Russell Muirhead joins us to discuss the difference between conspiracism and conspiracy theory and how it has influence modern political discussions. Classic conspiracy theory insists that things are not what they seem and gathers evidence—especially facts ominously withheld by official sources—to tease out secret machinations. The new conspiracism is different. There is no demand for evidence, no dots revealed to form a pattern, no close examination of shadowy plotters. Dispensing with the burden of explanation, the new conspiracism imposes its own reality through repetition (exemplified by the Trump catchphrase “a lot of people are saying”) and bare assertion (“rigged!”).What makes a theory a conspiracy theory? What is ‘conspiracism’? What is the difference between gossip and news? What are the foundations of society and how are they fragile? Do people care about facts?Further Reading:A Lot of People Are Saying, written by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. RosenblumThe Promise of Party in a Polarized Age, written by Russell MuirheadConspiracy Without the Theory, written by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. RosenblumWhy conspiracy theories are getting more absurd and harder to refute, written by Sean IllingRelated Content:The Problem with “Fake News”, written by Ryan KhuranaIn the Pursuit of Self Government, Does Quality News Matter?, Anthony Comegna and Caleb O. BrownThe Coddling of the American Mind, Free Thoughts Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tyler Cowen joins us to discuss his new book; Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero. Throughout the conversation, Trevor and Aaron ask Tyler about crony capitalism, how Trump engages with big businesses, and the role of CEO’s. Cowen believes that big businesses are actually given a pretty unfair reputation as they create much more value than they are given credit for.Why is big business coming under heavier fire recently? How big is “big business”? Do CEO’s cheat more or less than others? Do you people like going to work and should they? How should big businesses interact with the federal government? How big is the finance world and is it too big? Why is a healthy financial sector important? If big business is good, why is it widely unliked?Further Reading:Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero, written by Tyler CowenConscious CapitalismBig Business Isn’t Big Politics, written by Tyler CowenMarginal RevolutionRelated Content:Why We’re Too Complacent, Free Thoughts PodcastHow Taxation Affects Income Inequality, Free Thoughts PodcastIs Capitalism Pro-Business?, Learn Liberty video with Steven Horwitz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Mack joins our show again to talk about common objections to libertarianism by dissecting John Rawls view of libertarianism. Many people have reservations about libertarianism because they see it as lacking compassion, but in the long-run people who are on the lowest rung of society do better in a free market system. Some others argue that there isn’t enough substance to libertarianism to live your life in that way, but Eric Mack consistently challenges that point of view throughout the episode. What are the objections to libertarianism? Why was John Rawls not a libertarian? What is the “difference principle”? Does free market economics raise the standard of living? How would libertarians help the ‘worst-off’? Are libertarians lacking compassion? What is a just society?Further Reading:Libertarianism (Key Concepts in Political Theory), written by Eric MackAnarchy, State, and Utopia, by Robert NozickRelated Content:Arguments for Liberty, edited by Aaron Ross Powell and Grant BabcockA Rawlsian Case for Libertarianism, written by Kevin VallierArguments for Liberty: Rawlsianism, Free Thoughts PodcastThe Intellectual Tradition of Libertarianism (with Eric Mack), Free Thoughts Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that Endgame has been released, we invited Jacob T. Levy to discuss the series as a whole. We talk about how it is possible to analyze the movies through a political lens, but it is important to remember that the message of many of these movies is metaphorical.Is Tony Stark a war monger? What does the Avengers series say about coercion and the abuse of power? What does society look like under the conditions of radical human ability? How should society function with extreme inequalities? Do super hero movies typically have a clean energy story? How do super heroes relate to liability insurance?Further Reading:Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame, written by Kurt LoderReview: What “Avengers: Endgame” Could Have Been, written by Richard BrodyThe Politics of “Avengers: Endgame”: Thanos, Iron Man, and the Malthusian extreme, written by Matthew RozsaRelated Content:10 Tips to Facilitate Collective Action from Elinor and Vincent Ostrom, written by Jayme LemkeAnarchism Versus Limited Government Abolitionism, written by George H. SmithUnbundling the State, Free Thoughts Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has the United States been a force for liberty around the world? Should it be? And if so, how? To answer these questions, Christopher A. Preble, in his new book, traces the history of U.S. foreign policy from the American Founding to the present, examining the ideas that have animated it, asking whether America’s policy choices have made the world safer and freer, and considering the impact of those choices on freedom at home. Preble explains the need to question the assumptions that drive American foreign policy in the modern era―especially the assumption that American politicians can and should forcibly remake the international order to suit their desires. What did Hayek think about foreign policy? What is the difference between preventive war and preemption? What should we do about genocide? What was the original purpose of the U.S. military and how has that changed over time?Further Reading:The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous and Less Free, written by Christopher PrebleThe Pentagon’s Accounting Problem, written by Christopher PrebleEnding the War in Afghanistan, written by Christopher PrebleRelated Content:Check back to the website on April 30, 2019 to download a free copy of Christopher A. Preble’s new book; Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign PolicyLibertarianism and War, featuring Christopher A. PrebleThree Arguments Against War, written by Jason KuznickiFree Thoughts/Power Problem Crossover: Are Libertarians Isolationists?, Free Thoughts Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Kuznicki joins us again to discuss the problem of political authority. His new book, Technology and the End of Authority: What is Government For?, examines the relationship between the state and technology over time. Technological developments may make the state more or less necessary over time, which is a consideration that is relatively new in the history of political philosophy, but increasingly important.What is the state? What is a nation? What is the difference between ‘the state’ and government? Why do libertarians oppose coercion? How has the state evolved over time? What is the ‘bundle theory’ of the state?Further Reading:Technology and the End of Authority: What is Government For?, written by Jason KuznickiMax Weber’s Theory of the Modern State, written by Andreas AnterThe Republic, written by PlatoRelated Content:Recognizing the State for What It Is, written by Aaron Ross PowellUnderstanding the Modern State, written by David S. D’AmatoPrivate Lives and Public Education, written by Jason Kuznicki Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No matter how often we debate America’s role in the world, we are not throwing around original ideas. This debate resurfaces each time we decide whether or not to intervene in a foreign country. It was the main discussion amongst Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst who favored imperial expansion while other notable intellectuals; Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie valued restraint. Stephen Kinzer joins us today to discuss how this original debate unfolded.What is manifest destiny? Who were the expansionists in 1898? Who was Henry Cabot Lodge? Who was William Randolph Hearst? What was Teddy Roosevelt’s view on war? How did the U.S. acquire Puerto Rico and Guam? What is plutocracy?Further Reading:The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire, written by Stephen KinzerJohn Winthrop Dreams of a City on a Hill, 1630Theodore RooseveltThe Spanish-American War in the Philippines and the Battle for Manilla, American ExperienceRelated Content:The World Wide Revolution, Liberty Chronicles PodcastImperialism, written by Stephen DaviesThe Conquest of the United States by Spain, written by William Graham Sumner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joshua Childress joins us today to explain why his growing dissatisfaction of his Customs Border Patrol work led him to resign. He thought he was joining a line of work that was deterring violent actors from entering the United States, but he quickly realized that the people he encountered on the border on a daily basis were not threatening and weren’t fitting the narrative he had been told.What is it like to be a Customs Border Patrol (CBP) agent? How do you train and prepare to become a CBP agent? Who do CBP agents stop at the southern border of the United States? Do migrants understand their constitutional rights? When do CBP agents separate children from their families?Further Reading:Why I Quit the Border Patrol, written by Joshua ChildressThis Border Patrol Agent Resigned After Changing His Mind About Immigration, ReasonTVRelated Content:You Are Now Free to Move About the Planet, Free Thoughts PodcastTrump’s Immigration Crackdown, Free Thoughts PodcastThe Libertarian Argument for Open Borders, written by Grant Babcock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout the history of America, we have used a variety of methods to tax the income of the public. Prior to the World War II only a fraction of the population actually made enough money to reach a taxable threshold. However, during and after the war, that threshold was lowered so much that about 90% of the population qualified for taxes to be automatically deducted from their paycheck. With that being said, there was also more deduction opportunities than their are today to avoid a large tax bill.What assumptions do we make about income inequality? Is economic inequality inherently bad? How high is income inequality in the U.S.? What is a marginal tax rate? What is tax planning? What is modern monetary theory and what is it missing?Further Reading:Anti-Piketty: Capital for the 21st Century, edited by Jean-Philippe Delsol, Nicolas Lecaussin, & Emmanuel MartinCapital in the Twenty-First Century, written by Thomas PikettyRelated Content:What Paul Krugman Got Wrong About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 70% Tax Rate, written by Michael MakoviTaxation: How the Government Funds Itself, Free Thoughts PodcastA Libertarian Approach to the Green New Deal, Building Tomorrow Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Madison would have turned 268 on March 16, 2019 so we dedicated a whole episode to him! Even though Madison was not a great president (be sure to check out our upcoming profile of him as part of our Everything Wrong with the President’s Series), he was a great American. He was skeptical about who he trusted, which made him ever-cautious of who to create alliances with. Also, he would be disappointed to learn that war has become a permanent backdrop to the conduct of federal affairs.Is impeachment a key remedy according to James Madison? What did James Madison think about going to war? What did Madison think of having a standing army? What did James Madison think of the Electoral College?Further Reading:Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power, written by Gene HealyRepeal, Don’t Replace, Trump’s War Powers, written by Gene Healy and John GlaserRemembering James Madison, written by John SamplesRelated Content:The Federalist No. 10, written by James MadisonJames Madison’s Vision of Liberty, written by John SamplesJames Madison and the Simple Truths of Classical Liberalism, written by Donald Kochan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.