The Curious Task

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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

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.

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

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