Free Thoughts

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

Eine durchschnittliche Folge dieses Podcasts dauert 51m. Bisher sind 478 Folge(n) erschienen. Dieser Podcast erscheint wöchentlich.

Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 17 days 4 hours 46 minutes

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Deconstructing the Surveillance State


If the government’s been spying on us for decades, what’s new now? Why is bulk data collection so particularly nefarious? What is metadata anyway, and what does the government do with it? Does the government actually catch terrorists through mass surveillance? Why do people treat terrorism differently from other violent crimes? The defenders of surveillance say that “if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to be afraid of,” but does this justification hold water?


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 September 22, 2014  1h3m
 
 

The Problem of Political Authority


Professor Michael Huemer claims that if normal people acted like governments do, we would generally be horrified and find their behavior morally contemptible…so why do most people intuitively feel that government is justified in its actions? Professor Huemer, Aaron, and Trevor tackle problems of political obligation, political legitimacy, and political authority, and explain the differences between each of these terms...


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 September 15, 2014  52m
 
 

Listener Q&A: Where Are All the Libertarian Countries?


Aaron Powell and Trevor Burrus tackle listener questions in this episode, including a few perennial classics: If libertarianism is so great, where are all the libertarian countries? Why can’t libertarians, conservatives, and liberals all come together to “make it work” in Washington? How can access to education be guaranteed if the American education system is privatized? And what happens to people who “fall through the cracks” in a libertarian society without a government-provided social...


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 September 8, 2014  50m
 
 

The Story of Money in the United States


George Selgin joins Aaron and Trevor for a discussion on money and banking in the United States.

What is money? How did the government become so deeply ingrained in the production and supply of our money, and why? What is the Federal Reserve, and what does it actually do? What would the U. S...


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 September 1, 2014  1h2m
 
 

The Libertarian Supreme Court


Why did the court seem to rule on the side of free markets and limited government this time around? Is this the most libertarian Court to date?

Show Notes and Further Reading

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (Obamacare)

NLRB v. Noel Canning (recess appointments)

Harris v. Quinn (unionizing home health care workers)

Riley v. California (cell phone searches)

McCutcheon v. FEC (campaign finance)









 August 25, 2014  52m
 
 

Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate


Greg Lukianoff joins us for a discussion about the state of free speech on college campuses in the United States. We talk about campus speech codes, the constitutionality of “free speech zones,” chilling effects of trigger warnings, and more...


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 August 18, 2014  48m
 
 

The Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium


What does this “Fifth Wave” mean for democracy? Is this a change libertarians should feel good about? Will it lead to more freedom?

Show Notes and Further Reading

Martin Gurri, The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium (book)

A selection from the book is available here: “How a Tsunami of Information Inspired the Revolt of the Public”

James C...


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 August 11, 2014  44m
 
 

The Problem of Judicial Abdication


Clark Neily joins us this week for a discussion on judicial engagement. Neily contrasts judges’ findings in cases with stringent standards of review—which he characterizes as a genuine quest for the truth from a truly neutral adjudicator, decided on the basis of evidence—with what he calls judicial abdication: the tendency of judges to default to a rational basis review of speculative justification by the government...


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 August 4, 2014  52m
 
 

The State of State Education in America


Neal McCluskey joins us this week for a discussion about public education in America. He shares its history, from the “Old Deluder Satan Law” of 1647 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the current debate over policies like No Child Left Behind and the Common Core. He also talks about public schooling’s inherent pitfalls and shares different proposals for infusing school choice into the current system...


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 July 28, 2014  1h6m
 
 

Libertarianism and Christianity


Doug Bandow joins Aaron and Trevor to talk about the political philosophy of libertarianism and and the religion of Christianity...


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 July 21, 2014  52m