Episode 458 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following news stories: the short squeeze that happened to, at least, GameStop stock, costing one hedge fund $13.1B in losses (see Wikipedia); from CTVNews.com, “Ontario barbershop reopens despite provincial lockdown using loophole”; and from Reuters.com, “Scottish nationalists lay groundwork for second independence referendum”.
Category: Podcast
Terry Anderson: The Environment and Property Rights (1h3m)
This episode features an interview of professor emeritus Terry L. Anderson from 2014 by Russ Roberts, host of EconTalk. They talk about free-market environmentalism, the dynamics of the Yellowstone ecosystem, and how property rights can protect natural resources.
Try New Things, People Make Mistakes, & The Timer Method (21m) – Episode 058
Episode 058 looks at trying new things to prevent brain complacency; the importance of empathizing with people who’ve made a mistake, rather than demonizing them; and the timer method to overcoming procrastination.
How Does School Wound? Let Us Count The Ways (36m) – Episode 457
Episode 457 has Skyler reading and adding commentary on a blog post by psychology research professor Dr. Peter Gray, who shares and analyzes research by Dr. Kirsten Olson on the many wounds caused by schooling.
Alan Southgate: A Musician’s Perspective on Unschooling (6m)
This episode features an audio essay written by musician Alan Southgate in 2015, as published in Unschooling Dads: Twenty-two Testimonials on Their Unconventional Approach to Education, edited by Skyler J. Collins.
ARK3 Returns, Pessimism, US Capitol Building, & Bureaucratic Character (1h3m) – Episode 456
Episode 456 welcomes back Alex R. Knight III to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: pessimism about the future of America; the display of dominance by the corrupt left over Trump for 4 years; the press revealing their strong leftist bias by going silent now that the Presidency is in Democratic hands; Twitter as Establishment, not radical left; Stefan Molyneux; the justice in destroying the US Capitol building (a monument to slavery and continual oppression); a thought experiment on acquitting an unpopular defendant even when widespread riots are guaranteed; politicians and bureaucrats being put under oath and having their claims cross-examined; the fact that government actors have no skin in the game of interfering with our lives; the character flaw that is allowing yourself to assume authority over others without liability (immunity); talking to cops about why they became cops and seeing how far they’ve been corrupted away from those probably noble reasons; normalizing adult drug use, such as is Dr. Carl Hart on Rogan and Reason podcasts; and more.
Sweating the Small Stuff & Influencing Others (22m) – Episode 057
Episode 057 looks at two Stoic topics: the first from Marcus Aurelius who wrote, “It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won’t tire and give up, if you aren’t busying yourself with lesser things beyond what should be allowed.”; and the second from r/Stoicism, a post by EricHennigan, which started, “I was thinking about Epictetus’ reminder that some things are under our control and others not. If we push this idea really hard, there are many things that I might naively consider under my control, but which, when examined more closely are not. For example, thoughts randomly bubble into my mind and I do not control that. Emotions can overwhelm my rational faculties, causing me a temporary insanity. Many external factors control the direction of my life. The simple, naive, lowercase stoic advise seems to recommend that I not try to control things which I cannot. I think this interpretation would be a disastrous mistake.”
MLK, Jr.’s Libertarian Movement, Labor Day, Spanking, & the Social Contract (28m) – Episode 455
Episode 455 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: why Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for civil rights was a libertarian movement; where wages came from and why they have been a blessing for humanity; why spanking is unintelligent, lazy, selfish, and unnecessary; and the central problem in social contract theory and a more accurate way to formulate it (as a peace treaty in a threat game).
Peter Leeson: Why Self-Governance Works Better Than You Think (1h7m)
This episode features a lecture by economics and law professor Peter Leeson from 2016. Leeson uses rational choice theory to explore the benefits of self-governance. Relying on experience from the past and present, Professor Leeson provides evidence of anarchy ‘working’ where it is least expected to do so and explains how this is possible. Provocatively, Leeson argues that in some cases anarchy may even outperform government as a system of social organization, and demonstrates where this may occur.
Section 230, Amazon and Parler, Caveat Emptor, Contracts, & Alternatives (41m) – Episode 454
Episode 454 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and what is and is not libertarian about it; Amazon Web Services cancelling their contract with social media platform Parler without the contractually specified notice of 30 days; what should happen to contracts in the future; examining our dependencies and building alternatives; and more.