

The Curious Task
Institute for Liberal Studies
We explore philosophy, politics, economics, and other ideas from a classical liberal perspective.
Episodes
Mentioned books

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/

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

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Read some of Cory’s published and unpublished pieces on prison abolition here: thttp://corymassimino.com/tag/prison-abolition/

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

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

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

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.

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

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/

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