The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Janet Bufton as she explores where and how the tenets of classical liberalism come into play for those who call themselves libertarians. References from Episode 72 with Janet Bufton Janet Bufton manages the Liberal Studies Guides project and is a consultant at Adam Smith Works, whose websites have been hyperlinked. You can read more about Adam Smith’s thoughts on a system of natural liberty, the rules of commercial society, and the decisions people make at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at this link. Follow this link to learn more about the non-aggression principle as libertarian philosophy. In the podcast, Janet mentions Adam Smith’s caution against business people who can turn economic power into political power to harm consumers. His argument against monopolies was summarized by Heinz D. Kurz in the article, Adam Smith on markets, competition, and violations of natural liberty, available here. Alex and Janet discuss how Milton Friedman identified differently overtime: early into his career he described himself as a neoliberal, which is evident in his essay, Neo-Liberalism and its Prospects, (The Curious Task also dedicated Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser to discussing neoliberalism) and later as a “liberal without adjectives” on The Donahue Show, and towards the end of life, he advocates for consequentialist freedom (all references hyperlinked). Like Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard strongly identified as a libertarian (as evident in his work, For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, which can be accessed at this link) but along with Rockwell was a pioneer of the paleo-libertarianism movement which aimed to unite traditional conservatives. Its origin story first featured in Rothbard’s essay, Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement, which available for reading at this link. Here is the Wikipedia article for Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign, where he ran with the Republican Party on principles such as anti-war but economic freedom. Robert Nozick coined the term “nightwatchman state” in his work, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link. The Freeman was a libertarian magazine by the Foundation for Economic Education that was consulted by Ronald Reagan. Archives of the magazine can be accessed on the FEE’s website at this link. This link will direct you to a historical run-down of fusionism by Libertarianism.org. Janet references Steve Davies’s appearance to discuss the pandemic on Episode 45 of The Curious Task. If you would like a refresher on the topics covered in that episode, here is the link. More readings on cosmopolitanism are available at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with David Skarbek as he explores the different governance structures that prisoners live under and create in prisons around the world. References from The Curious Task Episode 71 with David Skarbek You can purchase The Puzzle of Prison Order by David Skarbek He looks specifically at the American prison system in his earlier book The Social Order of the Underworld, which is available for purchase here.

Alex Aragona speaks with Mustafa Akyol as he explores whether Islam can be compatible with liberalism, and his recent research on freedom in Muslim-majority countries. References from Episode 70 with Mustafa Akyol Mustafa Akyol is the author of Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next? (Turkish), Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty, The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims, and his book set for release in April 2021, Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (all available titles hyperlinked to Amazon Canada store pages). You can read Mustafa’s articles featured on his profile on the CATO Institute’s website at this link. The concluding segment of this podcast was dedicated to discussing Mustafa’s findings in his study, Freedom in the Muslim World, which was published on the Cato Institute’s website and is available for reading here. Mustafa quotes the observation that Islam had compatible socio-legal setups for embracing liberal society early on had it abided by its foundational teachings from Professor David Forte’s article, Islam’s Trajectory. This article can be read on the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s website at this link. One of the themes in his upcoming book, Reopening Muslim Minds, Mustafa cites Ash’arism as one of the theological paradigms predating modernity which gave rise to the insularity in Islamic philosophy towards thoughts not originating from revelation. The journal Studia Islamica has an article recounting the religious history of Ash’arism and can be accessed at this link through an active JSTOR account. Mustafa briefly mentions the Euthyphro Dilemma (Wikipedia), Divine Command Theory (Michael W. Austin, Eastern Kentucky University), and Ethical Objectivism (Oxford Reference) whilst discussing the different camps in Islamic thought. More can be read about these topics through their respective hyperlinks. You can read more about philosopher John Locke’s premises on toleration of religion and heresy here (A Letter Concerning Toleration courtesy of McMaster University), as well as his view on the separation of church and state at this link (Liberty Fund). While literature on Islamic liberalism is vast, a good place to start is this article titled What Is Liberal Islam?: The Sources of Enlightend Muslim Thought featured in the Journal of Democracy at this link. This article on Deutsche Welle summarizes the domestic and international tensions stemming from the cartoons of religious caricatures that were published in France. Mustafa quotes Daniel Philpott’s book, Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (available on Amazon Canada), about how Islam “had seeds of freedom, but those seeds need to be cultivated.” You can read the excerpt where the French jurist, Jean Bodin, commended the religious freedom of the Ottoman empire compared to the denominational violence amongst Christians in Europe in Daniel Goffman’s book, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe here. Here are Wikipedia articles to the controversy of Islamic scarfs in France, policing over the burkini, and Saudi Arabia’s legislation on public head coverings for women.

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier as he explores the different tenets of political and social polarization, and whether the divisions we're seeing today can be reversed. References from Episode 69 with Kevin Vallier Kevin Vallier is the author of Liberal Politics and Public Faith: Beyond Separation, Must Politics Be War?: Restoring Our Trust in Open Society, and Trust in a Polarized Age, which is the basis of this episode’s discussion. All books are available on Amazon Canada (titles hyperlinked). Kevin talks about the two empirical literature camps on social trust: one is the economics, lab-based games of trust; the second is macro-survey data provided by institutions such as the World Values Survey, the General Social Survey, the American National Election Studies, and barometers (Afrobarometer, Eurobarometer). All names are hyperlinked. This is a link to the Corporate Finance Institute’s overview of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Kevin briefly mentions the Georgia Secretary of State’s certification of the election outcome disputing voter fraud. A report of the Secretary of State’s statements can be read here. Here is a brief overview of the contact hypothesis by the American Psychological Association, which Kevin contrasted to in the podcast with a lack of contract enforcement and the ill-definition of property titles which do not result in economic interactions being trust-building. Kevin discusses legislation such as For the People Act of 2019 as a possible remedy to polarization. This specific Act contained legal rulings on automatic voter registration, delays in joining the private sector, and divestment requirements. It is available for reading on the United States’ Congress website at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with Sabine El-Chidiac as she explores the different ways civil society solutions help refugees succeed when they move to their new home. References from Episode 68 with Sabine El Chidiac You can find Sabine's work on this topic mentioned in the podcast at Police Options here The Government of Canada’s website contains a list of all the programs under which economic immigrants are admitted into Canada. Here is some more information about the express entry pathway. As Sabine noted in the podcast, admission under the Provincial Nominee Program is dependent upon what the destination province deems to be their biggest occupational and employment goals and needs. This link provides a brief overview of the program and hyperlinks to province-specific guidelines. You can read more about the UNHCR’s Refugee Status Designation process on their website here, as well as their procedural standards here. This is the link to the Government of Canada’s guide to the private refugee sponsorship process. Sabine mentioned the work of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto to accommodate and build a community for refugees by performing fundraisers and food drives amongst the parishioners. You can read their mission statement on their website. Sabine’s article, The success of the privately sponsored refugee system, discusses some of the themes from this podcast, such as the principle of civil society, and is available for reading on Policy Options. Here is a link to the Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2016. It compares the outcomes, living standards, and satisfaction of government and privately sponsored Syrian refugees between 2015-2016. This is a link to the joint statement to the UN General Assembly by the Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand speaking in favour of community-led sponsorship approaches that Alex briefly mentions on the podcast. Here is a link to the official PSR cap published by the Government of Canada. Some examples of the lobbying against PSR caps include the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association. Alex and Sabine discuss Danby Appliances’ CEO Jim Estill’s sponsorship and hiring of over fifty refugee families in Guelph, Ontario. You can read more about this in the article linked here. On the podcast, Sabine shares the inspiring story coming out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia with regards to how the refugees who were once sponsored to the area eventually became systems of support for new incoming refugees. You can follow the community work for refugees in Haida Gwaii through one of their local newspaper’s website.

Alex Aragona speaks with Tom Palmer as he explores the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war. References from Episode 67 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.

Alex Aragona speaks with Virginia Postrel as she explores how her newest book traces how textiles shaped our modern societies. References from Episode 66 with Virginia Postrel Virgina Postrel is the author of The Power of Glamour: Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion; The Substance of Style: How The Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness; The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress, and The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, featuring the majority of this episode’s quotes and chapter references. All titles are available for order on Amazon (book titles are hyperlinked). Steve Horwitz’s book, Hayek's Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions, commentates gender roles over time and can be purchased from Amazon Canada at this link. Virginia mention’s David Friedman’s study on Medieval Iceland’s cloth currency and can be read here. John Styles, a historian of the industrial revolution, noted how Northern Italy outnumbered Lanarkshire’s water-powered factories in his work, Fashion, Textiles and the Origins of Industrial Revolution, available at this link. You can learn more about the Caraglio silk-throwing mill in Piedmont, Italy that Virgina recommends in the podcast at this link.

Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Merkley as he explores the reasons why the public often mistrusts experts. References from Episode 65 with Eric Merkley Eric has a list of his publications on his website.  Alex references the following excerpts from Eric’s article “Anti-Intellectualism, Populism, and Motivated Resistance to Expert Consensus,” which can be accessed through an active account with Oxford Academic or your Institution at this link: “… anti-intellectualism, the generalized mistrust and suspicion of intellectuals and experts...” “Populism and anti-intellectualism have a complex relationship. They are connected to one another, but the latter should not be seen as a component of the former.” Alex also references the following excerpts from Eric’s article “Are Experts (News)Worthy? Balance, Conflict, and Mass Media Coverage of Expert Consensus,” which can be accessed through an active account with Taylor and Francis Online or your Institution at this link: “The fault for sharply diverging opinions between experts and the public may not entirely rest with citizens, however. Scholars must also be attentive to the political information environment – the information space used by citizens to learn about political issues – of which the news media is a critical part.” “News coverage of expert consensus on general matters of policy is likely limited as a result of journalists’ emphasis in news production on novelty and drama at the expense of thematic context.” Bill Clinton’s speech on American protectionism from the Washington Boeing Hangar is available for viewing on Youtube here.  More contextual information on the top-down model of attitude formation is available from this study published on the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health or this article by Ryan M. Stolier and Jonathan B. Freeman. Martin A. Nie published an article on Bill Clinton and Al Gore’s relationship to the environment for Presidential Studies Quarterly, which can be accessed with an active JSTOR account here. You can read Eric’s article, “The causes and consequences of COVID-19 misperceptions: understanding the role of news and social media,” that was featured on the Harvard Kennedy School’s Misinformation Review at this link. It discusses how social media is more responsible for misinformation than newsmedia (infodemic).

Alex Aragona speaks with Bart Wilson as he explores the natural tendencies of humans in relation to their views and attitudes on property. References from Episode 64 with Bart Wilson You can purchase Bart Wilson’s book, The Property Species: Mine, Yours, and The Human Mind on Amazon Canada. Bart referenced a study by linguists Cliff Goddard and Anna Wierzbicka on the conceptual semantics of possession found in every language, which may be accessed through ScienceDirect at this link. The full Bing episode, Not Yours, which demonstrates the morality of possession within children is available for viewing on Youtube. Bart’s laboratory study, “Exchange and Specialization as a Discovery Process,” was co-authored with Sean Crockett and Vernon L. Smith and appeared in volume 119, issue 539 of The Economic Journal (2009). You can access an e-version of the article through Wiley Online Library. In the podcast, Bart draws upon the whaling norms in the absence of formal sea jurisdictions featured in Robert C. Ellickson’s publication, Order without Law, and additionally informed one of his experiments’ testing for the rules of competition. Order without Law is available for purchase from the Harvard University Press’ website. A PDF copy of The Case of the Swans that was briefly mentioned by Bart and contains the concept of “hath property in” is available for viewing on CommonLII here.  You can purchase the Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans study, The Semantics of English Propositions, from which Bart illustrates the lingual relationship between physical objects and functionality in the podcast directly from the publisher’s website. 

Alex Aragona speaks with Michael Strong as he explores how entrepreneurship improves the lives of people all over the world.  References 1. “Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems” by Michael Strong and John Mackey Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Be-Solution-Entrepreneurs-Conscious-Capitalists/dp/0470450037 2. “The Magic Washing Machine” video by Hans Rosling Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoKfap4g4w&ab_channel=TED