The Curious Task

In this episode, Alex speaks with political theorist Ben Woodfinden about the meaning and complexity of Canadian conservatism. Drawing on his essay “A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism”, Woodfinden explains why conservatism in Canada is not a single rigid doctrine but a pluralistic network of regionally rooted traditions — from prairie populism and Western anti-elitism to Ontario’s old Toryism and Quebec’s nationalist strands. They unpack Canada’s unique confederation story, the idea of the Laurentian elite, and how any coherent conservatism must remain a coalition rooted in local distinctiveness and historical context. References “A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2022/08/17/ben-woodfinden-a-tory-impulse-and-anti-laurentian-ideas-drive-canadian-conservatism/ “Canada’s aspiring populists aren’t actually all that radical” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2022/05/27/canadas-aspiring-populists-arent-actually-all-that-radical/  “King Charles III and the glorious weirdness of Canada's monarchy” – Ben Woodfinden  https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ben-woodfinden-king-charles-iii-and-the-glorious-weirdness-of-canadas-monarchy  Ben's contributions to The Hub https://thehub.ca/author/benwoodfinden/  “Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism” by George Grant https://a.co/d/d0NQs95  “The Crooked Timber of Humanity” by Isaiah Berlin https://a.co/d/6l1wq3d  Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Professor Jacob Levy about the concept of neutrality within the history of liberalism and how many historical thinkers have approached the subject within that tradition.  Episode Notes: Michael Oakeshott on “adverbial rules” https://lawliberty.org/forum/michael-oakeshott-on-the-rule-of-law-and-the-liberal-order/  John Locke’s religious beliefs https://rb.gy/1yg43  Heresy of Americanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanism_(heresy)  Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Virtues Thesis https://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/bv_selection.pdf  Ronald Dworkin “Liberalism” https://www.scribd.com/document/313373358/Ronald-Dworkin-Liberalism#  Stephanie Slade, "Must Libertarians Care About More Than the State?" https://reason.com/2022/03/19/two-libertarianisms/  Alexis De Toqueville’s concerns about the rising liberal democratic order https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2018/08/09/de-tocqueville-and-the-french-exception  John Stuart Mill “On Liberty” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Liberty 

Episode Summary: Matt Bufton is joined by Bill Wirtz of the Consumer Choice Centre to explore why governments often crack down on fun—from drinking and smoking to gambling and vaping. They dive into the cultural and political roots of paternalistic policies, how public health rhetoric masks deeper control impulses, and why Canada offers a revealing case study in state-imposed virtue. Wirtz also highlights how prohibitionist instincts persist even when evidence contradicts their effectiveness. References “Children Are the Future: Authoritarianism, Culture War and Making Model Citizens” by Alan Elrod https://www.liberalcurrents.com/children-are-the-future-authoritarianism-culture-war-and-making-model-citizens/ That Which is Seen and That Which is Not Seen by Frédéric Bastiat https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/bastiat-selected-essays-on-political-economy#lf0181_head_009 The Fun Police – Podcast Series by Bill Wirtz https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fun-police/id1714265675 World Health Organization – Framework Convention on Tobacco Control https://fctc.who.int/ Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose” (PBS Series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngqR9gcDDw&list=PLt27lKoC5LS4wbD28Jkv95UUm9H7wbVO4 Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era. Episode Notes: Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica  Marx on Free Trade: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary  The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-5-eric-schliesser-%e2%80%94-what-is-neoliberalism/  Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League: https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/  Overview of the history of the Opium Wars: https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars.  A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration:  https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/ 

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Russ Roberts about the nature of education and how we should rethink it in today's world. This is a special episode being released in conjunction with this week's episode of Econtalk.  References 1. The Center for Experiential Learning at Washington University Link: https://olin.wustl.edu/student-resources/center-for-experiential-learning.php#:~:text=The%20Center%20for%20Experiential%20Learning,Driven%E2%84%A2%20practice%20and%20application.  2. EconTalk Podcast Link: https://simplecast.econtalk.org/  3. “How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness” by Russ Roberts Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life/dp/1591847958

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with David Friedman about defenses, definitions and critiques of Anarcho-Capitalism in David's work and in others'.  Episode Notes: - Summary of David's book "The Machinery of Freedom" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinery_of_Freedom  - Some of Ayn Rand's views on Libertarianism and Anarcho-Capitalism: http://aynrandlexicon.com/ayn-rand-ideas/ayn-rand-q-on-a-on-libertarianism.html  - Some of David's comments on his Father's views of his work can be found here: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2011/07/david_friedmans_1.html  - The Stanford Encyclopedia's entry on Anarchism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anarchism/#:~:text=Libertarianism%20and%20anarcho%2Dcapitalism%20also,the%20idea%20of%20social%20development.  - "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" - Robert A. Heinlein https://a.co/d/4gmWZrP  - "The Private Enforcement of Law" - Landes and Posner https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259376  - "Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers" - Gary S. Becker and George J. Stigler  https://laws21.classes.ryansafner.com/readings/Becker-Stigler-1974.pdf 

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal". Episode Notes: The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi  The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation  Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us  Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism  Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job  Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/ 

In a special episode of the Curious Task, Matt sits down with James Tooley and Robyn Mulcahy at Blueberry Creek Forest School and Nature Centre to discuss the benefits of private education, outdoor education programs including forest schools and the history of approaches around the globe that strive to offer students a more well-rounded alternative to government schools.  References: James’ profile at the University of Buckingham: https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/directory/professor-james-tooley/  Robyn’s bio on re-cognition: https://re-cognition.ca/portfolio-item/educators/  Blueberry Creek Nature Centre: https://re-cognition.ca/home-page/blueberry-creek-forest-and-nature-centre/  James’ Book “The Beautiful Tree”: https://a.co/d/9SbGCMp    Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask 

Janet speaks with Alan Elrod to explore how classical liberalism understands the role of children in a free society. They discuss the liberal view of children as future autonomous individuals, the responsibilities of both parents and the state in their development, and how education sits at the center of ongoing ideological battles. Elrod unpacks the liberal commitment to individual flourishing and critiques contemporary efforts to politicize childhood through authoritarian or illiberal frameworks.  References “Children Are the Future: Authoritarianism, Culture War and Making Model Citizens” by Alan Elrod https://www.liberalcurrents.com/children-are-the-future-authoritarianism-culture-war-and-making-model-citizens/ “Parents, Government and Children: Authority over Education in the Liberal Pluralist State” by William A. Galston (Chapter in Liberal Pluralism) https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/liberal-pluralism/parents-government-and-children-authority-over-education-in-the-liberal-pluralist-state/4FEF2172B5BD8B088A4D0558C11E1A1B The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo3619943.html Democratic Education by Amy Gutmann https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7sdfv On Liberty by John Stuart Mill https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34901 Taking Responsibility for Children edited by Samantha Brennan and Robert Noggle https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/T/Taking-Responsibility-for-Children Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Christopher Freiman as he explores why you might be happier, and ultimately contribute more to society, if you choose to ignore politics. References from Episode 31 with Chris Freiman: You can purchase Chris Freiman’s book when it’s out  here You can check out the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog here You can purchase Bryan Caplan’s book ‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ on Amazon Canada here