Episodes
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On this "crossover" episode, Adam asks the great Bob Murphy a bunch of questions about tariffs (given that the incoming president has been talking about them).
00:00 — Intro. Who is the Trump guy and why does he love tariffs so much?
01:10 — Trump says he'll replace the IRS with tariffs. Is this feasible? If so, is it desirable? How do we interpret how Trump handled the matter when Joe Rogan asked him about it? What's the difference between an income tax and a consumption tax?
12:20 — Is there any virtue in Trump's claim that he uses the threat of tariffs to force other countries to lower their tariff barriers? How do you make the threat credible? Plus: Daffy Duck!
15:01 — What are the knock-on effects of tariffs? Also, who really pays for a tariff? How does price elasticity impact things?
30:29 — How do we respond to these twin arguments: "infant industries need tariffs to get going" and "national security requires tariffs"? Interestingly, it is revealed that Adam hears "missiles" no matter how often someone says "semiconductors".
46:08 — Does our current situation mirror the start of the Great Depression? Could Trump's new tariffs deepen our problems like the Smoot-Hawley tariff did in the 1930s?
52:12 — Bob remarks on a clever X post he made regarding hypocritical arguments one finds online.
54:56 — What would Bob say to Trump about tariffs if he could advise him?
57:52 — Outro. Bob inhales helium. Adam's X handle is explained. And as always, thank you all so much for watching! Bob hilariously testifying before congress to three decimal places:
Adam on X:
Bob on X:
The Bob Murphy Show:
The Human Action podcast:
Adam's other podcast: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam and Tyrone take a much needed break from politics and "serious" matters to have some fun! This episode is Part 1 of a two part series where they countdown their top 10 most favorite movie soundtracks!
00:00 — Intro. Let's take a break and talk about music and movies!
03:15 — Revealed: Adam's #10 favorite movie soundtrack!
05:09 — Revealed: Tyrone's #10 favorite movie soundtrack!
06:31 — Revealed: Adam's #9 favorite movie soundtrack!
07:49 — Revealed: Tyrone's #9 favorite movie soundtrack!
09:36 — Revealed: Adam's #8 favorite movie soundtrack!
11:00 — Revealed: Tyrone's #8 favorite movie soundtrack!
12:07 — Revealed: Adam's #7 favorite movie soundtrack!
13:34 — Revealed: Tyrone's #7 favorite movie soundtrack!
16:00 — Revealed: Adam's #6 favorite movie soundtrack!
18:38 — Revealed: Tyrone's #6 favorite movie soundtrack!
20:37 — Outro. To see Part 2, visit hamannature.substack.com and become a paid subscriber! And thanks for watching Haman Nature!
Adam's other show: https://naturalorderpodcast.com/
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Missing episodes?
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On this "crossover" episode with the great Bob Murphy, Adam shares with Bob a pet peeve: People talk (and think) about probability all wrong. Along the way, they talk aliens, simulation theory, economics, and much much more!
00:00 — Intro. Bob shows a little jealousy. It's very cute.
02:21 — Adam lays out his case that how we deal with odds and probability is often very sloppy and prone to error. The Drake equation comes under heavy fire.
08:47 — Bob responds with a few supporting examples from economics and a little general pushback to Adam's position.
26:51 — Bob points out a minor flaw in Adam's presentation that forces an important clarification. As it turns out, Captain America was probably really good at shooting craps! Adam makes an appeal to the law of large numbers to show that the throw of a die is "close" to a perfectly closed system. Bob makes a devastatingly insightful point that nicely enhances these concepts. Plus, Rothbard!
39:48 — Adam takes a swipe at people smarter than him (Nick Bostrom and Elon Musk) who say very silly things about simulation theory. That's not what probability means!
42:31 — Bob responds and gives some other very similar examples. Along the way, the usefulness of such lines of thinking are illustrated — so long as we don't fool ourselves by making erroneous probability claims. Also: Boltzmann brains, Descartes's evil demon, and brains in vats!
59:01 — Bob throws Artificial Intelligence into the mix, which is always interesting.
50:02 — Outro. Thanks for watching!
Adam on X: https://x.com/Rerazer
Bob on X: https://x.com/BobMurphyEcon
The Bob Murphy Show:
The Human Action podcast:
Adam's other podcast: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam and Tyrone are joined by LNC Chair Angela McArdle and Libertarian Institute Director Scott Horton for a discussion of the 2024 presidential election season and the debut of a new Haman Nature game show, 3-Letter Agency! Wisdom and fun all in the same episode!
00:00 — Intro. Say hello to today's guests, Angela McArdle and Scott Horton! Plus, a little chat about Scott's soon-to-be-released book Provoked! (pre-order link below)
02:54 — What does Angela think about this election season? Biggest take-aways? What does this election season mean for the Libertarian Party?
06:31 — What does Scott think about it all? What will the regime do to stop a Trump Victory?
11:14 — Angela has a contrary view. She thinks the Harris team is packing it in.
14:10 — Wait? Is Ron Paul going to make a huge comeback if Trump wins? Could it be... happening? Will Pennsylvanian's "apologize" for one of their own taking a shot at Trump? What about the abortion issue? How will that impact this race? What about good old fashioned misogyny?
21:23 — Adam reveals his favorite moment of this election season.
22:46 — Where does Trump's MAGA populist energy go after Trump is out of politics, win or lose?
25:22 -- Tyrone asks an important question: Do voters select on morality or economics? Also, is there a sliver of a chance deregulation could let us produce our way out of this economic mess?
27:40 — The panelists give their predictions as to the result of the 2024 presidential election!
37:44 — A quick plug for all the great books published by Scott's Libertarian Institute (link below) and an interesting impromptu pre-game discussion ensues.
43:11 — It's time to play a brand new game show: 3-Letter Agency! It's fun! It's educational! It's... bewildering at times! Who will emerge victorious? Oh -- and it is revealed that Adam doesn't know how letters... work.
58:48 — Outro. We give thanks to our wonderful guests, Angela and Scott! Check out their links below. And don't skip the easter egg. Who is the libertarian Rain Man?
Pre-order link for Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War With Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine: https://scotthorton.org/product/provoked/
Join (and donate to) the LIbertarian Party! https://www.lp.org/
Check out the magnificent Libertarian Institute! https://libertarianinstitute.org/
Read Antiwar.com every day! https://antiwar.com/
The Scott Horton Show: https://libertarianinstitute.org/scotthortonshow/
Books published by The Libertarian Institute: https://libertarianinstitute.org/books/
Adam's other show: https://naturalorderpodcast.com/
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
On this "crossover" episode with Bob Murphy of the Bob Murphy show, Adam and Bob talk about voting. Does it matter if you vote? Or who you vote for? How should libertarians think about the act of voting? What about strategy versus principles?
00:00 — Intro. Well, Bob is at it again on X. His comments about who he's voting for have riled some people up. Spoiler alert: It's Jesus.
02:24 — Bob lays out his reasoning about why he's voting the way voting.
10:48 — Adam asks Bob some preliminary questions to help focus the issue further. Does Bob think one of the two duopoly presidential candidates is "better" in 2024? Does this election matter?
12:35 — Does Bob think not voting at all is functionally the same as writing in Jesus?
14:25 — Does Bob think voting for someone who isn't Jesus is immoral in some way?
17:40 — Does Bob believe that voting is immoral in general, or can one justifiably vote "defensively"?
20:52 — Adam shatters Bob's illusions regarding write-in votes. Much sadness ensues.
22:54 — Does Bob take into consideration the "signaling effect" of voting one way versus another?
26:15 — Adam points out some positive real-world impacts the Libertarian Party has because of the votes they get in various elections.
28:49 — Adam brings out the big guns, arguing that individualists (as libertarians are) have a hard time thinking about collective action. The "my vote doesn't count" position scales poorly.
33:10 — Bob responds to Adam's pushback
37:27 — Adam asks Bob: Would he have voted for Ron Paul in the general election in 2008 or 2012 if he had become the nominee? Bob's answer is telling, and it launches a back-and-forth that clarifies Bob's position in a very interesting way!
44:30 — Bob discusses the reservations he had/has about announcing his intentions to vote for Jesus. To the extent that he has influence on other people, is he being irresponsible?
48:26 — Bob opines that libertarians focus a little too much on votes and elections, and not enough on more important matters. Adam agrees.
50:02— Outro. Adam promotes the Bob Murphy Show. Bob promotes his mad skillz on X. Also, Adam asks Bob an economics question whose answer can only be heard as a paid subscriber at https://hamannature.substack.com.
The Bob Murphy Show:
The Human Action podcast:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam and Tyrone have some fun on this episode, blasting both major candidates for the stupid things they say. Nobody is safe. Drunk? Insane? Gaffes? Word Salad?
00:00 — Intro. Tyrone introduces the show with a little word salad of his own, and teases an upcoming election prediction episode of Haman Nature with special celebrity guests!
03:15 — Roll the tape on Kamala! Let the word salad and verbal gibberish commence! And what accent is that? Did politicians always pander with accents that way? Plus jokes from your hosts.
10:05 — Roll more tape on Kamala! Is this the giggly cackling of a joyful drunk? Is she 8 years old? What's the age requirement for this job? And wait... is this woman racist? Also, space, the moon, and very odd hand gestures that "can be", while being "unburdened by what has been".
20:03 — Okay, it's "Orange Hitler's" turn. He has the best words. Just ask him! But don't ask him what those words mean.
27:40 — Gretchen Whitmer does something just awful on video. We don't pretend to understand it.
31:13 — Adam gets real for a moment and makes a pitch for authenticity in politicians.
33:10 — Hey Hero, Your Fly is Down! Scott Horton edition: "Okay, man... whatever you say! I just want to make it to the airport safely!"
39:45 — Outro. Hope you enjoyed the word salad!
Haman Nature episode mentioned:
Babylon Bee video mentioned (about Kamala's 6-year old speechwriter):
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit hamannature.substack.com
In this bonus portion of Adam’s interview of Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen author Domenic Scarcella, things get wild! Insights revealed! Important issues debated! Star Trek referenced! This one has it all!
00:00 — Intro. Welcoming back (to the 2nd half of an interview) Domenic Scarcella!
00:42 — Adam quotes a beautiful passage in Dom’s book and asks why so many modern day Christians feel justified in using state power to enforce their vision of a “good society”. Dom’s answer is deep and historical.
06:30 — Adam offers a psychological interpretation of one of the main religious “upgrades” that Christianity had over paganism. Dom responds intelligently. One can “touch the transcendence” without being a theist.
10:40 — Dom asks Adam where he “fits” on the landscape of metaphysical belief. Adam brings up epistemology, naturally. What does it mean for a thing to be “transcendent”?
13:40 — Dom makes an unexpected admission, along with a good analysis of how artful, descriptive language would have been used long long ago to try to explain deep concepts in our oldest stories. He uses different biblical creation stories to demonstrate the point. Dom’s interpretation of man’s “coming to consciousness” in the garden of Eden mirrors an intuition Adam has about the history of our species.
17:37 — Since Dom talks about Marduk, Adam asks if he knows much about Jordan Peterson’s analysis of humanity’s oldest stories. Dom gives a great description of what the bible actually is: God’s gradual revelation in human history.
22:50 — Adam asks a weird question about what the Old and the New Testaments “did” for humans in their relative stages of societal development. Dom agrees somewhat, but points out that we still need both, clearly. We still haven’t learned.
27:00 — Dom hates memes! Adam sees his point, but pushes back. Memes have a use case, so long as people don’t get “stuck” at meme level. Adam uses Star Trek in his argument. Checkmate.
38:29 — Adam asks Dom if he has anything else to add about the book. He talks about all the various interesting types of readers he’s gotten. Different people get different things out of it. That’s the sign of a good book!
— Outro. Dom leaves us with a final bit of wisdom.
Haman Nature article mentioned:
Thanks for watching!
Naturally,
Adam
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If you haven't heard, it's election season. Shockingly, this is (once again) the most important election of our lifetimes. Adam and Tyrone talk about why democracy itself is awful. Along the way, they comment on a video called "Why Democracy is Mathematically Impossible".
00:00 — Intro. It's election season! Despair!
01:17 — Democracy is trash, but that doesn't mean every critique of it makes sense. Adam and Tyrone dive into the video mentioned. "First past the post" and 3rd parties "stealing votes" are discussed. Adam trashes democracy. Tyrone promotes the intuition that "majority rule" just kinda "makes sense." Also, Adam answers the question: Why would anyone vote for someone that is sure to lose?
16:41 — Instant run off (or "ranked choice voting" is discussed. Tyrone offers a bold suggestion! Does RCV lead to group musical renditions of Kumbaya? Also, the maker of the video reveals a hidden bias.
26:35 — Finally, some math! Meh. Adam isn't impressed. Condorcet's method and Kenneth Arrow's Impossibility theorem are discussed.
28:46 — Adam takes a moment to insult "centrism". This video idolizes the "median voter" whatever that is supposed to be. Adam objects.
32:05 — Approval voting is discussed. Now we're maybe getting somewhere. Especially if it's weighted approval voting! Also, Tyrone introduces another novel political idea.
37:17 — Tyrone reveals the essence of democracy.
77:14 — Outro. This episode of Hn ends with Adam in mid-rant. Classic. Plus: Easter eggs!
Video mentioned:
Book mentioned (promo link): The Parafaith War:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam invites Domenic Scarcella on to talk about his book, Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen, and what lessons the Stations of the Cross (the story of Jesus's crucifixion) can teach about how Christians (and us all) should view their relationship to the state, and to their fellow humans.
00:00 — Intro. Meet Domenic Scarcella, author of Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen!
01:22 — Adam asks: What is the "way of the cross"? What is the teaching of this event meant to convey to the faithful?
07:18 — Why write this book? And what makes someone a good or bad neighbor or citizen? What duties do good people owe to the state? And what makes a "good cop"? Should Christians reflexively "back the blue"? Why or why not?
16:28 — Domenic asks Adam what a critical passage of the book means to him, an atheist. The answer may surprise you! Also, Domenic takes Christians to task for using evil means to (ostensibly) accomplish good ends. This is a fool's errand.
20:25 — Adam asks whether Domenic thinks Christians in America are moving (slightly) away from statism these days. Could it be? Domenic wants to resurrect the ethos of "the early church".
25:29 — What is the place of hierarchy in Domenic's thesis? The state imposes hierarchies, but are all hierarchies inherently bad things? What of natural ones?
29:00 — What is Domenic's approach to understanding the defensive use of force? What does the bible have to say about this?
31:50 — What does it mean to "outsource your ethics"? Who does this, and why? Where do we rightly learn our ethics? When and how should we question these? What is a "God-centered order"?
44:05 — Can a good Christian be an agent of the state? Should they enter government?
47:16 — Adam makes a pitch for people to go to hamannature.substack.com to become a paid subscriber and see the 2nd half of this great interview!
50:15 — Outro, plus, Adam praises Domenic's book.
Domenic's Substack:
Book mentioned: Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit hamannature.substack.com
Hi Hamaniacs!
In case you missed it, yesterday’s newsletter was the final installment of my regular advice series on how to improve your writing. Even though that has come to an end, I’ll continue evangelizing that we libertarians need to turn our intellectual understanding of economics, politics and human nature into creative art that can influence our cultures.
But as promised, I’ve got one final treat for you which is a special episode of the Haman Nature show presenting my entire Writing Tips course. That episode is now available on our Substack. For our paid subscribers, you’ll be able to watch the complete presentation, and for our free subscribers you’ll enjoy a free preview.
Even if this isn’t something that tickles your fancies, chances are that you know a budding writer and we’d greatly appreciate it if you were to share our show and Substack with them.
In liberty,
Tyrone the Porcupine Hobo
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On this "crossover" episode with Bob Murphy of the Bob Murphy show, Adam and Bob talk about Elon Musk's recent tech achievements, and opine on his future, and how it will impact ours. Mars, AI, robots, and more!
00:00 — Intro. No Twitter(X) fights from Bob this week! Yay!
01:19 — Adam and Bob marvel at Elon's engineering prowess of late, specifically, the safe landing of the Starship Super Heavy rocket booster. But Bob has questions about the economics of Elon's "quest for Mars".
06:32 — Economics, schmeconomics, Bob! We need to save humanity! Also, before we colonize Mars, shouldn't we explore the oceans first? And underground? Elon's all over that too. Also, a brief digression that covers economics, science fiction, and bureaucracy.
14:11 — Bob asks: what's your opinion of Elon as a force in the universe? Good? Evil? Other?
18:04 — What is the future of AI? How should we think about LLMs? What about AGI?
27:15 — How will these tech advancements (and the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of people like Elon) affect the political environment and secessionist movements. Are we going to see the return of "kings"?
29:37 — A brief digression on moon landing conspiracy theories and how the cosmic ray objection relates to future moon and Mars missions.
39:10 — Adam asks Bob what he thinks about Eric Weinstein and his various theories.
51:35 — Bob gives us his possible (probable?) vision of the near future, technologically and politically. Also, back to Elon: What seems to be motivating him - and his enemies? What is the difference between "private" actors and "government" actors?
61:06 — Outro. Bob makes a bold claim!
Movie mentioned — Capricorn One:
Video mentioned — Will Life on Mars Ever Be Economically Viable?
Bill Burr - Buzz Aldrin clip mentioned:
The Bob Murphy Show:
The Human Action podcast:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam invites David Medley of the Proof of Pod YouTube show to talk about all things crypto.
00:00 — Intro. Meet David Medley (don't let him sell you any NFTs!), software programmer, poker player, and cryptocurrency enthusiast!
04:53 — Introducing Medley's Test of Bitcoin Maximalism! Also, what coins does David think will be valuable in the future?
13:02 — What does David think about Ethereum and "smart contracts" on a blockchain? Can it be used to play poker? What about other gambling applications?
19:52 — What does David think about Monero?
21:20 — And finally, what does David think about Bitcoin? Is it money? What is money? How does it compare to gold? Does it satisfy ALL the requirements of money? What is the Lightning network?
42:46 — Does Bitcoin use "too much" energy? Is there a danger that the mining will get too concentrated? What is proof of work? What is proof of stake?
55:33 — Is quantum computing a threat to cryptocurrency? What about the dangers of sunspots or the earth's poles flipping? What happens of digital things just... stop working? Also, how would David Medley make cryptocurrency better?
63:20 — We have governments blocking our path to a free money. How do we get around them? Can we defeat them? Do we simply ignore them? What's the path to a crypto future? What's the path to freedom?
76:31 — Outro.
David's YouTube:
David's Linktree:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit hamannature.substack.com
On this one, Tyrone and I get into what we mean when we talk about odds and probability. Most people speak sloppily about these kinds of concepts, and it leads to people thinking sloppily about them. The conversation is kicked off by referencing this Haman Nature article.
Want to really understand the difference between “odds” or “probability” and “my best guess is…”? Ask a professional gambler!
Plus, we get into simulation theory, Drake’s equation, God, space aliens, crappy “science”, and the wonderful Michael Crichton.
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On this "crossover" episode with Bob Murphy of the Bob Murphy show, Adam and Bob talk about the effects (societal and economic) of drugs and drug prohibition. Jeremy Kauffman is mentioned, but we promise it's only peripherally.
00:00 — Intro. Once again, a feud on Twitter(X) leads to great content!
00:49 — What is the libertarian case for drug legalization? Why is often misunderstood?
02:56 — Adam makes a startling admission. Also, does Austrian economics tell us what the effects of drug prohibition would be on consumer demand and product safety?
04:33 — Adam promotes an episode of Natural Order Podcast (linked below) where Oregon had a horrible result when they "decriminalized" possession of many drugs.
06:00 — Bob says many smart things about this issue. Also, Adam makes a case for why conservatives should support eliminating drug prohibition. Also, the reasons why prohibition makes things "worse" are laid out.
19:04 — More details of the Oregon "decriminalization" fiasco are discussed. Also, how do libertarians handle all these "half-measures" offered to us on various issues? The "experiment" seems to refute us, but does it?
24:13 — How should libertarians think about possible "half-measures" on the way towards liberty? Which ones are good? Which are bad? What's the difference?
31:03 — Adam makes an odd argument that ending government prohibitions on drugs (and, in fact, all government) would lead to a decrease in drug use. Also, does fiat money ruin everything?
37:10 — Bob tackles a misconception about why black markets lead to more crime. It's not that there's "too little" police protection, it's that there's too much.
40:32 — Adam asks Bob what he thinks the effects would be if a covenant community outlawed drugs within its borders?
45:33 — Outro. Also, Adam claims that he's completely solved the drug abuse and homelessness problem in Natural Order Podcast Episode 15.
Natural Order Podcast episode mentioned:
Bob Murphy book mentioned:
Mark Thornton article mentioned:
Miron/Zweibel paper mentioned:
The Bob Murphy Show:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam and Tyrone discuss Google's woke new AI, Gemini, what Large Language Models are and what they aren't. Oh, and they possibly get the show cancelled for talking like boomers.
00:00 — Intro. Adam and Tyrone are using a lot of Google products. Uh-oh! Better "Do the right thing."
02:22 — After failing to land a Spike Lee joke, Adam and Tyrone discuss what's up with Google these days, and what "AI" is, and isn't. Adam has thoughts about how true AI could come about, if such a thing is even possible.
09:50 — A Matt Walsh video is played, featuring a very bad tech manager who might be the reason why Google's new AI, Gemini, is woke and racist.
18:20 — Adam and Tyrone talk about Google Gemini's racist image generation.
19:40 — Tyrone uses Google's new motto, "Do the right thing", as a launching-off point to talk about what morality "is", and the dangers of insisting that you know what "the right thing" is.
23:01 — How does all this impact our search results and our interactions with AI? What does this mean for how we will seek knowledge going forward? Adam gives an example of how AI hallucinates. We can't trust it. It isn't a fount of knowledge.
27:55 — Adam and Tyrone briefly discuss Matt Walsh's new film Am I Racist?
30:04 — What about Amazon's AI, Alexa? Is it woke? Does it have weird lefty political positions?
77:14 — Outro.
Haman Nature article mentioned:
Matt Walsh video mentioned:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Adam and Bob have a fascinating conversation about all things money! How and why it came about, what it does for us, where things went wrong, and where do we go from here?
00:00 — Intro. Adam has questions about money. What "is" money? How do we define it?
06:09 — What is the origin of money? How do we know? Do we have a historical record? How would we answer this question with theory? In answering this question, we begin to see why money is useful — even essential.
20:25 — What are the competing theories? If we believe in a bottom up emergence, what are the alternative hypotheses? You'll never guess, ideology drives which theory is believed.
26:43 — Bob explains Mises's famous "regression theorem" solution to the seeming "circular" argument problem about explaining where money gets it's value.
30:46 — Given that the "money" value of the money commodity quickly becomes MUCH larger than its commodity value, how do we think about money completely separated from it's commodity use case? Can such a thing actually be money? Clearly, we use a fiat dollar. How do these principles relate to Bitcoin?
41:01 — So, we're stuck with the fiat US dollar now, and the US government is over $35 trillion in debt. How bad is our situation and what comes next?
50:49 — Adam wonders if we can increase our productivity with innovations in tech such that we "grow" our way out a complete financial collapse? Bob's answer inspires a brief but interesting talk about what LLMs (AI) are, and what they are not.
59:21 — What's the deal with "de-dollarization"? Will the US dollar lose its status as the "reserve currency of the world"? What happens if it does?
64:47 — Austrian Economist FA Hayek had a "competing currency" proposal to let us opt out of a fiat system. Can that be resurrected and apply in the modern age?
70:26 — Adam asks his most important question of the episode! Also, Bob talks about the goofy plan of: Mint a platinum coin and stamp “$1 trillion" on it. Then sell it to the Fed for actual money. What could go wrong?
77:14 — Outro.
Bob Murphy article mentioned:
Bitcoin website/article mentioned:
The Bob Murphy Show:
The Human Action podcast:
Bob on Twitter(X):
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
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Adam and Tyrone have a lot to say about these darned roads. It's almost like goods and services provided by a monopolist might just... suck.
00:00 — Intro. Adam has had an epiphany about libertarianism. It can't work! Who would build the roads!
02:20 — Tyrone's been stuck in traffic a lot lately, and it reminds him of a Haman Nation article (linked below).
04:52 — Tyrone plugs the seminal work on this subject, The Privatization of Roads & Highways, by Walter Block (linked below)
07:10 — Tyrone brings up an ancient theory of property rights (ad coelum) and that is contrasted against more libertarian (and better) theories of property rights.
14:20 — The road system we have now looks nothing like what would have emerged in a free market — and that's a good thing! Tyrone illustrates the point beautifully while griping about traffic in his home town.
18:24 — Adam takes a moment to mock California's central corridor train boondoggle, as well as the steaming pile of corruption that is the proposed LA to Vegas "bullet train". Tyrone piles on with the concept of distributed costs and concentrated benefits and shows off a light-rail boondoggle of his own.
23:26 — Adam recalls nostalgically the time when the Soviet Union still existed. As horrible as it was, it helped our societal intuition to have that standing example of how bad the government is at the production of public goods.
28:11 — Outro. Hey government! Who should build the roads? Anybody but you, you thieving creeps!
Haman Nature article mentioned:
Book mentioned: The Privatization of Roads & Highways by Walter Block (promo link)
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
Bob and Adam go over a recent incident in which the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's controversial tweet caused a pair of FBI agents to try to intimidate Jeremy Kauffman. Instant viral video! But was it wise? Was it "worth it"?
00:00 — Intro. Adam welcomes Economist Bob Murphy of the Mises Institute and the world renowned Bob Murphy Show!
01:51 — The "facts of the case" are presented and also some areas where Adam and Bob agree and disagree. Bob enters into evidence some of the more spicy of LPNH's tweets, along with the tweet in question.
09:43 — Adam lays out the problems he has with LPNH's activities on X, while pointing out some of the positives that come along with such behavior. Where's the balance? Also: often times "hurtful" looks like "racist", but the two traits aren't the same.
15:47 — LPNH said a person would be a hero if they did [the bad thing]. Adam and Bob strongly disagree. Also, Adam introduces the benefits of being "edgy", while arguing that it's probably not a tactic, it's probably a personality trait. Poker player Phil Helmuth is mentioned - negatively.
26:17 — Adam and Bob discuss the Kauffman/FBI encounter. Was it "perfect"? Is it true that "you couldn't script it any better?" Adam and Bob break down the pros and cons.
32:57 — Bob argues against Adam's point in the article that on net the tweet + the encounter was a net positive. A long and deep discussion on that matter from many angles ensues.
47:52 — "Collapsitarianism" is discussed. Should we root for "it all to burn down" so we can start rebuilding a libertarian society? Bob makes a devastating point: Do the people who stop traffic on the roads for some cause attract sympathy? Or the opposite?
53:01 — Adam asks Bob: The world is getting worse, but our movement is gaining momentum. How does it net out for you? Are you white-pilled?
58:06 — Bob makes a great analogy to marketing funnels. Be aware of your "conversion rate", but also be aware of your "completely turning people off" rate. Both are important.
60:52 — Outro. A message for X posters that Bob and Adam agree on: If you're going to be edgy, be funny. Always be funny.
Haman Nature article mentioned:
Bob Murphy Show episode mentioned.
Kauffman/FBI video mentioned.
Bob's article about Texas secession, “Common Sense”
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
What does it mean when prominent war-hungry neoconservatives support your presidential campaign? Does it mean that you are a blood-soaked puppet of monsters? Tyrone and Adam discuss!
00:00 — Intro. A fond remembrance is given of the time that Scott Horton demolished Bill Kristol at a Soho Forum debate about US foreign policy. Link below!
04:36 — Tyrone shares the big news! Liz and Dick Cheney both endorse Kamala Harris for president! Also, Adam has a good time making fun of the so-called "punk" band Green Day.
04:46 — A discussion is had about Reagan's famous "coalition" that swept him to victory in 1980. Who joined? Who got suckered? Who benefitted? Are the neocons "realists"? Do they believe their own message?
12:01 — Adam tries to explain the behavior and motivations of neocons by using the famous "Baptist and Bootlegger" analogy.
15:10 — Adam reveals the surprising villain at the heart of the push for One World Government: Gene Roddenberry! A discussion ensues about the economics of the Star Trek universe.
18:00 — Tyrone says "violence always comes from the left". Adam agrees, and points out both of the major political parties in the US are leftist.
20:06 — Adam talks about the Horton/Kristol debate and some of the best aspects of that momentous event.
24:20 — Outro. Thanks for listening! Please consider becoming a paid subscriber at hamannature.com! '
Horton/Kristol debate mentioned:
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe -
It's the question of our times! How many national anthems should exist and be played before football and baseball games? Adam and Tyrone are on the case with brilliant (and hilarious) analysis.
00:00 — Intro. Football season is back! To honor the return of sportsball, Adam and Tyrone revisit a Haman Nature Substack article about the subject from last February.
04:36 — Grumpy Old Adam explains why he doesn't watch football anymore. Covid and it's stupidity is revisited. Also, Adam says something insane to generate hate mail!
08:52 — So, what should it mean for something to be a "national anthem"? Does it make sense to have more than one? Is a Black National Anthem a non-sequitur? Should we have more? And what's with football games being recruiting tools for the military?
13:09 — Patriotism. It's ingrained in us from a very young age. Is it good? Bad? Inevitable? Tyrone brings up an interesting point: Perhaps the Black National Anthem is a harbinger of a more decentralized (and perhaps more libertarian) future.
17:20 — Tyrone advances a theory that corporations don't care about this identitarian nonsense and only care about the bottom line. Adam advances an alternate theory on how to understand the behavior of corporate actors.
22:03 — Tyrone has had enough of Adam's curmudgeonly behavior and deliver's the true message of this episode: "Go Vikings!" Also, Tyrone shows a counter-intuitive example of how to make the game of football safer. Adam does the same for cars.
27:12 — Outro.
Article mentioned: Nice BNA, but why so stingy?
Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe - Show more
