Free Thoughts

Everyone has their own moral judgements and in many cases they can be and are misapplied. Jason Brennan explains how his new book When All Else Fails is not a call to resist all governments, but more of an exposure to how we apply our moral judgements unequally.What is the rule of self defense? Is it okay to act in self-defense against a government agent? If your government is illegitimate, is it virtuous to resist? What is the moral parity thesis? What is the difference between authority and legitimacy?Further Reading:When All Else Fails: The Ethics of Resistance to State Injustice, written by Jason BrennanThe Ethics of Killing in War, written by Jeff McMahanAgainst Democracy, written by Jason BrennanRelated Content:A Moral Pluralist Case for Libertarianism, written Jason BrennanAgainst Democracy, Free Thoughts PodcastDo We Have a Duty to Obey the Government?, Free Thoughts Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Human Progress is not linear. The curve of human progress is a jagged one. Many of us are convinced that the world is worse, but as Tupy explains, that is due to one of our many biases. It seems as though our memory of bad events outweighs our memory of all the good we see on a daily basis. For example, what took you 60 minutes of work to buy in 1980 took only 21 minutes of work to buy in 2017.What is the goal of humanprogess.org? Why do we notice bad occurrences throughout our lives more than good ones? What is negativity bias? Why is everyone so convinced that the world is getting worse if that is not what the statistics show?Further Reading:Human Progress websiteSimon Abundance IndexThe Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, written by Steven PinkerRelated Content:The State of Humanity: Steadily Improving, written by Julian L. SimonThe Reality of Moral Progress, written by David BoazProgress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, Free Thoughts Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy

Zywicki starts off by simply explaining what a bank is and what it does. It is surprising how many people don’t actually know what their bank does for them. Early in life you are a borrower in order to buy a house or a car, later in life you become a lender to that same bank. Unfortunately, there has been so much regulation in the American banking system that there is no room for innovation which caused the phase out of mom & pop neighborhood banks.What is a bank? What is Glass-Steagall? How much risk should banks take? How should a regulator address our bank system? What is a money-market fund? What is Dodd-Frank and did it get rid of bail outs?Related Content:Public Choice Concepts and Applications in Law (American Casebook Series), written by Maxwell Stearns and Todd ZywickiThe Law and Economics of Consumer Debt Collection and Its Regulation, written by Todd ZywickiThe Big, Fat Fed Has Diet Problems, written by George Selgin“The Newsroom”: Season 1, Episode 6: Bullies, HBO SeriesFurther Reading:The Spe

Ryan Bourne joins us today to discuss the intricate hardships that the poor in the United States are experiencing. Some suggest that the United States should raise the national minimum wage, thinking that will solve some issues of the impoverished. Others believe that the poor have different buying and spending habits than the rest of the population.What do poor people spend a majority of their money on? How does regulation of services actually hurt the poor? How does coning affect housing prices? Should we raise the minimum wage to a ‘living wage’?Further Reading:Government and the Cost of Living: Income-Based vs. Cost-Based Approaches to Alleviating Poverty, written by Ryan BourneThe Regressive Effects of Child-Care Regulations, written by Ryan Bourne in Regulation MagazineRelated Content:Bringing Wealth to the Poor (with Michael Tanner), Free Thoughts PodcastLibertarianism and the Poor, written by Matt ZwolinskiPeople, Not Ratios: Why the Debate Over Income Inequality Asks the Wrong Questions, Free Thought

Michael Tanner joins us for a well-rounded conversation about what drives poverty in the U.S. including; felony convictions, lack of education, and housing policies. Tanner claims that in the U.S. there is no rational design behind our welfare programs, and that it is a conglomerate of special interests. The poorest Americans are among the wealthiest in the world, but that doesn’t mean that poverty does not exist in the U.S.How does the right and left vary on their ideas about how to alleviate the poor? How do incentives play into their rationale? Is there a racial aspect to how people view the welfare sate? Does redistribution of money work? How much does having a felony conviction diminish your earning potential? How does housing policy affect poverty?Further Reading:The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor, written by Michael D. TannerThe Many Reasons to Be Thankful, written by Michael D. Tannerhttps://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/many-reasons-be-thankfulGlobalization’s Great Tr

The newest addition to the libertarianism.org editorial staff, Steve Horwitz, joins us to debunk some global myths about economics. We dive into how good economics is about tracing out the patterns of unintended consequences that emerge from the choices individuals make in the face of uncertainty and based on the information and incentives created by the price system.Are people interested in economics? Is economics rooted in individual choice? What was the study of economics prior to 1920? What does “constrained optimization” mean? What are the biggest global myths about economics? Should we worry about the increase in economic inequality?Further Reading:WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird, written by Peter LeesonHuman Progress WebsiteMicrofoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective, written by Steven HorwitzRelated Content:The False Feminist Economics Methodenstreit: Competition versus Cooperation, written by Mikayla NovakThe Austrian Tradition in Economics, Free Thoughts Episode See acast.com/p

Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford from Power Problems Podcast join us to discuss the nuance differences between isolationists, non-interventionists, and pragmatic realists. When it comes to foreign policy, the way U.S. officials make decisions is largely based off the fact that the United States maintains and all-volunteer military. This military is the most powerful in the world, considering the U.S. spends more on defense than the next seven countries combined. There are many reasons for this, but at the forefront is the American desire to remain #1 or the superpower in the eyes of the rest of the world. What is the difference between an isolationist and a pragmatic realist? When do policymakers decide when intervention is necessary? What are real threats? What is John Bolton’s philosophy on foreign affairs? What is the main role of our military? Do we have an obligation to keep America safe, but not all humans safe? Are U.S. policymakers only responsible for Americans? Or the entire Western world? What is the

Honorable Jeffrey S. Sutton is a judge for the United States Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit. His book 51 Imperfect Solutions is framed around four stories which he uses to illustrate the interplay between state and federal constitutions. The four stories are; school funding, the exclusionary rule, eugenics, and mandatory flag salutes. Sutton believes that many of the state constitutions are actually closer to codes than constitutions. Many states have constitutions that are so long that most residents of that state have not read them in their entirety. The original states have much smaller constitutions that are rather similar in tone and language to the federal Constitution.What is the interplay between the federal Constitution and the state constitution? What is the exclusionary rule? What role should the state play in comparison to the federal government? Do states know best when it comes to funding education? Is the Supreme Court always “right” when it comes to interpreting the Constitution?Further

Starting in the 1930’s, the American Medical Association (AMA) reluctantly agreed to accept a health insurance model because they feared the federal government would overreach into the health care sphere. They decided that the best way to protect themselves was to have only the insurers finance health insurance. A huge component of this was that every physician would be paid for each service they provided during a patients’ visit. Essentially, the AMA drove health care costs up by incentivizing physicians to provide any relevant tests because they would be paid for every service during each appointment. To the physician, they were charging a faceless third party somewhere, for each service, rather than thinking they are charging their patients for each service. Therefore, costs were already a huge problem before Medicare passed in the 1965. Today, we have to look at how hospitals and doctors are incentivized in order to analyze our overall health care system. Essentially, the AMA enabled government interventi

There tends to be cost overruns when the government undertakes a grand infrastructure project. This is exactly what happened when the government contracted companies to build the railways across the United States in the 19th century. Randal O’Toole stresses that with the introduction of the automobile to America, it allowed everyone to travel. Prior to the automobile boom, only the middle-class & the wealthy could afford to travel via railways. Today, there is a misperceived notion that European passenger trains run more efficiently than American trains, but that is not actually the case. Even though trains are not more energy efficient than cars, the United States actually has the most effective rail system in the world because it is privately owned. What was the biggest financial & political scandal of the 19th century? Did the First Transcontinental Railroad help settle the West? When was the golden age of railroad travel? Have train rides always been overpriced? What role does nostalgia play in ma

The concept of impeachment was not new at the time of the Constitutional Convention. The Framers thought including the ability to impeach the Chief Magistrate to the Constitution was extremely important. However, today it is hard to picture in our polarized political climate that there would ever be a super majority in the Senate in order to impeach and remove a president.Were there debates about including impeachment in the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention? What is the scope of the impeachment clause? What does the process of impeachment look like? What level of incompetence could be grounds for impeachment?Further Reading:Democrats Abandon the Constitution, written by David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. CaseyIndispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power, written by Gene HealyNixon v. U.S.Related Content:America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power, Free Thoughts PodcastKing Obama, King Trump: The Dangers of an Imperial Presidency, Free Thoughts Podcast See acast.co

Like economic policy, it can be hard to judge the relative freedom of tech policy. Depending on the tech policy we are referring to, the United States is still a massive hub and innovator. That is not to say that we do not have current regulations that may inhibit innovation of certain emerging tech sectors. Naturally, with new technology, comes fear of the unknown and we have to make sure that we do not succumb to those fears. Listening to fears could result in limiting our ability to develop the tech to the fullest extent.How do we address the federalism question when it comes to tech policy? When it comes to emerging tech, are we forced to imagine threats? Should we be concerned about the level of pervasive private surveillance? What threat do Amazon, Google, and Facebook pose since they centralize our data?Further Reading:Permissionless Innovation, written by Adam ThiererTechnopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, written by Neil PostmanOf Rockets and Robotics: The Regulation of Emerging Aerial Te

 If you are a regular listener of Free Thoughts, you are surely familiar with Free Thoughts fan favorite Peter Van Doren. Today, Peter Van Doren joins us for special bonus episode of Free Thoughts to discuss the latest issue of Regulation Magazine. If you like what you hear, you can check out Regulation online by heading to cato.org/regulation.What percent of American consumer expenditures actually end up in China? Is trade to blame for the disappearing manufacturing jobs? Why does the federal government own so much land in the West?Further Reading:Cato Regulation Magazine Fall 2018Related Content:Is Public Transportation Worth it? (with Peter Van Doren), Free Thoughts PodcastRegulation Magazine, Summer 2018 (with Peter Van Doren), Free Thoughts PodcastPeter Van Doren vs. MS-13, Free Thoughts Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 Sahar Khan explains the complicated history of Pakistan, and its’ relationship with the U.S., from its designation as an independent country from Great Britain in 1947.Is a majority of Pakistan Muslim? What is the difference between a Sunni Muslim and a Shi’a Muslim? Do they get along? Are their other divisions between Muslims? What is the government structure of Pakistan? Did September 11th, 2001 change the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan? What military groups does Pakistan sponsor? Was the Taliban ever a political party?Further Reading:Libertarians Shouldn’t Accept the Case for Colonialism, written by Sahar KhanPakistan’s Youth: An Untapped Resource by Pakistan’s Political Parties, written by Sahar KhanThe Stalemate: Implications of Afghanistan’s Stalled Peace Process on U.S.–Pakistan Relations, written by Sahar KhanRelated Content:America’s Authoritarian Alliances, Free Thoughts PodcastGovernment, War, and Libertarianism, written by Justin Logan See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inf

America has roughly 4500 institutions of higher education. In a majority of those institutions, there aren’t any students shouting down, sometimes violently, guest speakers. These widely-publicized events tend to occur in left-leaning parts of the country, most notably the Northeast and the Western seaboard. However, heightened levels of anxiety and depression within student populations is readily visible across the country. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt join us to discuss their theory, which is explained in great detail throughout their book The Coddling of the American Mind, of why this trend is occurring among the iGen generation and how parents, school administrators, and the students themselves can help mitigate its’ effects.What is the justification that students use to oppose speakers, demand speech codes, and request trigger warning policies? Do students overuse the word “trauma”? What is the new kind of student activism and how is it toxic to educational institutions? How widespread is this issue

Jesse Norman believes that many books about Adam Smith miss two key parts of his work. The first being some technical consequences associated with Smiths’ work on economics. The second is that he was part of the Scottish Enlightenment, which was not a result of questioning religion, as the Enlightenment in other parts of the world was. Norman explains how Adam Smith’s life progressed to the point of where he produced The Wealth of Nations. Norman thinks of Smith as not only the father of economics, but also the father of social psychology.What is Smith’s policy impact today? What was the intellectual environment was Smith in? When was the Scottish Enlightenment? How was the Scottish Enlightenment different than the French Enlightenment? What was the relationship between David Hume and Adam Smith? Why is the Theory of Moral Sentiments often ignored? What is an “impartial spectator” according to Smith?Further Reading:Adam Smith: Father of Economics, written by Jesse NormanThe Condensed Wealth of Nations and The

P.J. O’Rourke offers comedic relief about the state of our politics from his unique journalistic perspective influenced by the “sunshine” of the 1960s. O’Rourke has worked for many notable publications such as the National Lampoon and Rolling Stone Magazine. He has had two New York Times #1 Bestsellers; Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance. He is currently a correspondent for the Atlantic as well as the H.L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute.Why does show business and left-wing politics have an affinity for each other? What happened to politics in the 1960s? How did the baby boomers ruin the world? What does O’Rourke think of the state of journalism today? Are we more divided today, as a society, than we were in the latter half of the 1960s?Further Reading:None of My Business, written by P.J. O’RourkeAll the Trouble in the World: The Lighter Side of Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred, Plague, and Poverty, written by P.J. O’RourkeIt’s Worse than Vulgar, It’s Trendy, wr

Chris Fettweis joins us this week to discuss his book Psychology of a Superpower: Security and Dominance in U.S. Foreign Policy. Fettweis argues that as a country, Americans, tend to be so fearful of our perceived enemies that we are willing to spend much more on national security measures than is neccessary. Ultimately, we may end up doing more harm than good.What is unipolarity? Is the United States the most fearful country in the world? Do we spend more money on national security because of that fear? Is the world safer than it was during the Cold War? If so, why do people have nostalgia for the Cold War? What is the “enemy image” problem and do we need an enemy in order to continue interactions abroad? Does everyone value human life in the same way?Further Reading:Psychology of a Superpower: Security and Dominance in U.S. Foreign Policy, written by Chris FettweisChristopher J. Fettweis on his book Psychology of a Superpower, Cato AudioLosing Hurts Twice as Bad: The Four Stages to Moving Beyond Iraq, writt

Do enough people benefit from public transportation considering the amount of money poured into those politically-driven endeavors? Peter Van Doren joins us this week to break down this issue. The percentage of people who use public transit on a daily basis is higher, for obvious reasons, in urban areas. However, even in a city like Washington, D.C., only “700,000 people use the public metro rail system in comparison to the 5 million who commute downtown by car.” Van Doren argues that mass transit spending grew the most under the Nixon presidency because it made the most political sense. Unfortunately, that mindset tends to persist today.How would you define public transit? What does all the money we spend on public transit actually do? Why are there always more calls for public transit? Why are we fixated on public transit options like trains? Why is there a negative connotation associated with public buses?Further Reading:Report: 98 Percent Of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation For Others, from the

Matthew J. Moore discusses how Buddhism may align with libertarian tendencies; most importantly the need to think for yourself. At the core of Buddhism is the hope or want to escape from suffering, with that being said it is grounded on four noble truths. In traditional Buddhist teaching, there are gods, but they’re all mortal. The universe according to the Buddha has no beginning and no end, and they will all eventually die and be reincarnated.Matthew J. Moore elaborates on the Buddhist political theory that is more substantiative than simple absolute monarchy. When Buddha talks about politics, Moore claims that it always goes back to a deeper level that there is no self. The Buddha believes that your self is an “ongoing project” and that very fact creates many social disruptions, distractions, and tensions. What could Buddhist politics look like in practice? Moore argues that the Buddha believes that you shouldn’t put a ton of thought or hope in to political duties- you should do them, but it should not be