The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Caroline Breashears as she explores concepts from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, and connects them to various characters and stories in English literature.  References 1. “Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing and the 'Scandalous Memoir’” by Caroline Breashears Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Century-Womens-Writing-Scandalous-Memoir/dp/3319486543  2. “The Practical Morality of Life: Adam Smith, George Anne Bellamy, and the Theatre” Link: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-practical-morality-of-life.html  3. “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  4. “Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination” by J.K. Rowling Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Very-Good-Lives-Importance-Imagination/dp/0316369152  5. “1984” by George Orwell Link: https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934  6. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Frankenstein-Mary-Shelley/dp/1512308056  

Alex Aragona speaks with Pete Boettke as he presents his thinking on whether the world needs more classical liberalism, and how understanding the principles of liberalism might be the way to a better world.  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 

Alex Aragona speaks with James Otteson as he tours through the seven deadly sins of economics, and how they can avoiding them can improve your thinking on public policy and in personal matters. References 1. "Seven Deadly Economic Sins: Obstacles to Prosperity and Happiness Every Citizen Should Know" by James Otteson Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Deadly-Economic-Sins-Prosperity/dp/1108843379  2. “Adam Smith and the Great Mind Fallacy” by James Otteson  Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-philosophy-and-policy/article/abs/adam-smith-and-the-great-mind-fallacy/06F55076F21567E6F95D2310C4DDE540  3. Learn more about Dierdre McCloskey on her website  Link: https://www.deirdremccloskey.com  4. “The Confusion of Language in Political Thought” by F.A. Hayek Link: https://iea.org.uk/publications/research/the-confusion-of-language-in-political-thought

Alex Aragona speaks with Moshe Lander about the supposed economic benefits of building sports and entertainment stadiums, and why those claims may not be as accurate as most people may think.  References 1. “New Calgary event centre deal finalized, construction expected to begin in 2024” by Adam Toy Link: https://globalnews.ca/news/10007181/update-calgary-flames-arena-deal/

Alex Aragona speaks with Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili as she tours through some of her findings from Afghanistan, how she found Hayek in Afghanistan, and what the customs she observed say about polycentric authority and "anarchy as a policy alternative." References 1. “Land, the State and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/land-the-state-and-war/A7B8C98CB24780A3CC0EA1CD265D888A  2. “Informal Order and the State of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili  Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/5B0FB8D4B407988910AE737DB46C0E66  3. “Customary Organization and Support for the State” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/informal-order-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/customary-organizations-and-support-for-the-state/AD9A7954B84975E3C85854BE6B332D3C  4. “The Origins of Private Property Rights: States or Customary Organizations?” by Jennifer Murtazashvili  Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-institutional-economics/article/origins-of-private-property-rights-states-or-customary-organizations/7DA1623EC21CD53C9BAE843D2C2D38E5 5. “The Collapse of Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili  Link: https://www.murtazashvili.org/content/files/2022/01/Murtazashvili---2022---The-Collapse-of-Afghanistan.pdf  6. “Warlords, Strongman Governors and the State in Afghanistan” by Dipali Mukhopadhyay Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/warlords-strongman-governors-and-the-state-in-afghanistan/BCA6CD9EA581F78D88C295D613381835#fndtn-information

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task host Alex Aragona pointed to Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser as one of his favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release!  References from The Curious Task Special Episode 5 with Eric Schliesser Here is a list of Eric Schliesser’s publications. Dr. Karen Horn and Dr. Stefan Kolev’s joint work, entitled Economic Thinking, has a German version available for purchase on Amazon Canada at this link. Walter Lippmann’s book, The Good Society, which went on to become an international hit as for “its insight of neoliberalism as the intellectual status quo in the 19th century” can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Marxist Scholar David Harvey’s book, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, where he equated neoliberalism “to everything he hated about capitalism” is available on Amazon Canada at this link. Mishel Foucault’s lecture series where he traced the history of neoliberalism from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries was published as The Birth of Biopolitics, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Mark Buchanan’s article Wealth Happens analyzes the the “butchers and bakers” quote that was mentioned in passing by Alex Aragona at this online publishing from The Harvard Business Review. Milton Friedman’s article, Laws That Do Harm, is available for viewing at the Center of the American Experiment’s blog, which features the quote to “judge public policies by their results, not their intentions.” According to Eric Schliesser, the harm principle is a core liberal value and can be extended to markets. You can read about the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s lesson on John Stuart Mill’s version of the harm principle (Chapter 3.6) here. You can read Milton Friedman’s The Basic Principles of Liberalism here. You can watch Milton Friedman speak about the enemies of markets on the American Enterprise Institute’s website at this link. The Elgar Companian to the Chicago School of Economics can be purchased directly from the publishers here. Alex Aragona quotes this blogpost, How ‘Neoliberalism’ came to refer to Everything I reject from Digressions&Impressions.

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task producer Sabine El-Chidiac pointed to Episode 67 with Tom Palmer as one of her favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Tom Palmer talks about the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war, and why the concept of war might be closer to home than some might think. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release!  References from The Curious Task Special Episode 4 with Tom Palmer Tom Palmer’s book, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. Tom has additionally wrote and/or edited the following works: The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won't Tell You (link) After the Welfare State (link) Why Liberty (link) Self-Control or State Control? You Decide (link) Peace, Love, and Liberty - the basis of this episode from which many of quotes, interview references, and military case studies were selected (link) Dignity and Democracy with co-author Matt Warner (publication coming out next year) Erik Gartzke found that trading countries are less likely to war in his article, The Capitalist Peace, which is available online. Tom’s Interview with a Businessman for Peace with Chris Rufer on peacemaking in business and trade, appears in Chapter 4 of Peace, Love, and Liberty. Frédéric Bastiat’s was an economist and peace advocate who argued the costs of long-term consumption from tax-produced weaponry in his book, That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, which can be read on the Mises Institute’s website.   Robert Higgs’ article, Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s, (featured in The Journal of Economic History) clarified how productive efforts in jeeps and vans shipped to other countries do not constitute economic benefit due to the lack of private vehicle production. This article can be accessed here through an active JSTOR account or your educational institution. Tom’s essay, Peace is a Choice, presents a case study on political science professor and former US government official Madeline Albright and her view of the exemplary nation and how professors have a tendency to think about wars differently than those who have witnessed them. This is a chapter in Peace, Love, and Liberty. A transcript of Colin Powell’s infamous 2003 speech to the United Nations on the disarmament of Iraq which touches on themes of human lives and consequence can be read on The Washington Post archives. Tom’s recommended two German novels of the Great War to enrich an understanding of war from different perspectives on anguish and glory, respectively: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque (link) and Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (link). Parker Thomas Moon’s book, Imperialism and World Politics, highlights the devaluation of important political science questions when personal pronouns are employed during conflict. This book is available on Google Books at this link. Joshua Greene’s book discussing our psychological propensities to cooperate and designate teams to destroy other groups, Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them is available on Amazon Canada for purchase here. Robert Musil’s book, The Man Without Qualities, explores how a nation exists to offset responsibilities without remorse and is available for purchase on Amazon at this link. Samuel P. Huntington’s study, The Clash of Civilizations?, noting how much territory is under military control can be viewed at this link through an active JSTOR or partner institution account. Tom cites Carl Schmitt and his theory on the irreconcilibity of conflicts as a foundation for solidarity in the podcast. An overview of Schmitt’s essential works was published by John P. McCormick from the University of Chicago in the Annual Review of Political Science at this link. Chapter Five of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, covering the types of friendships human beings can have, was briefly mentioned on the podcast and can be read at this link courtesy of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences. Ernesto Laclau emphasizes the importance of identifying the enemy for successful populist rhetoric in his book, On Populist Reason, available on Amazon Canada here. George Orwell’s essay on how language can be operationalized to “obscure pure violence,” Politics and the English Language, can be accessed online at this link.

In Special Episode 2, Matt Bufton pointed to The Curious Task Episode 77 with James Tooley as one of his favourites. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release! References from The Curious Task Special Episode 3 with James Tooley The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West. This page will direct listeners to his various articles and reports. James’ book, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves is the basis of today’s discussion and can be purchased from Amazon Canada here.  You can read more about the John Templeton Foundation’s work at this link.  Here is a link to James’ case study research about for-profit private education in India. This is The Economist article about Indian private schools educating 50% of the population that James mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is a synopsis of The Elementary Education Act of 1870 which mandated public education for schoolchildren between five to thirteen years of age. James’ book with the Independent Institute, Really Good Schools can be purchased here.

To celebrate reaching 100 episodes, host Alex Aragona, producer Sabine El-Chidiac, and executive producer Matt Bufton look back on the origins and growth of the podcast, some of their favourite episodes, and so much more in this very special bonus episode.  References from The Curious Task Special Episode 2 with Matt Bufton, Sabine El-Chidiac and Alex Aragona You can listen to Graeme Thompson discuss Canadian Liberalism here. Dennis Rasmussen discusses if America failed here. The very first episode of The Curious Task with Nigel Ashford can be listened to here. Alex Salter talks about central banking on The Curious Task here. Matt mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Mustafa Akyol on freedom in the Muslim world here, and James Tooley on private education here. The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley can be purchased from Amazon here. Sabine mentions that two of her favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Tom Palmer on what is war good for here, and Jacob Levy on civil society here. Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob Levy can be purchased from Amazon here. Alex mentions that two of his favourite episodes on The Curious Task are Aeon Skoble on anarchy here, and Eric Schliesser on neoliberalism here. You can learn more about our Patreon here.

In honour of Steve Horwitz (1964-2021), we are re-releasing his conversation with Alex Aragona on what drives progress — a topic near and dear to Steve's heart. References from The Curious Task Special Episode 1 with Steve Horwitz  Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and Economic Order; and Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions which are available for purchase on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked). This article entitled Persistent Fallacies by Vuk Vukovic recounts the misconceptions surrounding growth and is a response to the book, Why Nations Fail, featuring an anecdote on Paul Samuelson’s forecast of the USSR overtaking the US economy that was referenced by Steve in the episode.    In case you missed Virginia Postrel’s episode on The Curious Task and wish to catch up with her research, her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. The Cato Institute published an article by Adam D. Thierer on permissionless innovation, which also provides an overview of Deidre McCloskey’s contributions to the theory. It can be read here.   You can read Steve’s article, Privilege and the Liberal Tradition, on libertarianism.org. Here is an excerpt on Ludwig’s von Mises’ concept of peaceful transference from his book, Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition.  You can learn more about Robert Higgs’ concept of regime uncertainty through this downloadable PDF published by the Independent Institute.  This article by Gerald P. O’Driscoll, Jr. is an introduction to “sound money” that Steve also talks about during the podcast.  You can watch Hans Rosling’s TED video on The Magic Washing Machine at this link.  The joint research on inequality published by Steve and Vincent Geloso is available for reading here.  Here is the article written by Steve on Tyler Cowen’s joint article on The Great Stagnation, which is also available for reading online at this link. Here is some more background on precision medicine that Steve mentions briefly on the podcast. Here is the link to the 2007 panel discussion with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that Alex mentions in the podcast.   The Back to the Future trilogy and Demolition Man can be purchased and/or streamed from Amazon Canada.  You can read more about John Stuart Mill’s “experiments of living” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s website (Chapter 4.6).