A weekly show about politics and liberty, featuring conversations with top scholars, philosophers, historians, economists, and public policy experts. Hosted by Trevor Burrus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 17 days 4 hours 46 minutes
The Limits of Utilitarianism
This week we discuss the philosophy of utilitarianism and it’s relationship with libertarianism.
What is utilitarianism? How is utilitarianism related to economics? What makes utilitarianism seem to work so well when applied to economic thinking? And where does it go wrong?
Liberty and the American Experience
Jim Powell claims that liberty is relatively rare thing in the span of human history...
What Influences Elections?
Do Republicans who are more libertarian have a better chance of being elected now? How about more extreme progressives? Does this year’s results tell us anything about the 2016 presidential election?
What role does messaging and partisanship play in winning elections? What role does money have in influencing elections? More specifically, how much of an effect do campaign contributions have on electoral outcomes, policy outcomes, and issue awareness among...
The Cost of Earning More Money
Dan Russell claims that business ethics is more than just a set of ethical dilemmas. Isn’t that what ethics is about, though? Facing a moral quandary and figuring out how to solve it? How do the teachings of Aristotle tie into all of this? What does it mean to live a good life? What does a wise choice look like?
Show Notes and Further Reading
Robert Skidelsky and Edward Skidelsky, How Much is Enough? (book)
Daniel C...
The Internet Doesn't Need to Be Saved
How does the internet work? Will net neutrality rules cause the internet to be less innovative? Would a non-neutral internet create barriers to market entry? Should the internet be treated like a public utility? What would that look like, and would it work?
Show Notes and Further Reading
Hal J. Singer, “Net Neutrality: A Radical Form of Non-Discrimination” (2007 article in Regulation magazine)
Bruce M...
When Is It Appropriate to Go to War?
Are libertarians isolationists? Why do libertarians seem to disagree so often when it comes to foreign policy? When is it appropriate to go to war? What about humanitarian interventions? If we need to cut spending, should it come out of the military? What do conservatives get wrong about foreign policy? What do liberals/progressives get wrong?
Show Notes and Further Reading
Justin Logan, “War’s Declining Significance As A Policy Tool in the Comtemporary Age”...
"Libertarian" Paternalism?
What is libertarian paternalism? Is paternalism without coercion even possible? Does it work? Can we trust those who are in charge of creating good “choice architecture” to be better at their jobs than any typical bureaucrat? How do we know what someone’s “true preferences” are? And don’t these sort of “nudges” strip people of their agency?
Show Notes and Further Reading
Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and...
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life
What drives us to be concerned about others? In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith says people are basically self-interested, and this is what drives market economies. Does this mean he’s saying people are selfish? Smith has a pretty simple formula for happiness. “Man naturally desires, not only to be loved, but to be lovely...
The Changing Role of Criminal Law
What’s the proper scope of criminal law, from a libertarian point of view? Why does America lead the world in incarceration rates? How is the federal War on Drugs affecting our legal system?
Burrus and Lynch explain how policies like mandatory minimum sentencing and three strike laws erode civil liberties and talk about the proliferation of strict liability standards in criminal law...
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
David Kopel joins us this week for a discussion on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: the right to keep and bear firearms...