Portraits of Liberty

Drawing from Hebert Spencer, Shyamji Krishna Varma, an Indian revolutionary and journalist, challenged British colonial rule. From his rise as a Sanskrit scholar to his establishment of India House and the Indian Sociologist in London, his work laid the foundation for a transnational anti-colonial movement. His life is a testament to how classical liberalism and the fight for self-determination were deeply intertwined in the battle against empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, remains one of the most principled pacifists in American political history. She was a vocal opponent of US intervention in European affairs in World War I and was the lone vote against US entry into World War II. Rankin endured harsh criticism for her choice for the rest of her political career. Rankin’s lifelong advocacy for women’s suffrage, social reform, and nonviolence cemented her legacy as a politician guided by conscience rather than political expediency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born in west Africa and kidnapped into slavery at age eleven, Olaudah Equiano endured the horrors of the Middle Passage before being sold to British and American masters. As an enslaved seaman, he traveled the world, gaining skills and knowledge that would later shape his abolitionist message. After purchasing his freedom, Equiano settled in London, where he became a leading voice against slavery. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, defied racist assumptions, advocating for economic prosperity through free trade rather than human bondage. By blending personal testimony with political and economic arguments, Equiano helped redefine abolitionist thought, paving the way for the eventual end of the transatlantic slave trade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From his critique of state-controlled education in “Baccalaureate and Socialism,” to his extensive correspondence with free-trade advocate Richard Cobden, to his independent political career in a tumultuous France, Bastiat’s insights are still applicable today. In this episode, we explore his lesser-known works and his reflections on freedom, self-ownership, and the dangers of state intervention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 16th-century Dominican theologian Francisco de Vitoria has been hailed as the father of international law. Vitoria's teachings at the University of Salamanca shaped the foundation of modern natural law and human rights, from his pioneering defense of indigenous rights in the New World to his profound contributions to political theory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born in 1851, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk distinguished himself as an economist, writing on theories of capital and interest. His work, Karl Marx and the Close of His System, remains one of the most thorough rebuttals of the labor theory of value. But beyond his work as an economist, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk put theory into practice as a statesman arguing against the rapid fiscal expansion of the Austrian state. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over his 60-year career, English philosopher Herbert Spencer discussed a myriad of topics, including ethics, political philosophy, sociology, and psychology. Central to his intellectual journey, however, was his exploration of evolution—a concept that shaped his vision for a freer world. Though his name may not be widely recognized today, Spencer was once one of the foremost advocates for liberalism across the globe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following World War II, Germany's economy was in ruins and was made even worse by ongoing price controls implemented by the state. Ludwig Erhard, an economist from a humble background, immediately abolished all price controls when elected director of economics in occupied Germany. The result is what economists and historians call an economic miracle, but what Erhard himself believed was the natural result of an economy freed from bureaucracy and state intervention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An episode interviewing senior fellow Mustafa Akyol about the life and legacy of Namık Kemal, the Ottoman journalist and author. Born into the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, Namık Kemal became a prolific journalist and reformer who advocated for constitutional government within the Ottoman Empire. His outlook was defined by his commitment to individual rights that are applied equally to everyone. Though exiled by the Ottoman state numerous times, Namık Kemal helped pave the way for constitutional government to take hold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born into poverty and indentured servitude, Lemuel Haynes became the most prominent black preacher of 18th-century America. He combined his experiences as a soldier of the American Revolution and a devout Calvinist to expound the philosophical principles of liberty. From the pulpit, he condemned slavery and upheld the principles of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.