The Curious Task

Pete Boettke — Is a Better World Possible?

Economist Pete Boettke joins Alex to discuss the promise of liberalism in creating a better world. (This episode originally aired Aug 21, 2021.)

References

1. “The Struggle for a Better World” by Pete Boettke

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876 

2. “Hayek on the Role of Reason in Human Affairs” by Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Link: https://isi.org/hayek-on-the-role-of-reason-in-human-affairs/#:~:text=Hayek's%20argument%20is%20primarily%20directed,socially%20autonomous%20human%20reason%20capable 

3. Read more about Frederick Douglass and Lysander Spooner on Abolitionism 

Link: https://teachdemocracy.org/images/pdf/Abolitionists-and-the-Constitution.pdf 

4. “National Economic Planning: What is Left?” by Don Lavoy

Link: https://www.amazon.com/National-Economic-Planning-What-Left/dp/1942951264 

5. “Politically Impossible” by W.H. Hutt

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/politically-impossible 

6. “The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy” by Lionel Robbins

Link: https://mises.org/library/book/theory-economic-policy-english-classical-political-economy 

7. “Liberty’s Dawn: A People's History of the Industrial Revolution” by Emma Griffin

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertys-Dawn-Peoples-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0300205252 

8. “So Who is Carmen Segarra? A Fed Whistleblower Q&A” by Jake Bernstein

Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/so-who-is-carmen-segarra-a-fed-whistleblower-qa 

9. “Rothbard and the Nature of the State” by Matt Palmer

Link: https://mises.org/mises-daily/rothbard-and-nature-state 

10. “Libertarianism as Humanism: Remembering Steve Horwitz” by Trevor Burrus

Link: https://www.cato.org/blog/libertarianism-humanism-remembering-steve-horwitz 

Matt Bufton - What Is The Future Of Liberalism From 2022?

Alex speaks with Matt Bufton about the effects of pandemic policy, impending war and populism on a once-optimistic outlook for liberalism's future.

References

1. Institute for Liberal Studies 

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

2. “What is the Future of Liberalism” The Curious Task Episode with Matt Bufton

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-22-matt-bufton-%e2%80%94-what-is-the-future-of-liberalism/ 

3. “Portland Protesters Create ‘Autonomous Zone’ by Pitching Tents, Rebuilding Barricades Removed by Police” by Danielle Wallace

Link: https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-protest-autonomous-zone-tents-barricade-seattle-chop-chaz 

4. “Ukraine in Maps: Tracking the War in Russia” by the BBC Visual Journalism Team

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682 

5. “Government of Canada prohibits Russian aircraft to enter Canadian airspace” by Transport Canada

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/02/government-of-canada-prohibits-russian-aircraft-to-enter-canadian-airspace.html

Mike Munger - What’s Wrong With Anti-Trust and Industrial Policy?

Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the concept of monopoly and the history of anti-trust and industrial policy in America. 

References

1. “Is Capitalism Sustainable?” by Michael Munger

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Sustainable-Michael-Munger/dp/1630691739 

2. “Michael Munger on Antitrust” Podcast by Econlib

Link: https://www.econtalk.org/michael-munger-on-antitrust/ 

3. “The Antitrust Laws” by the Federal Trade Commission

Link: https://www.ftc.gov/advice-guidance/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws 

4. “The Antitrust Paradox” by Robert H. Borke

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Antitrust-Paradox-Robert-H-Bork/dp/1736089706 

5. “Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall)” by Federal Reserve History

Link: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/glass-steagall-act#:~:text=The%20Glass%2DSteagall%20Act%20effectively,Roosevelt%20in%20June%201933

Bryan Caplan - How Do We Fix The Housing Crisis?

Alex speaks with Bryan Caplan about his novel solutions to the housing crisis, his affinity for graphic novels as a teaching tool, and the market-based approaches that are already working despite what our psychology is leading us to believe.

References

1. “The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Rational-Voter-Democracies-Policies/dp/0691138737 

2. “The Case Against Education: Why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Case-against-Education-System-Waste/dp/0691174652 

3. “Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Open-Borders-Science-Ethics-Immigration/dp/1250316960 

4. “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being A Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Selfish-Reasons-Have-More-Kids/dp/0465028616 

5. “Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Build-Baby-Science-Housing-Regulation/dp/1952223415 

6. “Build, Baby, Build: Now Under Construction” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.econlib.org/build-baby-build-now-under-construction/ 

7. “Laisseze-faire” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/money/laissez-faire 

8. “Labour Econ Versus the World: Essays on the World’s Greatest Market” by Bryan Caplan

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Labor-Econ-Versus-World-Greatest/dp/B09QF44HHG

Andrew Smith - Do Entrepreneurs Help Create Peace?

Alex speaks with Andrew Smith about capitalist peace theory and discusses a Canadian case study as an example of mutually beneficial exchange leading to peace and prosperity. 

References

1. “Canadian Entrepreneurs and the Preservation of the Capitalist Peace in the North Atlantic Triangle in the Civil War Era, 1861-1871” by Andrew D. Smith and Laurence B. Mussio

Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/abs/canadian-entrepreneurs-and-the-preservation-of-the-capitalist-peace-in-the-north-atlantic-triangle-in-the-civil-war-era-18611871/228FB9ECC4A2E2BA40799185F77B0239

Adam Gurri - What ls Mere Liberalism?

Alex speaks with Adam Gurri about how the large umbrella of liberalism under which a number of movements, systems of thought, and ideological identities may have more in common than is often thought. 

References

1. Liberal Currents Magazine

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/ 

2. Embodiment and Exclusion Blog

Link: https://embodimentandexclusion.com/ 

3. Jacobin Magazine

Link: https://jacobin.com/ 

4. “The Communitarian Critique of Liberalism” by Michael Walzer

Link: https://www.ias.edu/sites/default/files/sss/pdfs/Walzer/CommunitarianCritiqueLiberalism.pdf 

5. Matthew McMannis Articles

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/mattmcmanus/ 

6. “Private Government: How Employer’s Rule our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk about It)” by Elizabeth Anderson

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Private-Government-Employers-Lives-about/dp/0691176515 

7. Alex Aragona Articles

Link: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/alexaragona/

Chandran Kukathas - What’s Wrong With Immigration Control?

Alex speaks with Chandran Kukathas about the costs of limiting immigration and what effects there may be on policy if the question of who counts as an immigrant is itself unclear.

References

1. “Immigration and Freedom” by Chandran Kukathas

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Immigration-Freedom-Chandran-Kukathas/dp/0691189684

Stephen Davies - What Is Global Catastrophic Risk?

Alex speaks with Steve Davies about the meaning of "Global Catastrophic Risk", and what it can reveal about how restructuring our understanding of big gambles can help us combat the threats of pandemics, climate change, and even technological singularity. 

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

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