The Curious Task

Sabine speaks with Lauren K Hall, who defends the notion that feminism is an emergent order, and speaks about her recent special edition of Cosmos+Taxis. Episode Notes: All articles in the most recent edition of Cosmos+Taxis are linked here: https://cosmosandtaxis.org/current-issue/  Sarah Blaffer Hrdy "The Woman That Never Evolved": https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1khdr6b Kimberle Crenshaw "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics": https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf   

Matt speaks with Clara Piano about the relationship between economic freedom, fertility, and the roles that modernization and increasing well-being for women have on the number of babies that are born in countries around the world. Episode Notes: "The Fertility Gap and Economic Freedom" by Clara Piano & Lyman Stone https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4564080  "The Fertility Benefits of Economic Freedom" by Clara E. Piano https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-fertility-benefits-of-economic-freedom  "The Best Policy for Supporting Families Is “Do No Harm”" by Clara E. Piano https://www.aier.org/article/the-best-policy-for-supporting-families-is-do-no-harm/  Some history on "The Population Bomb" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/book-incited-worldwide-fear-overpopulation-180967499/ 

Sabine speaks with Sarah Skwire about the fascinating world of Shakespeare and why there are so many lessons we can learn from a pre-enlightenment playwright about markets, politics, and the human condition.  Episode Notes: - Mike Huemer's Post on Shakespeare: https://fakenous.substack.com/p/why-i-hate-shakespeare  - "The Comedy of The Errors" https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-comedy-of-errors/read/#:~:text=Synopsis%3A,named%20Dromio%2C%20as%20their%20servants.  - Sarah on Shakespeare and Immigration: https://fee.org/articles/even-shakespeare-knew-that-kicking-out-immigrants-harms-us-all/  - Adam Smith on Human Sympathy: https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/smith-on-sympathy-lauren-hall-12-1  - Summary of Shakespeare's "Sir Thomas More": https://nosweatshakespeare.com/sir-thomas-more-play/  - Adam Smith's misrecollection of Othello https://www.adamsmithworks.org/speakings/skwire-smith-shakespeare-slips-end-of-othello  - Intro to "Measure for Measure": https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/measure-for-measure/  - Commentary on the Political Theology of First Samuel: https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/samuel-kings-chronicles-and-work/from-tribal-confederation-to-monarchy-1-samuel/       

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     

Matt speaks with Iain Murray about the estrangement of conservative liberalism from identitarian forms of conservative nationalism and the intriguing alliances that may arise in the future between freedom-loving libertarians and some unlikely allies.  Episode Notes: Iain's book "The Socialist Temptation" https://a.co/d/5AUQHQp  One of Iain's articles on the subject https://cei.org/blog/european-populism-is-nationalist-conservatism/  "Do Libertarians Have a Political Home Anymore?" by Iain Murray https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-35-number-1-2/do-libertarians-have-political-home-anymore  Summary of Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy  Ezra Klein's comment on "Everything Bagel Liberalism" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/opinion/democrats-liberalism.html 

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/ 

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   

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/ 

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 

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