The Curious Task

Institute for Liberal Studies
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Nov 15, 2023 • 1h 11min

Brad Lips - Is The Liberty Movement In Trouble?

Sabine speaks with Atlas Network's Brad Lips about what's in store for the liberty movement all over the world.  Episode Notes:  - The Atlas Network  https://www.atlasnetwork.org/who-we-are  - Brad's book "Liberalism and the Free Society in 2021" https://a.co/d/0Bcor8q  - The Free Market Foundation https://freemarketfoundation.com/  - Article summarizing Margaret Thatcher's relationship with Anthony Fisher https://philanthropydaily.com/margaret-thatcher-and-antony-fisher-free-markets-and-philanthropy/  - Watler Williams on South Africa https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_opinion/walter-williams-ridding-south-africa-of-apartheid-and-what-replaces-it-column/article_da26121e-ad32-11e8-ba86-7783725cd2d4.html  - Centre for Civil Society in India https://ccs.in/ 
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Nov 8, 2023 • 1h 9min

Mark Mercer - What’s Wrong With Universities?

Matt speaks with Mark Mercer about academic freedom, the changing mission of universities themselves, and what role faculty, administrators, and students should play in shaping the future of the institution.  References: Mark’s Interview in C2C Journal: https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/05/confronting-the-post-academic-university-in-conversation-with-mark-mercer/   Peter March at St. Mary’s: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/students-protest-prof-who-posted-cartoons-1.623017  Kathleen Lowrey at University of Alberta: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/u-of-a-professor-says-she-was-dismissed-over-views-that-biological-sex-trumps-transgender-identity-for-policy-decisions  Tomáš Hudlický at Brock University: https://niagaraindependent.ca/remembering-professor-tomas-hudlicky-and-how-poorly-brock-university-treated-him/  The Chicago Principles: https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdf   
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Nov 1, 2023 • 1h 7min

Cory Massimino - How Do We Abolish Prisons?

Alex speaks with Cory Massimino about the concept of prison abolition and how this position corresponds with natural rights theory and recent movements demanding the end of prisons as we know them.  Read some of Cory’s published and unpublished pieces on prison abolition here: thttp://corymassimino.com/tag/prison-abolition/ 
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Oct 25, 2023 • 1h 5min

Seth Kaplan - Why Are Neighbourhoods Important?

Matt speaks with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods, and why a decision as simple as where we choose to live can often make the difference between lives of prosperity and lives of uncertainty and strife.  Seth's book can be ordered here: https://a.co/d/aqUzRny 
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Oct 18, 2023 • 60min

Noah Schwartz - Does Canada Have A Gun Problem?

In March of 2023, Alex spoke with Noah Schwartz about gun control in Canada and how recent attempts to review firearms policy have failed to address root issues and the causes of violence and crime. References 1. “On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling, and the NRA” by Noah Schwartz Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Target-Gun-Culture-Storytelling-NRA/dp/1487548443/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=  2. “Firearms Act, 1995” by Justice Laws Website Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/f-11.6/  3. “Firearms Licensing” by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Link: https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/licensing  4. “A Right to Bear Arms? Canadian Cases” by Leonid Sirota Link: https://doubleaspect.blog/2012/04/15/a-right-to-bear-arms-canadian-cases/  5. “Nova Scotia Shooting Incident - Timeline” by Public Safety Canada Link: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200730/021/index-en.aspx  6. “Bill C-21” by the Parliament of Canada Link: https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-21
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Oct 11, 2023 • 1h 10min

Monica Guzman - How Can Curiosity Fix Polarization?

In April of 2023, Alex speaks with Monica Guzman about the need for curiosity as a remedy for the increasing polarization in American discourse and her recent book on the subject "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times" Monica's book: https://a.co/d/j6xKME7 
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Oct 4, 2023 • 1h 5min

Kevin Vallier - Must Politics Be War?

Kevin Vallier, an expert on conflicts in politics and the aggravating effects of ideology, discusses the role of trust and liberal institutions in politics. The conversation explores the measurement and restoration of social trust, the importance of trust in resolving conflicts and avoiding dehumanization, and the significance of trust in social interactions and political institutions. Vallier also delves into the concept of toleration in liberalism and advocates for the restoration of trust through more liberal arrangements.
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Sep 27, 2023 • 1h 9min

Jayme Lemke - Who Was Elinor Ostrom?

Alex speaks with Jayme Lemke about the life, work, and legacy of American Nobel Prize-winning political economist Elinor Ostrom. References 1. “Elinor Ostrum and the Bloomington School: Building a New Approach to Policy and Social Sciences” by Jayme Lemke and Vlad Tarko Link: https://www.amazon.com/Elinor-Ostrom-Bloomington-School-Building/dp/0228004152  2. Elinor Ostrum Publications  Link: https://ostromworkshop.indiana.edu/library/bibliographies/ostrom-elinor.html  3. Elinor Ostrum Fellowship, Mercatus Centre Link: https://www.mercatus.org/students/elinor-ostrom-fellowship
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Sep 20, 2023 • 1h 13min

Alex Aragona - 200th Episode Celebration

Sabine interviews our regular host Alex Aragona as they discuss the first 200 episodes of The Curious Task. References 1. Camden Hutchison’s episode “Why Restrict Freedom of Expression” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/?s=hutchison  2. Sigal Ben-Porath’s episode “How Can Speech Be Protected on Campus” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-11-sigal-ben-porath-%e2%80%94-how-can-speech-be-protected-on-campus/  3. Jacob Levy’s episode “What is Academic Freedom?” of The Curious Task Podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-137-jacob-levy-what-is-academic-freedom/  4. “Different Kinds and Degrees of Private Censorship Matter” by Alex Aragona Link: https://speaking-liberally.com/2021/04/13/different-kinds-and-degrees-of-private-censorship-matter/  5. Nathan Goodman’s episode “What Does Immigration Have to Do With Climate Change” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-199-nathan-goodman-what-does-immigration-have-to-do-with-climate-change/  6. Fiona Harrigan’s episode “How Does Immigration Make Us Freer?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-188-fiona-harrigan-how-does-immigration-make-us-freer/  7. Chandran Kukuthas’ episode “What’s Wrong With Immigration Control?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-127-chandran-kukathas-what-s-wrong-with-immigration-control/  8. Sabine El-Chidiac and Peter Jaworski’s episode “Does Immigration Make A Better World?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-134-sabine-el-chidiac-and-peter-jaworski-does-immigration-make-a-better-world/ 9. Paige MacPherson’s episode “What Does School Choice Look Like?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-151-paige-macpherson-what-does-school-choice-look-like/  10. James Tooley’s episode “Is Low-Cost Private Education Possible?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-3-james-tooley%c2%a0%e2%80%94-is-low-cost-private-education-possible/  11. James Harrigan’s episode “What’s Wrong With Utopias?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-187-james-harrigan-what-s-wrong-with-utopias/  12. Rachel Lomasky’s episode “Can A.I. Be Ethical?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-168-rachel-lomasky-can-ai-be-ethical/  13. Thomas Bunting’s episode “What Can Baseball Teach Us About Politics?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-168-rachel-lomasky-can-ai-be-ethical/  14. Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire’s episode “Why Tweet the Wealth of Nations” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-98-janet-bufton-and-sarah-skwire-%e2%80%94-why-tweet-the-wealth-of-nations/  15. Nimish Adhia’s episode “Did Bollywood Liberalize India?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-52-nimish-adhia-%e2%80%94-did-bollywood-liberalize-india/  16. Chris Freiman’s episode “Is It Okay to Ignore Politics?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-31-christopher-freiman-%e2%80%94-is-it-okay-to-ignore-politics/  17. Jessica Flannigan’s episode “Should We Legalize All Drugs?” of The Curious Task Podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-9-jessica-flanigan-%e2%80%94-should-we-legalize-all-drugs/  18. Mike Munger’s episode “Is Price Gouging Wrong?” of The Curious Task  Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-39-mike-munger-%e2%80%94-is-price-gouging-wrong/ 19. Dan Shahar’s episode “Is It Okay to Eat Meat?” of The Curious Task podcast Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-125-dan-shahar-is-it-okay-to-eat-meat/
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Sep 13, 2023 • 1h 1min

Nathan Goodman - What Does Immigration Have To Do With Climate Change

Alex speaks with Nathan Goodman about the implications of Climate Change for immigration policy and how coercion and polycentricity factor into that conversation. References:  - Adapting to Climate Change through Migration: Justus Enninga and Nathan Goodman https://www.thecgo.org/research/adapting-to-climate-change-through-migration/  - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/summary-for-policymakers/#:~:text=Climate%20change%2C%20through%20hazards%2C%20exposure,adapt%20and%20mitigate%20within%20limits  - Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems: Elinor Ostrom https://www.jstor.org/stable/27871226  - The case for open immigration Chandran Kukathas https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/237298126.pdf     

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