The Curious Task

Jacob Levy speaks with Alex about how liberals should approach the ideas of freedom of association and civil society, and what that means for the way groups interact with other groups and the state.  References from Episode 29 with Jacob Levy: You can purchase Jacob Levy’s book Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom on Amazon Canada  here You can purchase the book Seeing Like a State by James C. Scot...

Alex Aragona speaks with economist Vincent Geloso about whether we should care about inequality, and how we should approach measuring and understanding it.  References from Episode 28 with Vincent Geloso: For further reading, you can check out this paper written by Vincent Geloso and Steve Horwitz, one of our other previous podcast guests,  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Trevor Burrus as he explores the many ways the drug war has failed drug addicts and society. References from Episode 27 with Trevor Burrus: You can read the article ‘Locked Up and Loaded’ that Alex refers to in this episode that was written by Trevor  here

Alex Aragona speaks with Kevin Vallier about conflicts in politics and how ideology aggravates them, and whether liberal institutions can help us trust each other more. References from Episode 26 with Kevin Vallier: You can purchase Kevin Vallier’s book Must Politics be War  here You can purchase the book Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know here You can purchase From Politics to the Pews  he...

Alex Aragona speaks with Glenn fox as he explores whether environmentalism from a free market perspective creates a contradiction. References from Episode 25 with Glenn Fox: If you have Sage journal subscription, you can read Glenn Fox’s research on this subject in an article  here You can read more about Carl Menger on The Library of Economics and Liberty  here

Alex Aragona talks with Sandy Ikeda as he explores why a city can't be thought of, and specifically designed as, a work of art. References from Episode 24 with Sandy Ikeda You can read an article from Sandy Ikeda entitled What is a city? on the Market Urbanism website  here Alain Bertaud’s book Order without Design that Sandy mentioned on the podcast can be purchased on Amazon Canada  here Sandy a...

Alex Aragona talks with Mike Munger as he explores his views on the sustainability of capitalism and the factors that contribute to it. References from Episode 23 with Michael Munger You can order Michael Munger’s book Is Capitalism Sustainable on Amazon Canada  here You can order his book Tomorrow 3.0 on Amazon Canada  here

Alex Aragona talks with Matt Bufton about the future of liberalism (and why it's not as bad as you might think!). References from Episode 22 with Matt Bufton Fear the Boom and the Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two You can purchase a copy of F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit at Amazon Canada  here You can read F.A. Hayek’s essay The Intellect...

Alex Aragona chats with Alex Tabarrok on this very special Christmas episode of The Curious Task as he explores whether gift giving is inefficient, and if there are better ways to give to others. References from Episode 21 with Alex Tabbarok You can watch a video of Alex Tabbarok and Tyler Cowen discuss gift giving  here Giving to my Wild Self article can be found  here

Alex Aragona speaks with James Stacey Taylor as he makes the case for a market for organs. References from Episode 20 with James Stacey Taylor You can purchase James Stacey Taylor’s book Stakes and Kidneys in Amazon Canada  here

Alex Aragona talks with Lauren Hall as she explores the problems with modern healthcare systems and some of the possible remedies. References from Episode 19 with Lauren Hall: You can read more from Lauren Hall on the subject of rights violations in delivery rooms  here

Alex Aragona speaks with the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh about why immigration is important to a free society, and the common misconceptions some people have that keep them from being more open to immigration.  References from Episode 18 with Alex Nowrasteh: You can read Alex Nowrasteh’s studies and commentaries on  his page  at the Cato Institute’s website Check out Jens Hainmueller’s paper o...

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

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

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

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

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 Bl...

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

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

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. “Liberalis...

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

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.reu...

Alex Aragona asks Eric Mack to explore his views on what socialism is and if it's the answer to the problems proponents say it can solve. References 1. “John Locke” by Eric Mack  Link: https://www.amazon.ca/John-Locke-Eric-Mack/dp/0826429815   2. “Libertarianism” by Eric Mack Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Libertarianism-Eric-Mack/dp/1509519297   3. “The Essential John Locke (Essential Scholars)” by...

Alex Aragona chats with Paul Robinson as he offers his thoughts on whether or not military intervention works (and explores what is meant by "works"). References 1. IRRUSIANALITY  Link: https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/

Alex Aragona chats with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak as they explore whether or not an increasing population necessarily harms the planet.  References from Episode 5 with Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak: You can purchase Pierre Desrochers and Joanna Szurmak’s book Population Bombed!: Exploding the Link Between Overpopulation and Climate Change on Amazon Canada at this  link .  You can...