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.
Category: Voluntaryist Voices
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.
Lysa Parker: Is Attachment Parenting For You? (31m)
This episode features an interview of family educator and API cofounder Lysa Parker by Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting. They discuss the principles and practices of attachment parenting.
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.
Thomas Sowell: Discrimination and Disparities (48m)
This episode features an interview of economist Thomas Sowell from 2018 by Dave Rubin, host of the Rubin Report podcast. They discuss his new book “Discrimination & Disparities” which challenges ideas related to economic outcome differences like discrimination, exploitation or genetics. They dive into Dr. Sowell’s upbringing and Marxist past, free speech on college campuses, the role of government, minimum wage laws, his experience as a conservative who happens to be black, and more.
Kelly Halldorson: Unschooling Liberty (1h1m)
This episode features a talk by unschooling mom Kelly Halldorson from 2013. She and her family of eight (2 parents, 3 teens, 3 dogs) travel(ed) full-time in a converted school bus known as “The Unschool Bus.” Kelly and her family live, learn, write, make music and art, play, and advocate for liberty from their roving home. They are Ron Paul supporters and passionate advocates for outside-the-system, alternative education methods known as “unschooling.”
Michael Munger: When is Voluntary Choice Really Voluntary? (48m)
This episode features an interview of economist Mike Munger from 2015 by Trevor Burrus and Aaron Powell, hosts of the Free Thoughts podcast. They talk about voluntary transactions and questions of justice in market pricing. What would everyone agree is truly voluntary? Are disparities in bargaining power coercive? What’s wrong with using the state to address these disparities? What about price gouging situations? What about sweatshops?
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.”
Peter Gray: The Role of Play in the Development of Social and Emotional Competence (43m)
This episode features a lecture by evolutionary psychologist, research professor, and author Peter Gray from 2012 on the role of play on human child development among hunter-gatherers, 1950s America, and today. Gray also looks at the rise of emotional and social disorders as a result of the decline of play.
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.