education as exposing it's main shortcoming: treating education as a system of credentials rather than a challenging process of reading, writing, discussing, and learning how to learn. Dinan argues that the best response is not to become an "AI cop", but to design courses that incentivize students to learn skills they will need in any scenario where AI has an impact on our society - for better or for worse.

References

1. “Permission Structures” — Matt Dinan
   https://mattdinan.substack.com/p/the-ai-skeptical-professors-guide
2. Matt Dinan’s viral “honest B or C student” post on X
   https://x.com/second_sailing/status/1912857896599105564
3. “Tyler Cowen’s AI Campus” — Marginal Revolution
   https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/01/tyler-cowens-ai-campus.htm

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Moin Yahya - What Is Inflation Really?

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Moin Yahya about debates both new and old surrounding the causes and history of inflation.

References:

Inflation and Paper Money: An Historical Perspective: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4076420 

In Defense of the Free-Banking Stablecoins: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4056359 

George Selgin's page at the Cato Institute:

https://www.cato.org/people/george-selgin 

Thanks to Our Patrons

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To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Nadine Strossen - Is Our Right To Speech In Danger?

Matt speaks with Nadine Strossen about why free speech is under pressure across the political spectrum, from left-wing campus cancel culture to right-wing government coercion and censorship pressures. Strossen argues that the answer to hateful or harmful ideas is not censorship, but a stronger culture of free expression, viewpoint neutrality, and fighting bad speech with better speech.

 

References

1. Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know - Nadine Strossen: https://a.co/d/0ialIpUc
2. Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship - Nadine Strossen: https://a.co/d/0isrx1H3
3. The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech and Why They Fail - Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff: https://a.co/d/00P1zxhP
4. FIRE: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression https://www.fire.org/
5. The Future of Free Speech: Jhttps://futurefreespeech.org/
6. The Communications Decency Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Decency_Act

 

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy?

Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and an emphasis on letting kids struggle, fail, and become passionate about the process of learning itself. Casey also explains why she and her husband started the school for their daughter, how her earlier work in Dallas and Sierra Leone shaped her view of education, and why she believes every child has a “genius” that education should help uncover.

References

1. Acton Academy Calgary Central https://www.actoncentral.org/
2. Acton Academy https://actonacademy.org/
3. The One World Schoolhouse - Salman Khan https://a.co/d/0dI4FOkK
4. Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/
5. Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
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James Czerniawski - Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media?

Matt speaks with James Czerniawski about proposed bans on children using social media and AI, exploring concerns around mental health, digital literacy, free speech, privacy, and the consequences of regulation. James argues that while online harms are real, outright bans are ineffective and often counterproductive, advocating instead for parental awareness, digital literacy, and a more optimistic approach to AI.

References

James’ website: https://jamesczerniawski.com/

James’ author page at the Consumer Choice Center: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/author/james/

The UK Online Safety Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer

Institute for Family Studies: Digital Parent Toolkit: https://ifstudies.org/blog/new-tools-to-help-parents-navigate-teens-social-media-use

The Twitter Files: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Files

COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Holly Doan - What Is The Role Of Investigative Journalism In A Free Society?

Alex sits down with Holly Doan to discuss Accountability Journalism and the role that non-mainstream journalistic media has in the current Canadian political landscape. They discuss the decline of traditional newsrooms, subsidies for Canadian media companies and the lack of transparency that has led us to a climate where the press is struggling to keep up with the times.

References

Blacklock’s website:

https://www.blacklocks.ca/

The Hub article on government subsidies for traditional Canadian media outlets:

https://thehub.ca/2025/05/05/the-names-of-media-outlets-receiving-government-mandated-funding-released-only-days-after-election/

Carney’s CBC funding announcement:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-cbc-funding-1.7501902

Holly on X:

https://x.com/hollyanndoan

Thanks to Our Patrons

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To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Aris Trantidis - Why Should We Care About Clientelism?

In this episode, Alex speaks with Aris Trantidis about his book Clientelism and why it matters for anyone concerned with democracy, public choice, and the modern state. Trantidis explains clientelism as a system of political exchange in which politicians trade targeted favours, contracts, regulation, and other private benefits for support, campaign resources, and loyalty - arguing that this dynamic is not a "bug" but a structural feature of politics that can distort markets and democracy.

References

1. Clientelism — Aris Trantidis
   https://www.cambridge.org/ca/universitypress/subjects/economics/economics-general-interest/clientelism?format=PB
2. The Calculus of Consent - James M. Buchanan and Gordon Tullock
   https://a.co/d/0fslxBBZ
3. The Logic of Collective Action - Mancur Olson
   https://a.co/d/06w0x507
4. The Selectorate Theory and International Politics - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Randolph M Siverson
   https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62239/chapter-abstract/550747911?redirectedFrom=fulltext
5. The Myth of the Rational Voter - Bryan Caplan
   https://a.co/d/0cufjmjt

Thanks to Our Patrons

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To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Dan Griswold — Can You Win a Trade War?

In this episode from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Dan Griswold as he explores the benefits of open markets and free trade, and whether you can "win" a trade war.

References

1. “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Mad-About-Trade-America-Globalization/dp/193530819X 

2. “Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Steel on U.S. National Security” by U.S Department of Commerce

Link: https://www.commerce.gov/issues/trade-enforcement/section-232-steel 

3. “China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusions Process” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/tariff-actions 

4. “Only Congress can end the China trade war quagmire” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/expert-commentary/only-congress-can-end-china-trade-war-quagmire 

5. “The Coronavirus Should Not Prompt Us to Rethink Globalization” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-coronavirus-should-not-prompt-us-to-rethink-globalization 

6. “Daniel Griswold: Curbing globalization would compound coronavirus damage” by Daniel Griswold 

Link: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/13/daniel-griswold-curbing-globalization-would-compound-coronavirus-damage/ 

7. “Daniel Griswold on US Demographic Decline and the Case for Expanding Immigration” by Daniel Griswold

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/macro-musings/daniel-griswold-us-demographic-decline-and-case-expanding-immigration 

8. “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy” by Douglas Irwin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Clashing-over-Commerce-History-Policy/dp/022639896X 

9. “Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - A Global Call to Action” by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Death-China-Confronting-Dragon-paperback/dp/0134319036

10. “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” by Office of the United States Trade Representative

Link: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement

Thomas Bunting - What Can Baseball Tell Us About Politics?

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Thomas Bunting about politics, democracy, social progress and more as they relate to baseball and athletics more broadly.

Bryce Tingle - How Are Regulations Damaging Markets?

In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. 



Episode Notes:

1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law”

https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf 

2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary

https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle 

3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm”

https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf 

4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8 

5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce 

6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act:

https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html 

7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable 

Nigel Ashford - Can We Change The World For Liberty?

In this episode from 2023, 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

Is An Examined Education Better? - Nick Cowen

In this episode, Alex speaks with Nick Cowen about why an “examined education” is better than an unexamined one. Drawing on his paper, Nick argues that exams are valuable not just as external assessments but as opportunities for students to test themselves, build confidence, develop resilience, and discover what they actually know rather than what they merely think they know.

References

1. “An Examined Education” — Nick Cowen https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6261178
2. The Theory of Moral Sentiments — Adam Smith https://a.co/d/0iSQvp4l
3. “Why I Am Not a Conservative” — F. A. Hayek https://press.uchicago.edu/books/excerpt/2011/hayek_constitution.html
4. Graduate premium in the UK and debates over higher education quality https://theskillsagenda.substack.com/p/a-declining-graduate-premium

Thanks to Our Patrons

Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:
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Stefanie Haeffele - Can We Live Better Together?

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Stefanie Haeffele about her 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 

 

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia? (Part Two)

In part two of this episode from 2022, Alex speaks again with philosopher Eric Mack about "Anarchy, State and Utopia", this time touching on some of the challenges to Nozick's theory and Eric's own personal connection to Robert Nozick during his life.

References

1. Part 1 of Eric Mack’s The Curious Task Episode on “Why Read Anarchy, State, and Utopia?”

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-145-eric-mack-why-read-anarchy-state-and-utopia/ 

2. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/

3. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006 

4. “Who Would Choose Socialism” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://reason.com/1978/05/01/who-would-chose-socialism/

Eric Mack - Why Read Anarchy, State and Utopia?

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Philosopher Eric Mack about Robert Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" and how the book shaped the conversation around natural rights theory, philosophical libertarianism, and the study of political utopias for decades to come.

References

1. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/ 

2. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006 

3. “Robert Nozick” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Nozick 

4. “Murray Rothbard” by Mises Institute

Link: https://mises.org/profile/murray-n-rothbard 

5. “A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Justice-Revised-John-Rawls/dp/0674000781