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PODCAST

The Great Antidote

Juliette Sellgren

Adam Smith said, "Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." So join us for interviews with the leading experts on today"s biggest issues to learn more about economics, policy, and much more.

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

54:08

Innovation on Trial: Jack Nicastro on Empower’s Fight...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/11/21

Send us a text Why is D.C. trying to shut down a rideshare app that pays drivers more and charges riders less? Jack Nicastro of Reason joins to unpack Empower’s battle with regulators, what “innovation vs. permission” means in real life, and how markets—not mandates—keep people safe. Support the show Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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51:55

Tech Panic, Then and Now: Judge Glock on AI,...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/11/07

Send us a text Is tech panic new—or just history on repeat? Judge Glock (Manhattan Institute) walks through what past tech scares (lead gasoline, CFCs, TV) got right and wrong, why “externalities” matter more than vibes, and how to think about AI regulation today—transparency mandates, liability vs. preclearance, “AI pauses,” and realistic optimism. We end with his own journey from socialism to markets. Support the show Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update. Follow us on Facebook, T...

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47:17

Why Markets Run on Trust: Tawni Ferrarini on Honesty,...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/10/24

Send us a text Markets don’t work without trust. Tawni Ferrarini joins Juliette Sellgren to explore how honesty and reputation make exchange possible — from medieval trade networks to blockchain and Amazon reviews — and why decentralized trust systems matter in today’s economy of polarization, misinformation, and weak institutions. Support the show Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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57:04

Is China Really a Threat? Derek Scissors on China’s...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/10/10

Send us a text AEI Economist Derek Scissors joins Juliette Sellgren to unpack the reality of China’s economy, U.S.–China relations, and whether China is truly a threat. From demographics to debt and political control, Scissors explains what’s really driving China’s trajectory, and why it matters for America’s future. Support the show Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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47:02

Empowering the Next Generation: Economics Olympiad &...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/09/26

Send us a text This week, Juliette Sellgren sits down with Martina Bacik, the 21-year-old founder of the Economics Olympiad that has grown to 120,000 students in 35+ countries, and Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, coauthor of Common Sense Economics. Together they explore why teaching economics early matters, how competitions and books ignite curiosity, and what inspiring young people can teach us about building a hopeful, prosperous future. Support the show Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update. Fol...

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51:10

Why Freedom Matters: Tom Palmer on Authoritarianism...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/09/12

Send us a text Why does freedom matter? How can we defend it in an age of rising authoritarianism? In this episode, I sit down with Tom Palmer to explore the ideas, virtues, and strategies that keep liberty alive. We cover: · The rise of authoritarian movements and global threats to liberty · The morality of freedom: how to know what to fight for and when · January 6th as a failure of duty, and what true constitutio...

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34:29

It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You in September with Amy...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/05/23

Send us a text In this special episode of The Great Antidote, Amy Willis of Liberty Fund takes the mic to interview Juliette Sellgren, the voice behind the show. Together, they reflect on the evolution of the podcast—from its early days to the hundreds of guests it has featured—and how Juliette herself has grown in the process. They talk about what it means to foster curiosity, how Juliette approaches reading (and recommends you do, too), and what makes for a great question. They also discuss...

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47:32

The Limits of Liberty: Buchanan’s Case for...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/05/16

Send us a textWhat happens when people stop trusting rules—and start rewriting them?In this episode, we are joined by economist Edward Lopez about the life and legacy of James M. Buchanan, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of public choice economics. We begin by unpacking Buchanan’s biography and intellectual roots: what shaped his worldview, who influenced his thinking, and why his work remains foundational to understanding government, rules, and freedom.From there, we dive into the rich ideas in The

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62:35

Why Some States Succeed: Mobility, Markets, and the...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/05/09

Send us a textWhat makes some states thrive while others trap people in place? And what does it really mean to be free to move, grow, and flourish?In this episode, I talk with economist Justin Callais about the deep connections between personal fulfillment, economic mobility, and institutional quality. We begin with the personal: why real change starts internally, and how self-mastery and agency are prerequisites for meaningful, external progress. Then, we zoom out to ask: what kinds of systems make

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53:56

Targeted Incentives: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/05/02

Send us a text Remember the Amazon HQ2 frenzy? When nearly every U.S. state competed to become Amazon’s next home, offering billions in tax breaks and incentives? I do — I grew up right next door to Crystal City, Virginia, the site Amazon ultimately chose. In this episode, I talk with economist Peter Calcagno about targeted economic incentives—the controversial policy tool that fueled the Amazon HQ2 bidding war and countless other corporate deals. We explore questions like: What are targeted ...

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51:27

What Monkeys Teach Us About Economics with Bart Wilson

The Great Antidote ·

2025/04/25

Send us a text What if modern economics has overlooked what truly makes us human? In this episode, Bart Wilson joins us to explore humanomics—an approach to economics that reintroduces meaning, culture, and moral judgment into how we understand economic behavior. We talk about how economists miss the mark by assuming too much about how rational we really are—and too little about what it means to be human. Wilson shares insights from his experimental work with non-human primates, showing how c...

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37:36

The Dissident Project: Firsthand Stories of Life...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/04/18

Send us a textWhat is it like to grow up under a dictatorship? The speakers of The Dissident Project don’t have to wonder — they’ve lived it. And they’ve escaped.In this episode, Grace Bydalek joins us this week to discuss her work with The Dissident Project, which brings survivors of authoritarian regimes into American high schools to share their powerful, firsthand stories. From Cuba and Venezuela to Russia and beyond, these voices bring the reality of life without freedom into the classroom.We

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54:23

Ryan Streeter on the Civitas Institute and Cultural...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/04/11

Send us a text Ryan Streeter is the executive director of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Today, he tells us about his time in the intersection of think tanks, government, and academic communities. We talk about cities, the importance of mobility and growth, how to foster those characteristics, skepticism of government, and living in and creating a community that fosters social cohesion and critical thinking. Want to explore more? Alain Bertaud on Urban Pla...

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51:35

Douglas Den Uyl and Douglas Rasmussen on Ayn Rand:...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/04/04

Send us a textWe’ve talked about objectivism before on the podcast, but that was fairly introductory. Today, for the first time ever, I host two guests on the podcast to discuss the limitations of objectivism and where it fails to depict the good life. We talk about how they got interested in Rand’s thought, how they philosophically dealt with works that were mostly fiction, and where their philosophy, individualistic perfectionism, diverges from Rand’s and fills in some important blanks. Den Uyl is

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56:52

Daniel Hannan on Executive and Legislative Power

The Great Antidote ·

2025/03/28

Send us a textJoin us today for a fun conversation about all things government, UK and US, with Lord Daniel Hannan of Kingsclere! Lord Hannan is a member of the House of Lords. Today, we talk about how the U.K.’s legislative is structured, what is up with executive power, the importance of the West and cohesion on the freedom front, and the idiocy of tariffs. Want to explore more?Yuval Levin on Burke, Paine, and the Great Debate, an EconTalk podcast.Phillip Klein on Fight Club Conservatives versus

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59:22

Bob Ewing on Personal and Professional Success

The Great Antidote ·

2025/03/21

Send us a textBob Ewing is the founder of the Ewing School and hosts a Substack called Talking Big Ideas (go check it out). He has also gifted me most of the great books that I’ve read. Today, we talk about how he got started and how many of the great lessons in life are learned. We talk about counter-intuitive ideas, how to find the answers to them, and how to effectively communicate them. He talks to us about kettle bells and quotes (almost) every great author under the sun. Support the showNever

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54:40

Rachel Ferguson on Neighborhood Stabilization and...

The Great Antidote ·

2025/03/14

Send us a textWe talk a lot about civil society and the importance of local, communal networks which hold us up when we’re down and inspire us to be good, striving members of society. But what does that actually look like? How do civil institutions get built, and what does it take? Today, I’m excited to welcome Rachel Ferguson to the podcast. She is the director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University in Chicago and an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute. She is the president of

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64:03

Jo Jenson on Anxiety, Audiences, and Action

The Great Antidote ·

2025/03/07

Send us a textJo Jensen is the founder of MovieGoer and she’s currently the SVP of Digital and Entertainment Strategy at Touchdown Strategies, a PR firm. and is an Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow. Since all fellows have ventures over there, she’s currently writing a book called America Has a Girlfriend Problem.Today, we talk about the anxiety of my generation and how to unplug, attempting to grow comfortable with discomfort. We talk about how things have changed and how we can become more

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45:44

Peter Van Doren on Universal Basic Income

The Great Antidote ·

2025/02/28

Send us a textWhat is Universal Basic Income (UBI) and why is it so popular among economists and freedom lovers relative to other types of poverty policy solutions? What does it even mean to “solve a problem” or to “learn” in the social sciences? Join us today to explore the answers to these two questions and many more. Today, I am excited to welcome on Peter Van Doren to talk about the history of poverty policy and policy debates and the reality about universal basic income. We talk about some

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51:43

Charlotte Thomas on Learning and the Liberal Arts

The Great Antidote ·

2025/02/21

Send us a text Welcome back. Continuing our ongoing exploration of what it means to be an individual living in a liberal society, today I am happy to host Charlotte Thomas to talk to us about what it means to learn and the importance of the liberal arts. Join us to find out what it truly means to be “educated” and how to do it. A mix of personal, inspirational, and relatable, Professor Thomas brings her knowledge of teaching in the classroom into our conversation. Of course, rath...

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233 results

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