The Curious Task

Sabine Speaks with Ryan Thorpe about the state of Journalism in Canada and about how bills C-18, C-11 and government subsidies for journalism are compromising an industry necessary for democratic participation in an age when accountability is more important than ever.  Episode Notes: Ryan's page on the Winnipeg Free Press website: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/biographies/ryan-thorpe A primer on Canada's Bill C-18: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/understanding-bill-c-18-canada-s-online-news-act-and-its-proposed-rules-explained-1.6488532  Canadaland's statement regarding denial of government subsidies: https://www.canadaland.com/how-to-support-canadaland/  A legal perspective on Bill C-11: https://www.lexpert.ca/legal-insights/exploring-the-controversy-around-bill-c-11/380414  Sy Hersh's C-SPAN speech describing how he exposed the My Lai massacre: https://www.c-span.org/video/?62006-1/vietnam-war-lai-massacre  Torstar losing approximately 50 million dollars a year: http://surl.li/pqchw  Blacklocks reporter on the memo to Pablo Rodriguez demonstrating the failure of public subsidies to Canadian media: https://www.blacklocks.ca/media-bailout-failed-memo/     

Matt speaks with Tyler Cowen about his recent book "GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter?", as they discuss the case for and against each of the top finalists, and the interactive AI features that Tyler has integrated into the book's online release. Episode Notes: The full book plus all interactive AI features can be found for free here: https://goatgreatesteconomistofalltime.ai/en   

Alex speaks with Peter Boettke and Matthew Mitchell about their recent book co-authored with Konstantin Zhukov about the unusual rise of Estonia from the ashes of Stalinism to their current status as one of the freest nations on earth.  Episode Notes: The conversation focusses on the book "Road To Freedom" which can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-freedom-estonias-rise-from-soviet-vassal-state-to-one-of-the-freest-nations-on-earth_0.pdf  A similar publication on the economic history of Poland by these same authors can be read in its entirety here: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/road-to-socialism-and-back-an-economic-history-of-poland-1939-2019.pdf   

Alex speaks with Nick Cowen about democracy, markets, and his forthcoming article "Include The Ignorant" Episode Notes: - Jason Brennan "Against Democracy" https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691178493/against-democracy  - On the Compatibility of Epistocracy and Public Reason by Thomas Mulligan https://www.jstor.org/stable/24575740  - Hayek on Limited Democracy, Dictatorships, and the ‘Free’ Market: An Interview in Argentina, 1977 "Birsen Filip" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-91358-2_10       

Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal". Episode Notes: The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi  The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation  Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us  Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism  Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job  Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/ 

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