Эпизоды
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Alex speaks with Darrell Bricker about whether Canada is at a breaking point, drawing from Bricker and John Ibbitson’s book Breaking Point to explore Canada’s economic stagnation, regional alienation, generational anxiety, and fragile national identity. Bricker argues that Canada’s challenges are serious but not fatal if Canadians are willing to stop kicking hard problems down the road and start building a country that younger generations can actually believe in.
References:
Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at RiskDarrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, The Big ShiftGeorge Grant, Lament for a NationStatistics Canada — Canadian international merchandise trade data, including energy exportsCanada Energy Regulator — Canada-U.S. energy trade overviewThanks to Our PatronsThanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with James Harrigan about popular culture as a source of social change and the many ways in which the export of American pop culture has shaped the world.
References
1. “Brown v. Board of Education” by the National Archives
Link: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education
2. “Roe v. Wade” by Britannica
Link: https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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In this episode, Alex speaks with Matt Zwolinski about whether markets are coercive, and why the answer is more complicated than either “markets are voluntary” or “capitalism is coercion.” They discuss Robert Hale’s classic argument, the limits of standard libertarian responses, and why a better liberal defence of markets has to take real-world coercion seriously without treating all coercion as morally equal.
References:
Matt Zwolinski, “Are markets coercive?”Robert L. Hale, “Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State”Thomas Nixon Carver, Principles of National EconomySohrab Ahmari, Tyranny, Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty—and What to Do About ItF. A. Hayek, The Constitution of LibertyThanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with Matt Dinan about why AI is not so much ruining liberal education as exposing it's main shortcoming: treating education as a system of credentials rather than a challenging process of reading, writing, discussing, and learning how to learn. Dinan argues that the best response is not to become an "AI cop", but to design courses that incentivize students to learn skills they will need in any scenario where AI has an impact on our society - for better or for worse.
References
“Permission Structures” — Matt Dinanhttps://mattdinan.substack.com/p/the-ai-skeptical-professors-guideMatt Dinan’s viral “honest B or C student” post on Xhttps://x.com/second_sailing/status/1912857896599105564“Tyler Cowen’s AI Campus” — Marginal Revolutionhttps://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/01/tyler-cowens-ai-campus.htmThanks to Our PatronsThanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Moin Yahya about debates both new and old surrounding the causes and history of inflation.
References:
Inflation and Paper Money: An Historical Perspective: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4076420
In Defense of the Free-Banking Stablecoins: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4056359 George Selgin's page at the Cato Institute:
https://www.cato.org/people/george-selgin
Thanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with Nadine Strossen about why free speech is under pressure across the political spectrum, from left-wing campus cancel culture to right-wing government coercion and censorship pressures. Strossen argues that the answer to hateful or harmful ideas is not censorship, but a stronger culture of free expression, viewpoint neutrality, and fighting bad speech with better speech.
References
Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know - Nadine Strossen: https://a.co/d/0ialIpUcHate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship - Nadine Strossen: https://a.co/d/0isrx1H3The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech and Why They Fail - Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff: https://a.co/d/00P1zxhPFIRE: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression https://www.fire.org/The Future of Free Speech: Jhttps://futurefreespeech.org/The Communications Decency Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Decency_ActThanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and an emphasis on letting kids struggle, fail, and become passionate about the process of learning itself. Casey also explains why she and her husband started the school for their daughter, how her earlier work in Dallas and Sierra Leone shaped her view of education, and why she believes every child has a “genius” that education should help uncover.
References
Acton Academy Calgary Central https://www.actoncentral.org/Acton Academy https://actonacademy.org/The One World Schoolhouse - Salman Khan https://a.co/d/0dI4FOkKKhan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environmentThanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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Matt speaks with James Czerniawski about proposed bans on children using social media and AI, exploring concerns around mental health, digital literacy, free speech, privacy, and the consequences of regulation. James argues that while online harms are real, outright bans are ineffective and often counterproductive, advocating instead for parental awareness, digital literacy, and a more optimistic approach to AI.
References
James’ website: https://jamesczerniawski.com/
James’ author page at the Consumer Choice Center: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/author/james/
The UK Online Safety Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer
Institute for Family Studies: Digital Parent Toolkit: https://ifstudies.org/blog/new-tools-to-help-parents-navigate-teens-social-media-use
The Twitter Files: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Files
COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa
Thanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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Alex sits down with Holly Doan to discuss Accountability Journalism and the role that non-mainstream journalistic media has in the current Canadian political landscape. They discuss the decline of traditional newsrooms, subsidies for Canadian media companies and the lack of transparency that has led us to a climate where the press is struggling to keep up with the times.
References
Blacklock’s website:
https://www.blacklocks.ca/
The Hub article on government subsidies for traditional Canadian media outlets:
https://thehub.ca/2025/05/05/the-names-of-media-outlets-receiving-government-mandated-funding-released-only-days-after-election/
Carney’s CBC funding announcement:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-cbc-funding-1.7501902
Holly on X:
https://x.com/hollyanndoan
Thanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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In this episode, Alex speaks with Aris Trantidis about his book Clientelism and why it matters for anyone concerned with democracy, public choice, and the modern state. Trantidis explains clientelism as a system of political exchange in which politicians trade targeted favours, contracts, regulation, and other private benefits for support, campaign resources, and loyalty - arguing that this dynamic is not a "bug" but a structural feature of politics that can distort markets and democracy.
References
Clientelism — Aris Trantidishttps://www.cambridge.org/ca/universitypress/subjects/economics/economics-general-interest/clientelism?format=PBThe Calculus of Consent - James M. Buchanan and Gordon Tullockhttps://a.co/d/0fslxBBZThe Logic of Collective Action - Mancur Olsonhttps://a.co/d/06w0x507The Selectorate Theory and International Politics - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Randolph M Siversonhttps://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62239/chapter-abstract/550747911?redirectedFrom=fulltextThe Myth of the Rational Voter - Bryan Caplanhttps://a.co/d/0cufjmjtThanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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In this episode from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Dan Griswold as he explores the benefits of open markets and free trade, and whether you can "win" a trade war.
References
1. “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” by Daniel Griswold
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Mad-About-Trade-America-Globalization/dp/193530819X
2. “Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Steel on U.S. National Security” by U.S Department of Commerce
Link: https://www.commerce.gov/issues/trade-enforcement/section-232-steel
3. “China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusions Process” by Office of the United States Trade Representative
Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/tariff-actions
4. “Only Congress can end the China trade war quagmire” by Daniel Griswold
Link: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/expert-commentary/only-congress-can-end-china-trade-war-quagmire
5. “The Coronavirus Should Not Prompt Us to Rethink Globalization” by Daniel Griswold
Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-coronavirus-should-not-prompt-us-to-rethink-globalization
6. “Daniel Griswold: Curbing globalization would compound coronavirus damage” by Daniel Griswold
Link: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/13/daniel-griswold-curbing-globalization-would-compound-coronavirus-damage/
7. “Daniel Griswold on US Demographic Decline and the Case for Expanding Immigration” by Daniel Griswold
Link: https://www.mercatus.org/macro-musings/daniel-griswold-us-demographic-decline-and-case-expanding-immigration
8. “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy” by Douglas Irwin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Clashing-over-Commerce-History-Policy/dp/022639896X
9. “Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - A Global Call to Action” by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Death-China-Confronting-Dragon-paperback/dp/0134319036
10. “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” by Office of the United States Trade Representative
Link: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement
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In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Thomas Bunting about politics, democracy, social progress and more as they relate to baseball and athletics more broadly.
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In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians.
Episode Notes:
1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law”
https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf
2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary
https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle
3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm”
https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf
4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8
5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce
6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act:
https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html
7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange:
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable
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In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Nigel Ashford about the prospects for a freer world and how the memory of history, the hope of younger persons, and the teaching of ideas can shape the future of classical liberalism.
Further Reading:https://libertarianism.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/socin003.pdf
Chapter 2 of this book: https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Blundell-interactive.pdfhttps://fee.org/articles/the-tide-in-the-affairs-of-men/https://cdn.mises.org/Intellectuals%20and%20Socialism_4.pdfhttps://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/why-do-intellectuals-oppose-capitalismhttp://wordlist.narod.ru/Government-Failure.pdf
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In this episode, Alex speaks with Nick Cowen about why an “examined education” is better than an unexamined one. Drawing on his paper, Nick argues that exams are valuable not just as external assessments but as opportunities for students to test themselves, build confidence, develop resilience, and discover what they actually know rather than what they merely think they know.
References
“An Examined Education” — Nick Cowen https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6261178The Theory of Moral Sentiments — Adam Smith https://a.co/d/0iSQvp4l“Why I Am Not a Conservative” — F. A. Hayek https://press.uchicago.edu/books/excerpt/2011/hayek_constitution.htmlGraduate premium in the UK and debates over higher education quality https://theskillsagenda.substack.com/p/a-declining-graduate-premiumThanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Stefanie Haeffele about her book Living Better Together, which explores the work of Elinor Ostrom and Viviana Zelizer.
Episode Notes:
"Living Better Together" by Stefanie Haeffele and Virgil Henry Storr:
https://a.co/d/hJNCxw6
Viviana Zelizer's homepage at Princeton:
https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/viviana-zelizer
Elinor Ostrom's bio and short autobiography on the Nobel website:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/ostrom/facts/
Nonneutrality of Money in a Social Perspective by Julia Włodarczyk
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274184545_Nonneutrality_of_Money_in_a_Social_Perspective
Zelizer's "Circuits of Commerce"
https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520241367.003.0009
Ostrom's "Governing The Commons"
https://a.co/d/gcUDVWq
Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy byViviana A. Zelizer
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691139364/economic-lives
"Testing Circuits of Commerce in the Distant Past: Archaeological Understandings of Social Relationships and Economic Lives"by: Crystal A. Dozier
https://www.springerprofessional.de/testing-circuits-of-commerce-in-the-distant-past-archaeological-/23930708
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In part two of this episode from 2022, Alex speaks again with philosopher Eric Mack about "Anarchy, State and Utopia", this time touching on some of the challenges to Nozick's theory and Eric's own personal connection to Robert Nozick during his life.
References
1. Part 1 of Eric Mack’s The Curious Task Episode on “Why Read Anarchy, State, and Utopia?”
Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-145-eric-mack-why-read-anarchy-state-and-utopia/
2. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast
Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/
3. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006
4. “Who Would Choose Socialism” by Robert Nozick
Link: https://reason.com/1978/05/01/who-would-chose-socialism/
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In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Philosopher Eric Mack about Robert Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" and how the book shaped the conversation around natural rights theory, philosophical libertarianism, and the study of political utopias for decades to come.
References
1. Eric Mack’s Previous Episode “Why Not Socialism?” on the Curious Task Podcast
Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-7-eric-mack-%e2%80%94-why-not-socialism/
2. “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” by Robert Nozick
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/0465051006
3. “Robert Nozick” by Britannica
Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Nozick
4. “Murray Rothbard” by Mises Institute
Link: https://mises.org/profile/murray-n-rothbard
5. “A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Justice-Revised-John-Rawls/dp/0674000781
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In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the growing declarations of the end of liberalism and what this means for the socio-political future in general.
Episode Notes:
Eric Schliesser’s page at the University of Amsterdam https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/s/c/e.s.schliesser/e.s.schliesser.html#Publications Kevin Vallier’s episode of this podcast discussing religious anti-liberalism: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/197-kevin-vallier-what-are-the-new-religious-threats-to-liberalism/ Adrian Vermeulen’s publications https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/adrian-vermeule/ Tom Pink’s page at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink Yoram Hazony’s book on conservatism: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink Jacob Levy on borders and liberalism: https://www.niskanencenter.org/law-and-border/ -
In this episode, Matt speaks with Reem Ibrahim about whether Brexit can be considered a success six years after the UK left the European Union. They examine the classical-liberal case for Brexit (focused on sovereignty, deregulation, and free trade) and contrast it with a post-Brexit reality in which many EU-era regulations, trade barriers, and interventionist policies remain. While the most catastrophic “Project Fear” predictions did not come true, Ibrahim argues that Brexit’s promised freedoms have largely gone unused, leaving its long-term success still unresolved.
References
Brexit Referendum (2016) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results
Project Fear — https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-take-back-control-trumped-project-fear/
Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)’s Analysis of Brexit’s impact on trade — https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Perspectives_5_Has-Brexit-really-harmed-UK-trade__web-1.pdf
Brexit: The Movie — https://www.youtube.com/c/brexitthemovie
UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en
CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) — https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uk-and-the-comprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp
Working Time Directive — https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/working-time-directive_en
Thanks to Our Patrons
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask
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