The Curious Task

Dan Shahar - Is It Okay To Eat Meat?

Alex speaks with Dan Shahar about the ethical implications of meat-eating, activism in relation to problematic markets, and a tricky thought experiment involving aliens and cows. 

References

1. “Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works” by David Schmidtz and Dan C. Shahar

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Environmental-Ethics-Really-Matters-Works/dp/0190259221 

2. “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” by Dan C. Shahar

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Its-OK-Eat-Meat/dp/0367172763

Will Clare Roberts - What Was Marx’s Relation To Liberalism?

Alex speaks with Professor Will Clare Roberts about Marx's life, his liberal past, and the relationship between the Marxist and liberal conceptions of freedom.

References

1. “Marx’s Inferno: The Political Theory of Capitalism” by William Clare Roberts

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Marxs-Inferno-Political-Theory-Capital/dp/0691172900 

2. “Capital: Volume I” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Kapital-ebook/dp/B002XHNMN0 

3. “The Civil War In France” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/ 

4. “The Paris Commune” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/ch05.htm 

5. “The International Workingmen’s Association: General Rules, October 1864” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/iwma/documents/1864/rules.htm 

6. “Free Time and Free People” by William Clare Roberts

Link: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/free-time-free-people/ 

7. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960 

8. “The Eighteenth Brumiare of Louis Bonaparte” by Karl Marx

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Brumaire-Louis-Bonaparte-Karl/dp/0717800563 

9. “Articles by Karl Marx in the New York Tribune, 1852-61” by Marxist Internet Archives

Link: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/newspapers/new-york-tribune.htm

James Harrigan - What Does Pop Culture Say About A Society?

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

Year in Review with Matt Bufton and Sabine El-Chidiac

Alex speaks with Curious Task Executive Producer Matt Bufton and Producer Sabine El-Chidiac about topics related to freedom from 2021, and reflect on their favourite moments and accomplishments from the past year of The Curious Task. 

References

1. “Welcoming Afghans to Canada” by the Government of Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/afghanistan.html?utm_campaign=gac-amc-afghanistan-21-22&utm_source=countrypageafghanistan&utm_medium=notice&utm_content=en 

2. “What is Classical Liberalism” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Nigel Ashford

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-1-nigel-ashford-%E2%80%94-what-is-classical-liberalism/ 

3. “Is Scarborough the Dining Capitol of the World?” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Tyler Cowen

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-100-tyler-cowen-%e2%80%94%c2%a0is-scarborough-the-dining-capital-of-the-world/ 

4. Learn more about the Institute for Liberal Studies here: 

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/about/ 

5. Learn more about Freedom Week hosted by the Institute for Liberal Studies here:

Link: https://www.liberalstudies.ca/freedom-week/ 

6. “How do We Bridge Divides” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Ben Klutsey

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-117-ben-klutsey/ 

7. “Do Markets Need Capitalism?” The Curious Task Podcast Episode by Gary Chartier

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-118-gary-chartier-do-markets-need-capitalism/

Tony Gill - Why Do We Give Gifts?

Alex speaks with Tony Gill about the pros and cons of gift-giving from an economist's perspective - just in time for the holiday season!

References

1. “Research on Religion” Podcast by Anthony Gill

Link: http://www.researchonreligion.org/ 

2. “The Comparative Endurance and Efficiency of Religion: A Public Choice Approach” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3400324 

3. “Gift Giving is Better for Society than Economists Think” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://aier.org/article/gift-giving-is-better-for-society-than-economists-think/ 

4. “The Dynamic Efficiency of Giving” by Anthony Gill

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/FDC663C9C0AC7498C8AD2811CDA77936/S1744137422000200a.pdf/the-dynamic-efficiency-of-gifting.pdf 

5. “Why Give Gifts?” Poem Reading by Anthony Gill

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQBxNO7ofI&ab_channel=UW%28UniversityofWashington%29 

6. “The Deadweight Loss of Christmas” by Joel Waldfogel

Link: https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/104699/original/christmas.pdf 

7. “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

Lotta Stern - Is Classical Liberalism Important for Sociology?

Alex speaks with Lotta Stern about the tendency in sociology to overlook voluntary actions and associations as a means of addressing some of the largest social challenges of our day, and about the importance of avoiding absolutism in sociological thinking.

References

1. “Class Origin and Elite Position of Men in Business Firms in Sweden, 1993-2007: The Importance of Education, Cognitive Ability, and Personality” by Eric Bihagen, Magnus Nermo, and Charlotta Stern

Link: https://academic.oup.com/esr/article-abstract/29/5/939/430557?login=false 

2. “Sociology and Classical Liberalism” by Daniel B. Klein and Charlotta Stern

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24562033 

3. “Social Darwinism” by History.com Editors

Link: https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/social-darwinism 

4. “Conflict Theory Definition, Founder, and Examples” by Adam Hayes

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/conflict-theory.asp#:~:text=Marxist%20conflict%20theory%20sees%20society,dominance%20of%20the%20ruling%20class

5. “Rent Seeking” by CFI Team

Link: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/rent-seeking/#:~:text=Rent%2Dseeking%20is%20a%20concept,the%20distribution%20of%20economic%20resources

Bill Glod - Is It Okay To Make Bad Choices?

Alex speaks with Bill Glod about bad choices, coercion, and paternalism in order to flesh out the ideas from his 2020 book "Why It's Okay To Make Bad Choices".

References

1. “Why It’s OK to Make Bad Choices” by William Glod

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Its-Make-Bad-Choices/dp/0367195178 

2. “Why it’s OK: The Ethics and Aesthetics of How We Live” Book Series by Routledge

Link: https://www.routledge.com/Why-Its-OK/book-series/WIOK?srsltid=AfmBOopRQGuXr21UGdvawsLMPBYdAoBPvZ_t_iAYHMvyFO6W_H3OfL4a 

3. “Why Paternalists and Social Welfarists Should Oppose Criminal Drug Laws” by William Glod and Andrew Jason Cohen

Link: https://philarchive.org/rec/COHWPA

Gary Chartier - Do Markets Need Capitalism?

Alex speaks with Gary Chartier about the varied ways in which the term "capitalism" is used today, the distinction between left-libertarianism and anarchism, and the future of market-based approaches to rooting out injustice from today's complex world.

References

1. “Public Practice, Private Law: An Essay of Love, Marriage, and the State” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Public-Practice-Private-Law-Marriage/dp/1316506088 

2. “Anarchy and Legal Order: Law and Politics for a Stateless Society” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-Legal-Order-Politics-Stateless/dp/1107661617 

3. “The Conscience of an Anarchist: Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the State and Build a Free Society” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Conscience-Anarchist-Good-Bye-State-Society/dp/1935942026 

4. “Markets not Capitalism: Individualist Anarchism Against Bosses, Inequality, Corporate Power, and Structural Poverty” by Gary Chartier

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Markets-Not-Capitalism-Individualist-Inequality/dp/1570272425 

5. “Intervention: An Economic Analysis” by Ludwig Von Mises

Link: https://store.mises.org/Interventionism-An-Economic-Analysis-P86.aspx 

6. “Freidrich August Hayek” by Econlib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Hayek.html#:~:text=The%20reason%20socialist%20economists%20thought,or%20small%20number%20of%20minds.

Ben Klutsey - How Do We Bridge Divides?

Alex speaks with Ben Klutsey about the political polarization that is endemic to American society today, and how novel attempts to bridge the divide are being made by both individuals and organizations.

References

1. “Overdoing Democracy: Why We Must Put Politics in its Place” by Robert B. Talisse

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Overdoing-Democracy-Must-Politics-Place/dp/0190924195 

2. Read more about Ben’s Pluralism and Civil Exchange program at the Mercatus Center here:

Link: https://www.mercatus.org/tags/pluralism-and-civil-exchange 

3. “Living Together with Deep Divides” by Ben Klutsey

Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/living-together-with-deep-divides 

4. “The Four Corners of Liberalism” by Emily Chamlee-Wright

Link: https://www.theihs.org/blog/the-four-corners-of-liberalism/ 

5. “Talking to Strangers: Anxieties and Citizenship Since Brown v. Board of Education” by Danielle Allen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0226014673?ref_=cb_interstitial_us_ca_desktop_rec_bullseye_unk_dp_dp

Jacob Levy - Why Is Montesquieu Important For Liberalism?

Alex speaks with Jacob Levy about Montesquieu's role in shaping contemporary political science, the American revolutionary project, and the role of the separation of powers as a bulwark against despotism. 

References

1. “Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rationalism-Pluralism-Freedom-Jacob-Levy/dp/0198808917 

2. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122 

3. “Montesquieu’s Constitutional Legacies” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1117087 

4. “Beyond Publius: Montesquieu, Liberal Republicanism, and the Small-Republic Thesis” by Jacob Levy

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=739447 

5. “The Spirit of Laws” by Charles Baron de Montesquieu

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Spirit-Laws-Charles-Baron-Montesquieu/dp/1616405287#:~:text=The%20Spirit%20of%20Laws%2C%20first,by%20the%20Roman%20Catholic%20Church. 

6. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes 

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm 

7. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm

Geoff Kellow - Do Markets Promote Virtue?

Alex speaks with Geoff Kellow about the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin and whether they can help us better understand the connection between markets and virtue.

References

1. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091 

2. “Benjamin Franklin and Adam Smith: Two Strangers and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Geoff Kellow

Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/50/2/321/134723/Benjamin-Franklin-and-Adam-SmithTwo-Strangers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext 

3. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

Dan Smith - Can The Rule of Law Fix Monetary Problems?

Alex speaks with Dan Smith about the lack of accountability in the contemporary world of monetary policy and why greater discretion may not be the answer.

References

1. “Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Money-Rule-Law-Predictability-Institutions/dp/1108479847 

2. “Who Is Ben Bernake? Why Is He Important?” by Julia Kagan

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/benbernanke.asp 

3. “Federal Reserve Independence” by Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135232 

4. “An Episodic History of Modern Fed Independence” by Daniel Smith and Peter Boettke

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135233 

5. “Everything You Need to Know About the Federal Reserve Scandal” by Better Markets

Link: https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-federal-reserve-trading-scandal-exposing-pandemic-profiteering-at-americans-central-bank-leadership-failures-cover-up/ 

6. “Sweep Accounts Definition: Types and How They Work” by Investopedia

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sweepaccount.asp 

7. “What LawMicro Has to Teach LawMacro: An Exploration of the Rule of Law and Monetary Policy” by Peter Boettke, Alexander Salter, and Daniel Smith

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4721380

Bruce Caldwell - How Did The Mont Pelerin Society Begin?

Alex speaks with Bruce Caldwell on the history of one of the world's most exclusive intellectual societies.

References

1. “Hayek’s Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F.A. Hayek” by Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biography-F/dp/0226091937 

2. “Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950” by Bruce Caldwell 

Link: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo136253636.html 

3. “Mont Pelerin 1947: Transcripts of the Founding Meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society” by Bruce Caldwell

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mont-P%C3%A8lerin-1947-Transcripts-Founding/dp/0817924841 

4. “Cicely Veronica Wedgewood” by The British Academy 

Link: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1408/97p521.pdf 

5. “Ludwig Von Mises” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Mises.html 

6. “Frank Hyneman Knight” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Knight.html 

7. “Lionel Robbins” by EconLib

Link: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Robbins.html 

8. “Marshall Plan (1948)” by National Archives 

Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan#:~:text=On%20April%203%2C%201948%2C%20President,economic%20infrastructure%20of%20postwar%20Europe.

Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli - Is Monarchy Absurd?

Alex Aragona speaks with Victor M. Muniz-Fraticelli about whether the monarchy might seem absurd, and whether a little absurdity can be a good thing. 

References

1. “The Monarchy and the Constitution” by Vernon Bogdanor

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Monarchy-Constitution-Vernon-Bogdanor/dp/0198293348

Maria Pia Paganelli - Why Read The Wealth of Nations?

Alex Aragona speaks with Maria Pia Paganelli as she sheds light on the historical context of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, and some of the surprising insights within it that make it more relevant than ever today. 

References

1. “The Routledge Guidebook to Smith’s Wealth of Nations” by Maria Pia Paginelli

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Routledge-Guidebook-Smiths-Wealth-Nations/dp/1138686158 

2. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960 

3. “The Adam Smith Problem in Reverse: Self-Interest in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Maria Pia Paginelli

Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/40/2/365/38402/The-Adam-Smith-Problem-in-Reverse-Self-Interest-in?redirectedFrom=PDF

Emily Nacol — Is Politics Risky Business?

Alex Aragona speaks with Emily Nacol as she breaks down both the origins and contemporary puzzles of the concept of risk.

References

1. "An Age of Risk: Politics and Economy in Early Britain" by Emily Nacol

Link: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691165103/an-age-of-risk?srsltid=AfmBOoqPrhGB4AqvPOCalJPxFfkdI6iTXt5dkYsLvm5jCerE2A063rcP 

2. “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960 

3. “Second Treatise of Government” by John Locke

Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm 

4. “A Treatise of Human Nature” by David Hume 

Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/bigge-a-treatise-of-human-nature 

5. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960

 

Andrew Sabl — What Is Realist Liberalism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Andrew Sabl as he explores what he means by "realist liberalism" and how it works to curb some of the misguided tendencies of other liberalisms.

References

1. Liberalism Beyond Markets by Andrew Stabl

Link: https://www.niskanencenter.org/liberalism-beyond-markets/ 

2. Realist liberalism: an agenda by Andrew Stabl

Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13698230.2017.1293916 

3. A Look Back: Sedition, Free Speech and the President by Scott Bomboy

Link: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-look-back-sedition-free-speech-and-the-president 

4. Presidential Power and Modern Presidents by Richard E. Neustadt

Link: http://ereserve.library.utah.edu/Annual/POLS/3150/Curry/neustadt.pdf  

5. “The Meaning of the Welfare State” by F.A. Hayek

Link: http://bev.berkeley.edu/ipe/Hayek%20The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Welfare%20State.pdf

Michelle Schwarze — Should We Sympathize With Resentment?

Alex Aragona speaks with Michelle Schwarze as she presents what she means by resentment, and whether there is a place for it in politics.

References

1. "Recognizing Resentment: Sympathy, Injustice and Liberal Political Thought" by Michelle Schwarze

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Recognizing-Resentment-Michelle-Schwarze/dp/1108478662 

2. Second Emancipation Proclamation letter from Martin Luther King to President Kennedy 

Link: https://www.crmvet.org/info/emancip2.pdf

Stefan Kolev — What Is Ordoliberalism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Stefan Kolev as he tours through the origins of Ordoliberalism and some of its fundamental principles.

References

1. When Liberty Presupposes Order: F. A. Hayek’s Contextual Ordoliberalism by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-history-of-economic-thought/article/when-liberty-presupposes-order-f-a-hayeks-contextual-ordoliberalism/E3B96673B94952167704B24FC3A91857 

2. “Old Chicago” and Freiburg: Why Ordoliberalism Was No “German Oddity” by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/07/25/chicago-freiburg-ordoliberalism-neoliberalism-germany/ 

3. The quote is from “Power Is Evil in Itself”: The Ordoliberal Quest for a Privilege-Free Order by Steven Kolev

Link: https://www.promarket.org/2021/03/28/ordoliberal-privilege-free-order-walter-eucken-franz-bohm-germany/

Travis Smith — The Tyranny of Which Majority?

Alex Aragona speaks with Travis Smith as he explores some key insights from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

References

1. “Superhero Ethics” by Travis Smith 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Superhero-Ethics-Comic-Heroes-World/dp/1599474549 

2. “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Tocqueville-Mansfield-Winthrop/dp/0226805360 

3. “Democracy in America, Volume 2” by Alexis de Tocqueville

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Vol-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0679728260