

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

Nov 27, 2019 • 1h 2min
Sarah Burns — Is American Foreign Policy Broken?
Alex Aragona chats with Sarah Burns about whether American foreign policy is broken as a result of a breakdown of the separation, and increased centralization, of power.
References from Episode 17 with Sarah Burns:
You can buy Sarah Burns’ book The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism here on Amazon Canada

Nov 20, 2019 • 58min
Alain Bertaud — Who Knows Best About Planning a City?
Alex Aragona chats with Alain Bertaud as he shares his thoughts on how cities truly flourish and how urban planners should approach their role.
References from Episode 16 with Alain Bertaud:
You can buy Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities here on Amazon Canada

Nov 13, 2019 • 1h 8min
Jen Dirmeyer — What Do Markets Do For Us?
Alex Aragona speaks with Jen Dirmeyer as she explores what markets do for us and the different ways they impact our lives.
References
1. “The Use of Knowledge in Society” by Freidrich August von Hayek
Link: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf

Nov 6, 2019 • 1h 10min
Steve Horwitz — How Has Capitalism Helped Create The Modern Family?
Alex Aragona speaks with Steve Horwitz as he explores how the evolution of capitalism also shaped the modern family.
References
1. “Hayek’s Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions” by Steve Horwitz
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Hayeks-Modern-Family-Liberalism-Institutions/dp/1137448229

Oct 30, 2019 • 59min
Abigail Hall — How Does Foreign Policy Create a Boomerang Effect at Home?
Alex Aragona speaks with Abigail Hall as she describes how various elements of United States foreign policy ultimately come back home from abroad and affect domestic life.
References
1. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Abigail Hall
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272
2. “Ferguson Riot and Ferguson Unrest (2014-2015)” by BlackPast
Link: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015/
3. “Timeline: What Happened at the Boston Marathon Bombing” by Patrick J. Kiger
Link: https://www.history.com/news/boston-marathon-bombing-timeline
4. “The Spanish-American War in the Phillippines and the Battle for Manila” by American Experience
Link: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/macarthur-spanish-american-war-philippines-and-battle-for-manila/
5. “August Vollmar” by O.W. Wilson
Link: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4112&context=jclc
6. “Watts Riots of 1965” by Britannica
Link: https://prabook.com/web/john.nelson/2226689
7. “SWAT - America’s Specialty Peacekeepers” by Joel F. Shults
Link: https://nationalpolice.org/main/swat-americas-specialty-peace-keepers/
8. “Daryl F. Gates dies at 83; innovative but controversial chief of LAPD” by Elaine Woo and Eric Malnic
Link: https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-daryl-gates17-2010apr17-story.html
9. “1033 Program FAQs” by Defense Logistic Agency
Link: https://www.dla.mil/Disposition-Services/Offers/Law-Enforcement/Program-FAQs/
10. “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Force” by Radley Balko
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Americas/dp/1610394577
11. "The Burge Case" by Chicago Torture Justice Memorial
Link: https://chicagotorture.org/reparations/history/

Oct 23, 2019 • 60min
Jason Kuznicki — What Is Government For?
Alex Aragona speaks with Jason Kuznicki as he explores some history on how intellectuals viewed the state, and how we should view the state.
References from Episode 12 with Jason Kuznicki:
You can buy Jason Kuznicki’s book Technology and the End of Authority: What Is Government For? here on Amazon Canada

Oct 16, 2019 • 1h 9min
Sigal Ben-Porath — How Can Speech Be Protected on Campus?
Alex Aragona speaks with Sigal Ben-Porath as she details her perspective on campus free speech issues.
References
1. “Free Speech on Campus” by Sigal Ben-Porath
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Free-Speech-Campus-Sigal-Ben-Porath/dp/0812250079
Oct 9, 2019 • 56min
Chris Freiman — Do People Have the Right to Immigrate?
Alex Aragona speaks with Chris Freiman as he shares his thoughts on whether people have the right to immigrate.
References
1. Christopher Freiman’s Articles, Bleeding Heart Libertarianism
Link: https://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/author/christopher-freiman/
2. “A Defense of Open Borders” by Christopher Freiman
Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-93907-0_13
3. “Liberalism or Immigration Restriction, But Not Both” by Chris Freiman and Javier Hidalgo
Link: https://cafreiman.people.wm.edu/Site/Papers_files/Freiman%20and%20Hidalgo%20-%20Liberalism%20or%20Immigration%20Restrictions,%20But%20Not%20Both%20%28Preprint%29.pdf
Oct 2, 2019 • 59min
Jessica Flanigan — Should We Legalize All Drugs?
Alex Aragona speaks with Jessica Flanigan as she explores whether all drugs should be legalized.
References
1. “Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate” by Jessica Flanigan
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Pharmaceutical-Freedom-Patients-Right-Medicate/dp/0190684542
Sep 25, 2019 • 1h 12min
Andrew Work — Has The Extradition Law Conflict Pushed Hong Kong Toward a More Liberal Environment?
Alex Aragona speaks with Hongkonger Andrew Work. Relying on his first-hand experience with the Hong Kong extradition law protests, he explores whether recent political tensions have pushed Hong Kong toward a more liberal environment.
References
1. Lion Rock Institute
Link: https://www.lionrockinstitute.org/en/
2. “What was Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ movement all about? By Reuters
Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/what-was-hong-kongs-occupy-movement-all-about-idUSKCN1S005M/
3. “Government Structure” by GovHK
Link: https://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govstructure.htm
4. “Carrie Lam” by Britannica
Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carrie-Lam
5. “Hong Kong-China Extradition Plans Explained” by Jeff Li
Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47810723


