This episode features a lecture by professor and clinical psychologist Richard M. Ryan from 2016. Dr. Ryan examines human autonomy as it relates to psychological, mental, and emotional health in children and adults.
Category: Liberty Voices
Donald Boudreaux: Law and Legislation (1h9m)
This episode features an interview of economics professor Donald Boudreaux from 2006 by Russ Roberts, host of EconTalk. Drawing on volume one of Friedrich Hayek’s classic, Law, Legislation and Liberty, Boudreaux talks about the distinction between law and legislation, the appropriate role of judges, and how the fulfillment of our expectations allows us to pursue our goals and dreams.
Michael Huemer: Common Sense Libertarianism (1h2m)
This episode features a talk by philosophy professor Michael Huemer from 2013. Maybe the best way to defend libertarianism is not through economic arguments; nor appeals to general, abstract theories about the nature of morality; nor through the non-aggression axiom. Maybe the best way to defend libertarianism is through appeal to common sense morality.
Erica Chenoweth: Nonviolent Action Today (53m)
This episode features a talk by university professor Erica Chenoweth from 2017. She talks about the history of nonviolent action for various reasons against governments. Erica Chenoweth is a Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
Tom Bell: Choose Your Own Government (1h2m)
This episode features an interview of law professor Tom W. Bell from 2018 by Trevor Burrus and Aaron Powell, hosts of the Free Thoughts podcast. They talk about the emerging trend of bottom up governments. Private providers increasingly deliver services that political authorities formerly monopolized, inspiring greater competition and efficiency. They discuss this quiet revolution that is transforming governments with the potential to bring more freedom, peace and prosperity to people everywhere.
Mustafa Akyol: Islam without Extremes, a Muslim Case for Liberty (25m)
This episode features from writer and journalist Mustafa Akyol from 2011. Akyol argues that “a fundamental need for the contemporary Muslim world is to embrace liberty – the liberty of individuals and communities, Muslim and non-Muslims, believers and unbelievers, women and men, ideas and opinions, markets and entrepreneurs.”
Randy Barnett: The Structure of Liberty (54m)
This episode features an interview of legal scholar and lawyer Randy Barnett from 2015 by Trevor Burrus and Aaron Powell, hosts of the Free Thoughts podcast. Barnett describes five rights—informed by natural law—that are crucial for properly structuring a society. He also shows how libertarian theories successfully counter the structural societal problems of knowledge, interests, and power.
Michael Huemer: The Psychology of Authority (1h17m)
This episode features a talk by philosophy professor Michael Huemer from 2013. Evidence from psychology and history teaches two main lessons about authority: (a) that human beings have a variety of strong, pro-authority biases, and (b) that socially recognized authority is an extremely dangerous phenomenon.
David Feige: The Untouchable Sex Offender Registry (1h28m)
This episode features an interview of lawyer, legal commentator, author, and filmmaker David Feige from 2017 by Thaddeus Russell, host of the Unregistered Podcast. The 800,000 registered sex offenders in the United States live under a totalitarian regime. They are legally barred from living in large portions of the country and denied access to employment, housing, and public spaces. Their movements and even their thoughts are monitored and controlled by law enforcement officers. Their names and faces are reported to the public, and vigilante groups hound them out of their homes. They are considered by nearly everyone in America to be the worst and most dangerous creatures in the world. Feige considers this “the darkest part of the criminal justice system” and made a film about it, which can be seen here.
David Beito: The Voluntary City & Mutual Aid Societies (41m)
This episode features a talk by historian and professor of history David Beito from 2010. He looks at the history of mutual aid and fraternal societies long before the welfare state replaced them.