

The Great Antidote
Juliette Sellgren
Adam Smith said, "Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." So join us for interviews with the leading experts on today's biggest issues to learn more about economics, policy, and much more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 21, 2023 • 48min
TGA Special: Enquiry Concerning Hereafter, Part 2
Send us a textThis week is going to be a little different. Today I am excited to share with you a recording of the play Enquiry Concerning Hereafter by Duane Kelly. (You can also read the script here.)The play is about the friendship between (and deaths of) Adam Smith and David Hume. Enjoy! Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jul 14, 2023 • 57min
TGA Special: Enquiry Concerning Hereafter, Part 1
Send us a textThis week is going to be a little different. Today I am excited to share with you a recording of the play Enquiry Concerning Hereafter by Duane Kelly. (You can also read the script here.)The play is about the friendship between (and deaths of) Adam Smith and David Hume. Enjoy! Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jul 7, 2023 • 48min
Steven Teles on Liberaltarianism
Send us a textSteven Teles is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. Today he defines and talks to us about a few words, including “liberaltarianism” – explaining how it diverges from libertarianism with an intellectual history and why – and “kludgeocracy”. We talk about the complexities of government organization and the causes- including regulatory capture, and he tells us what he envisions to be potential solutions. Be sure to check out Kevin Lavery's Great Antidote Extra on this episode.Want to explore more?Steven Teles on Kludgeocracy, an EconTalk podcast.Brink Lindsey, Liberaltarians, at The New Republic.Brink Lindsey and Steven Teles on the Captured Economy, an EconTalk podcast.Kevin Corcoran, Body Snatchers and Regulatory Capture, at EconLog.Peter Boettke on Public Administration, Liberty, and the Proper Role of Government, an EconTalk podcast.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jun 30, 2023 • 1h 6min
Dan Klein on Hayek and The Band Man
Send us a textDan Klein is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Today he talks to us about F. A. Hayek’s conception of the Band-Man and our political psychology today. He explains to us that although our modern world looks a lot different from the world in 10,000 BC, that human beings are the same, with similar tendencies and desires. He talks to us about the implications of this idea for politics and the search for meaning in one’s life. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jun 23, 2023 • 49min
Christine McDaniel on Trade: A Tale of Two Presidents
Send us a textChristine McDaniel is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University with a focus on international trade and globalization. Today we talk about the different trade actions undertaken by recent presidents and what that means for the American public. We discuss tariffs, NAFTA, the WTO, and more. McDaniel also lays out the different trade relationships between the US and various geographic regions and countries. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

7 snips
Jun 16, 2023 • 45min
David Henderson on Economists’ Nobels, Obituaries, and More
Send us a textDavid Henderson is a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and the editor of the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. He is also an emeritus professor of economics with the naval postgraduate school. He is the Wall Street Journal’s go-to writer for pieces on Nobel prizes and deaths in economics, which we talk about today, exploring a list of favorites. He tells us of their contributions to the field and some stories. Want to explore more?Brennan Beausir's Great Antidote Extra on this episode.David Henderson on the Essential UCLA School of Economics, an EconTalk podcast.David Henderson on Disagreeable Economists, an EconTalk podcast.Alexander Salter, Universal Economics: Necessary Reading for the Well-Trained Economist, at Econlib.Browse Henderson's entire collection of EconLog posts.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jun 9, 2023 • 48min
John Cochrane on Monetary Versus Fiscal Policy
Send us a textJohn Cochrane is a renowned economist and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He writes a popular blog called The Grumpy Economist. He is also a former professor of economics and finance at the University of Chicago. He is the author of a recent book called The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level. Today we talk about the monetary and fiscal theories of the price level, or inflation, discussing what inflation is, how it’s caused, and how to fix it. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jun 2, 2023 • 45min
Brian Hooks on Believe in People
Send us a textBrian Hooks is the CEO and chairman of Stand Together, the president of the Charles Koch Foundation, and the co-author of Believe in People: Bottom-up Solutions for a Top-Down World. Today, we talk about the principles that guide Stand Together and the work that Stand Together does. He talks to us about how and why Stand Together is different from other philanthropic organizations, giving us the success story of one of their partners, The Phoenix, a drug rehabilitation organization. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

May 26, 2023 • 53min
Emily Chamlee-Wright on the Liberal Sensibility
Send us a textEmily Chamlee-Wright is the president and CEO of IHS, the Institute for Humane Studies. Today we talk about the liberal sensibility, what it is and what happened to it. She explains to us the four corners of the liberal project and why they are important to a liberal society such as ours. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

May 19, 2023 • 51min
Marian Tupy on Superabundance
Send us a textMarian Tupy is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the coauthor of two books: Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know, with Ron Bailey, and Superabundance, with Gale Pooley. Today we talk about Superabundance to address the doom and gloom, often environmentalist concerns about overpopulation. He talks to us about his research that shows why this is not the case, and explains what factors contribute to a state of superabundance. Also, check out Human Progress, edited by Tupy, which is an innovative and successful version of the Good News Network, which relates to part of our later conversation about the relationship between media and superabundance. Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.