The Curious Task

Paige MacPherson - What Does School Choice Look Like?

Alex speaks with Paige MacPherson about school choice - and the lack thereof - in each of Canada's provinces today. 

References

1. Paige’s articles, The Fraser Institute

Link: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/profile/paige-macpherson 

2. Paige’s Blog

Link: https://www.paigetmacpherson.com/blog 

3. “Public, private, and charter schools: How they compare” by Understood

Link: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/public-private-and-charter-schools-how-they-compare 

4. “Explore: The Canadian education system by province and territory” by Future Learn

Link: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/canada-public-education-by-province

Emily Chamlee-Wright - Why Work To Advance Liberalism?

Alex speaks with Emily Chamlee-Wright about what exactly liberalism is and why it is worth defending in a world that can no longer take it for granted.

Chris Freiman - Why Not Anarchism?

Alex speaks with Chris Freiman about ideal theory and the case for no state being the best state in a perfect world. 

Lauren Hall - How Do Libertarians Approach The Family?

Alex speaks with Lauren Hall about the unique approach that libertarians and classical liberals take when it comes to questions of consent, rights, and agency with respect to family and children.

Moin Yahya - What Is Inflation Really?

Alex speaks with Moin Yahya about debates both new and old surrounding the causes and history of inflation.

Jen Dirmeyer - What Do Markets Do For Us?

Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives.

References

1. “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

Graeme Thompson - What Is Canadian Liberalism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like. 

References

• A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon here.
• Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher Pennington can be found from Penguin House here.
• Graeme Thompson’s piece “Whatever Happened to Laurier” can be found in the National Post here.
• Graeme mentions positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin, which is discussed on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy here.
• The works of Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, and J.S. Mill can be read for free through the Online Library of Liberty.

Peter Jaworski — What Is Libertarianism?

Alex Aragona speaks with Peter Jaworski as he explores his definition of libertarianism, and how different kinds of morality can lead to certain conclusions about libertarian institutions.

References

• Peter Jaworski is the co-author of the book, Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, which is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link.
• Peter mentions B. van der Vossen’s article on self-ownership published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which can be read here. The general article on libertarianism starts at this link.
• You can read more about Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations theory on the website, moralfoundations.org.
• Peter mentions the three-way division between people cited in Jason Brennan’s book, Against Democracy, which is also available on Amazon Canada at this link. 
• This article on libertarianism.org captures David Hume’s is-ought dichotomy that was briefly mentioned by Peter during the podcast. 
• The Acton Institute publishes many articles that demonstrate how their theological views endorse libertarian institutions on their website, acton.org.
• You can read John Stuart Mill’s libertarian conclusions in On Liberty at this link.
• Peter mentions Chris Freiman during the episode, who has published blogposts on learnliberty.org.   
• You can read more about the natural rights argument of Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this article on libertarianism.org. 
• The Lockean-Nozick justification of property rights has also been written about in this article on libertarianism.org.
  
• Here is the link to Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness, that explores the concept of ethical egoism.
• Michael L. Frazer has a book on Adam Smith’s theory of sentimentalism and how it departs from that of David Hume, which can be accessed here.
• You can purchase Michael Huemer’s book, Ethical Institutionalism, that was recommended by Peter at this link.
• Jan Narveson makes a contractarian case for libertarianism in this article on libertarianism.org.
• Here is Roderick Long’s article, Eudaimonist Libertarianism, that was published on bleedingheartlibertarians.org.
• Dan Sanchez published an article called, In Defense of Mises’s Utilitarianism, through the Mises Institute and is available for reading here.
• Here is Kevin Vallier’s article, A Rawlisan Case for Libertarianism, which also draws parallels to F. A. Hayek. 
• You can explore Milton Friedman’s natural rights-oriented political philosophy in his book, Capitalism and Freedom, which can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link.
• Here is a joint article by John Tomasi and Matt Zwolinski called, A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism, which was published in Cato Unbound and can be read at this link. 
• This is a link to the Libertarian Party of the United States.
• Deirdre McCloskey elaborated on her idea of The Great Enrichment in this article published on the Foundation for Economic Education.

Janet Bufton - Are Libertarians Liberals?

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians.

References from The Curious Task Special Episode 9 with Janet Bufton

• Janet Bufton manages the Liberal Studies Guides project and is a consultant at Adam Smith Works, whose websites have been hyperlinked.
• You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a system of natural liberty, the rules of commercial society, and the decisions people make at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at this link.
• Follow this link to learn more about the non-aggression principle as libertarian philosophy.
• In the podcast, Janet mentions Adam Smith’s caution against business people who can turn economic power into political power to harm consumers. His argument against monopolies was summarized by Heinz D. Kurz in the article, Adam Smith on markets, competition, and violations of natural liberty, available here.
• Alex and Janet discuss how Milton Friedman identified differently overtime: early into his career he described himself as a neoliberal, which is evident in his essay, Neo-Liberalism and its Prospects, (The Curious Task also dedicated Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser to discussing neoliberalism) and later as a “liberal without adjectives” on The Donahue Show, and towards the end of life, he advocates for consequentialist freedom (all references hyperlinked).
• Like Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard strongly identified as a libertarian (as evident in his work, For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, which can be accessed at this link) but along with Rockwell was a pioneer of the paleo-libertarianism movement which aimed to unite traditional conservatives. Its origin story first featured in Rothbard’s essay, Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement, which available for reading at this link.
• Here is the Wikipedia article for Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign, where he ran with the Republican Party on principles such as anti-war but economic freedom.
• Robert Nozick coined the term “nightwatchman state” in his work, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
• The Freeman was a libertarian magazine by the Foundation for Economic Education that was consulted by Ronald Reagan. Archives of the magazine can be accessed on the FEE’s website at this link.
• This link will direct you to a historical run-down of fusionism by Libertarianism.org.
• Janet references Steve Davies’s appearance to discuss the pandemic on Episode 45 of The Curious Task. If you would like a refresher on the topics covered in that episode, here is the link.
• More readings on cosmopolitanism are available at this link.

Jacob Levy — What Is Academic Freedom?

As we shift into our break, our first special episode is one of our recent favourites, Alex's chat with McGill University professor Jacob Levy about how he looks at the issue of academic freedom.

 

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. Jacob Levy's Episodes on The Curious Task 

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/?s=jacob%20levy

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

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?

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

Abigail Hall - How Does Government Propaganda Manufacture Militarism?

Alex speaks with Abigail Hall about propaganda - an elusive and at times far-reaching concept that can be found everywhere: from overt wartime speeches by presidents to covert uses of sports and film to promote the ends of state militarism.

References

1. “Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361 

2. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272 

3. Abigail Hall’s Previous Episode on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-13-abigail-hall-%e2%80%94-how-does-foreign-policy-create-a-boomerang-effect-at-home/ 

4. “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On 

5. “Uncle Sam” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam 

6. “Smith-Mundt Act” by US Agency for Global Media

Link: https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/smith-mundt/

7. “Dick Cheney” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dick-Cheney 

8. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Colin Powell (1937-2021)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/powell-colin-luther 

9. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954-)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/rice-condoleezza

10. “Pat Tillman” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Tillman

11. “The Life and Death of Phil Strub” by Spy Culture

Link: https://www.spyculture.com/the-life-and-death-of-phil-strub/

12. “Windtalkers” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245562/

13. “Top Gun” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/

14. "Transformers" by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/ 

Kevin Munger - Why Do Baby Boomers Still Dominate Politics and Culture?

Alex speaks with Kevin Munger about why the oft-parodied and dismissed subject of inter-generational conflict may help us to better understand current economic and policy trends in America and abroad.

References

1. “Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture” by Kevin Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Generation-Gap-Dominate-American-Politics/dp/B08ZK7YV47

Stephen Davies — What is Global Catastrophic Risk?

Due to Ottawa's electricity grids being all but completely destroyed after the city was treated to a derecho over the long weekend, we were unable to use our devices to produce episodes or the internet to upload a new one. For now, please enjoy a timely re-release of our conversation with Stephen Davies on global catastrophic risk.

References

1. “Empiricism and History” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Empiricism-History-Theory-Stephen-Davies/dp/0333964705 

2. “A Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought” by Nigel Ashford and Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Conservative-Libertarian-Routledge-Revivals/dp/0415670527 

3. “Apocalypse Next: The Economics of Global Catastrophic Risk” by Stephen Davies

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apocalypse-Next-Economics-Global-Catastrophic/dp/0255368216

Deirdre McCloskey - Why Does Liberalism Work?

Alex speaks with Deirdre McCloskey in a wide-ranging conversation that addresses the economic, philosophical, and political reasons why liberalism just works. 

References

1. “Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Liberalism-Works-Liberal-Prosperous/dp/0300235089 

2. “The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Virtues-Ethics-Age-Commerce/dp/0226556646 

3. “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain Modern World” by Dierdre Nansen McCloskey

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Dignity-Economics-Explain-Modern/dp/0226556743 

4. “Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World”

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Bourgeois-Equality-Capital-Institutions-Enriched/dp/022633399X 

5. “Dierdre N. McCloskey presents the lecture ‘The Impossibility of Policy’ hosted by the Erasmus Forum” by the Cato Institute

Link: https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/deirdre-n-mccloskey-presents-lecture-impossibility-policy-hosted 

6. “1984” by George Orwell

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934 

7. “Forever Flowing” by Vasily Grossman

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88459.Forever_Flowing 

Dwight Newman - How Can We Maintain The Rule Of Law In An Emergency?

Alex speaks with Dwight Newman, who encourages listeners to think critically about the use of emergency powers, the term "crisis", and recent events in the history of government limits on freedom and rights.

References

1. “The Duty to Consult: New Relationships with Aboriginal Peoples” by Dwight G. Newman

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Duty-Consult-Relationships-Aboriginal-Peoples/dp/1895830370 

2. “The Law of Canadian Constitution, 2nd Edition” by Guy Regimbald and Dwight Newman

Link: https://store.lexisnexis.ca/en/products/the-law-of-the-canadian-constitution-2nd-edition-i-lexisnexis-canada-skusku-cad-6117/details 

3. “Parliamentary Committee Notes: Overview - Freedom Convoy 2022” by Public Safety Canada

Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20221013/03-en.aspx 

4. “Canada’s Emergencies Act” by Department of Justice Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2022/02/canadas-emergencies-act.html 

5. “Legislation” by Canadian Security Intelligence Services 

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/legislation.html

Jason Lee Byas - How Should We Deal With Historic Injustice?

Alex speaks with Jason Lee Byas about the complexities of responding to questions of historic injustice, reparations, and compensation within a libertarian framework. 

References

1. Articles by Jason Lee Byas, Center for a Stateless Society 

Link: https://c4ss.org/content/author/jason-byas 

2. “Rectification and Historic Injustice” by Jason Lee Byas

Link: https://philpapers.org/archive/BYARAH.pdf 

3. “A Black Commons: A Framework for Recognition, Reconciliation, and Reparations” by Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone 

Link: https://www.academia.edu/113180745/The_Black_CommonsA_Framework_for_Recognition_Reconciliation_Reparations 

4. “Compensation for Historic Injustices: Completing the Boxill and Sher Argument” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40212837.pdf 

5. “Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions” by David Boonin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Should-Race-Matter-Unusual-Questions/dp/0521149800 

6. “The Ethics of Liberty” by Murray N. Rothbard

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594 

7. “Historical Rights and Fair Shares” by A. John Simmons

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3505011 

8. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy

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

9. “Apologies and Moral Repair: Rights, Duties, and Corrective Justice” by Andrew I. Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apologies-Moral-Repair-Corrective-Justice/dp/0367508036

David Friedman - What Does Law Have To Do With Economics?

Alex speaks with David Friedman about the history of legal systems around the world from an economic standpoint.

References

1. “The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to Radical Capitalism” by David D. Friedman

Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf 

2. “Law’s Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters” by David D. Friedman

Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Laws_Order_draft/laws_order_ToC.htm 

3. “Who Is David Ricardo and What Is He Famous For?” by the Investopedia Team

Link: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/david-ricardo.asp#:~:text=Ricardo's%20widely%20acclaimed%20comparative%20advantage,as%20compared%20to%20other%20nations. 

4. “Ordeals” by Peter T. Leeson

Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/664010

Ryan Patrick Hanley - What Is Our Great Purpose?

Alex speaks with Ryan Patrick Hanley about the enduring power of Adam Smith's contributions to not only political and moral philosophy, but to what it means to live a good life. 

References

1. “Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue” by Ryan Patrick Hanley 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Smith-Character-Virtue-Patrick-Hanley/dp/0521449294 

2. “Adam Smith: His Life, Though, and Legacy” by Ryan Patrick Hanley

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Life-Thought-Legacy/dp/0691154058 

3. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Adam Smith, Ryan Patrick Hanley, and Amartya Sen

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Moral-Sentiments-Adam-Smith/dp/0143105922 

4. “The Theory of Moral Sentiments and on the Origins of Language” by Adam Smith

Link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/smith-the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-and-on-the-origins-of-languages-stewart-ed 

5.  “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith

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

6. “Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life” by Ryan Patrick Hanley 

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Our-Great-Purpose-Living-Better/dp/0691179441