The Curious Task

Alex Aragona speaks with Andrew Sabl as he explores what he means by "realist liberalism" and how it works to curb some of the misguided tendencies of other liberalisms. References 1. Liberalism Beyond Markets by Andrew Stabl Link: https://www.niskanencenter.org/liberalism-beyond-markets/   2. Realist liberalism: an agenda by Andrew Stabl Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13698230...

Alex Aragona speaks with Michelle Schwarze as she presents what she means by resentment, and whether there is a place for it in politics. References 1. "Recognizing Resentment: Sympathy, Injustice and Liberal Political Thought" by Michelle Schwarze Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Recognizing-Resentment-Michelle-Schwarze/dp/1108478662   2. Second Emancipation Proclamation letter from Martin Luther King...

Alex Aragona speaks with Stefan Kolev as he tours through the origins of Ordoliberalism and some of its fundamental principles. References 1. When Liberty Presupposes Order: F. A. Hayek’s Contextual Ordoliberalism by Steven Kolev Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-history-of-economic-thought/article/when-liberty-presupposes-order-f-a-hayeks-contextual-ordoliberalism/E3B96...

Alex Aragona speaks with Travis Smith as he explores some key insights from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. References 1. “Superhero Ethics” by Travis Smith  Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Superhero-Ethics-Comic-Heroes-World/dp/1599474549   2. “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-America-Tocqueville-Mansfield-Winthrop/dp/0226805360   3. “...

Alex Aragona speaks with Caroline Breashears as she explores concepts from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, and connects them to various characters and stories in English literature.  References 1. “Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing and the 'Scandalous Memoir’” by Caroline Breashears Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Eighteenth-Century-Womens-Writing-Scandalous-Memoir/dp/3319486543   2. “The Pr...

Alex Aragona speaks with Pete Boettke as he presents his thinking on whether the world needs more classical liberalism, and how understanding the principles of liberalism might be the way to a better world.  References 1. “The Struggle for a Better World” by Pete Boettke Link: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Better-World-Peter-Boettke/dp/1942951876   2. “Hayek on the Role of Reason in Human Affair...

Alex Aragona speaks with James Otteson as he tours through the seven deadly sins of economics, and how they can avoiding them can improve your thinking on public policy and in personal matters. References 1. "Seven Deadly Economic Sins: Obstacles to Prosperity and Happiness Every Citizen Should Know" by James Otteson Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Deadly-Economic-Sins-Prosperity/dp/1108843379  ...

Alex Aragona speaks with Moshe Lander about the supposed economic benefits of building sports and entertainment stadiums, and why those claims may not be as accurate as most people may think.  References 1. “New Calgary event centre deal finalized, construction expected to begin in 2024” by Adam Toy Link: https://globalnews.ca/news/10007181/update-calgary-flames-arena-deal/

Alex Aragona speaks with Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili as she tours through some of her findings from Afghanistan, how she found Hayek in Afghanistan, and what the customs she observed say about polycentric authority and "anarchy as a policy alternative." References 1. “Land, the State and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan” by Jennifer Murtazashvili Link: https://www.cam...

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task host Alex Aragona pointed to Episode 60 with Eric Schliesser as one of his favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Alex Aragona speaks with Eric Schliesser as he explores the history of the term "neoliberalism," its eventual evolution, and what neoliberalism means today. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it befo...

In Special Episode 2's celebration of 100 episodes, Curious Task producer Sabine El-Chidiac pointed to Episode 67 with Tom Palmer as one of her favourites, so we're re-releasing it! In this episode, Tom Palmer talks about the institutions and conditions that cause peace and war, and why the concept of war might be closer to home than some might think. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it be...

In Special Episode 2, Matt Bufton pointed to The Curious Task Episode 77 with James Tooley as one of his favourites. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it before, we hope you find it interesting. If you have, enjoy its re-release! References from The Curious Task Special Episode 3 with James Tooley The E. G. West Centre at Newcastle University is the namesake of economist E. G. West.  This p...

To celebrate reaching 100 episodes, host Alex Aragona, producer Sabine El-Chidiac, and executive producer Matt Bufton look back on the origins and growth of the podcast, some of their favourite episodes, and so much more in this very special bonus episode.  References from The Curious Task Special Episode 2 with Matt Bufton, Sabine El-Chidiac and Alex Aragona You can listen to Graeme Thompson disc...

In honour of Steve Horwitz (1964-2021), we are re-releasing his conversation with Alex Aragona on what drives progress — a topic near and dear to Steve's heart. References from The Curious Task Special Episode 1 with Steve Horwitz  Steve Horwitz is the author of Austrian Economics: An Introduction; Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective; Monetary Evolution, Free Banking, and...

Tyler Cowen chats with Alex Aragona about all things food — great things to eat, where to find them, and how an economist gets lunch. References from The Curious Task Episode 100 with Tyler Cowen You can purchase An Economist Gets Lunch by Tyler Cowen from Amazon  here. You can read more from Tyler Cowen at the blog Marginal Revolution  here.  Find their course materials at Marginal Revolution Uni...

Alex Aragona peaks with Aeon Skoble as he outlines his ideas on what anarchism is, how we should think on it, and how it overlaps with classical liberal ideas. References from The Curious Task Episode 99 with Aeon Skoble Aeon Skoble is author of Deleting the State and editor of a collection of essays called The Simpsons and Philosophy. He has a chapter titled “What Is the Point of Anarchism” in Th...

Alex Aragona speaks with SmithTweeters Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire as they describe what drew them to the idea of reading through all of The Wealth of Nations and providing an ongoing commentary on Twitter, and how Adam Smith's ideas remain relevant.  References from The Curious Task Episode 98 with Janet Bufton and Sarah Skwire Janet Bufton previously spoke on The Curious Task, which you can li...

Alex Aragona speaks with Anton Howes about when the sparks of innovation started in Britain, and what fanned the flames moving forward. References from The Curious Task Episode 97 with Anton Howes You can read more about the Age of Invention at the substack where Anton Howes writes about his ideas here . You can also find his working paper titled The Spread of Improvement  here. Deirdre McCloskey...

Bill Easterly tours some of the concepts from his book The Tyranny of Experts, and explores why technocrats imposing their own form of economic development on cultures and peoples can produce more harm than good. References from The Curious Task Episode 96 with Bill Easterly You can purchase a copy of The Tyranny of the Experts by Bill Easterly  here .  The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs can be foun...

Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen about his findings on how the American Founding Fathers truly felt about the experiment they designed and built as time went on. References from The Curious Task Episode 95 with Dennis Rasmussen Dennis Rasmussen previously joined The Curious Task to speak about his book The Infidel and the Professor, and you can listen to that episode  here . The book disc...

Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about the classical liberal tradition in Canada, and what the evolution of that tradition has looked like. References from The Curious Task Episode 94 with Graeme Thompson A collection of the speeches of Wilfred Laurier can be found in an edited edition by Arthur Milnes, available from Amazon  here. Macdonald Laurier and the Election of 1891 by Christopher...

Jacob Levy gives a tour of his thoughts on the conversations surrounding social justice, and how liberals might consider the topic from the perspective of social "injustice". References from The Curious Task Episode 93 with Jacob Levy You can listen to Jacob Levy’s other appearances on The Curious Task  here  and  here . Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom by Jacob T. Levy can be purchased from Am...

In honour of her birthday, Sandy Ikeda explores the ideas of Jane Jacobs and reflects on how her thinking on urban centres is still relevant today. References from The Curious Task Episode 92 with Sandy Ikeda You can listen to Sandy Ikeda discuss “Why Can’t a City Be a Work of Art?” on The Curious Task  here . A copy of Jane Jacob’s Death and Life of Great American Cities can be purchased from Ama...

Terence Kealey speaks about the history of state involvement in funding science and technology, and why it may not be as good or innovative of an idea as it may seem. References from The Curious Task Episode 91 with Terence Kealey You can purchase a copy of Sex Science and Profits by Terence Kealey on Amazon  here. The story of Katalin Karikó is explored in detail in  this article . Terence Kealey...

Alex Aragona speaks with Nick Cowen as he explores the current state of sex work regulation, and what approaches regulators could (and should) take when considering the increasing online landscape for these services. References from The Curious Task Episode 90 with Nick Cowen Nick Cowen is the author of Neoliberal Social Justice. You can read the first chapter of his book  here. Nick Cowen’s artic...