The Curious Task

60:44

Matt Zwolinski - Is There Such A Thing As A Free Market?

The Curious Task ·

2026/09/30

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Matt Zwolinski about whether a truly "free market" exists, delving into concepts of freedom, coercion, and property rights. They examine critiques of markets from left-leaning thinkers, such as Robert Hale, as well as conservative perspectives, while discussing libertarian approaches to balancing coercion and freedom in market societies. Zwolinski also references his own Substack essays and reflects on ideas for minimizing coercion without dismissing

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63:19

Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski — What Policies Hurt...

The Curious Task ·

2026/09/23

In this conversation from 2021, Alex Aragona chats with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski as they explore the policies that can hurt businesses, and their work on the Doing Business North America index.References from Episode 80 with Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski Ross Emmett and Stephen Slivinski are directors of the Doing Business North America project. Their 2020 report forms the basis of this episode and can be found at their website at this link. Here is a link to the Doing Business Report by

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55:39

Ethan Nadelmann - Is Vaping A Public Health Problem?

The Curious Task ·

2026/09/16

In this conversation from 2025, Matt speaks with Ethan Nadelmann about vaping, e-cigarettes, and pouch nicotine alternatives to cigarettes within the broader context of health policy and the drug war. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding nicotine, harm reduction strategies, and how opposition to non-combustible nicotine mirrors past drug war policies. Ethan highlights international case studies, the role of public health organizations, and the influence of figures like Michael Bloomberg in

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54:50

Steve Davies - Why Is Politics Today So Weird?

The Curious Task ·

2026/09/09

In this conversation from 2025, host Matt Bufton interviews historian Steve Davies about the political realignment happening across the Western world. Steve explains how traditional divisions in politics, such as socialism versus capitalism, have been replaced by a new axis centered on nationalism versus globalism. He critiques both "national collectivism" and "technocratic liberal progressivism" while discussing the implications for classical liberalism. The conversation also touches on the

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55:02

Andrew Smith - Do Entrepreneurs Help Create Peace?

The Curious Task ·

2026/09/02

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Andrew Smith about capitalist peace theory and discusses a Canadian case study as an example of mutually beneficial exchange leading to peace and prosperity. References 1. “Canadian Entrepreneurs and the Preservation of the Capitalist Peace in the North Atlantic Triangle in the Civil War Era, 1861-1871” by Andrew D. Smith and Laurence B.

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65:22

Darrell Bricker - Is Canada At A Breaking Point?

The Curious Task ·

2026/08/26

In this episode from earlier this year, 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

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61:16

Nathan Goodman - What Does Immigration Have To Do...

The Curious Task ·

2026/08/19

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Nathan Goodman about the implications of Climate Change for immigration policy and how coercion and polycentricity factor into that conversation.References: - Adapting to Climate Change through Migration: Justus Enninga and Nathan Goodman https://www.thecgo.org/research/adapting-to-climate-change-through-migration/ - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers

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60:22

Erwin Dekker - What Is The Value Of Art?

The Curious Task ·

2026/08/12

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Erwin Dekker about the economics and public policy perspectives on art, examining various theories on how art derives its value in communities. Dekker explores the idea of the separation between art and state, discusses cultural significance and individual perception in determining the worth of art, and how art's intangible qualities challenge traditional economic valuation.References "Realizing the Values of Art: Making Space for Cultural Civil

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55:25

Aeon Skoble — Is Anarchy Relevant For Classical...

The Curious Task ·

2026/08/05

In this conversation from 2021, Alex Aragona speaks with Aeon Skoble as he outlines his ideas on what anarchism is, how we should think on it, and how it overlaps with classical liberal ideas.References from The Curious Task Episode 99 with Aeon Skoble Aeon Skoble is author of Deleting the State and editor of a collection of essays called The Simpsons and Philosophy. He has a chapter titled “What Is the Point of Anarchism” in The Routledge Handbook of Anarchy and Anarchist Thought. Read more from

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57:29

David Friedman - What Does Law Have To Do With...

The Curious Task ·

2026/07/29

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with David Friedman about the history of legal systems around the world from an economic standpoint.References 1. “The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to Radical Capitalism” by David D. Friedman Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf 2. “Law’s Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters” by David D. Friedman Link: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Laws_Order_draft/laws_order_ToC.htm 3. “Who Is David Ricardo and What Is He

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50:22

Don Boudreaux - Why Are We In A Trade War?

The Curious Task ·

2026/07/22

In this episode from 2025, Matt Bufton speaks with Don Boudreaux about tariffs, free trade, and the economic misunderstandings that drive protectionist policies. Don critiques the balance of trade doctrine, drawing from historical examples and economic theory to explain why tariffs harm both consumers and producers. The discussion covers the impact of tariffs on the U.S. and Canada, how politicians exploit economic misconceptions, and why a policy of unilateral free trade would be the best path

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68:34

Mark Mercer - What’s Wrong With Universities?

The Curious Task ·

2026/07/15

In this conversation from 2023, Matt speaks with Mark Mercer about academic freedom, the changing mission of universities themselves, and what role faculty, administrators, and students should play in shaping the future of the institution. References: Mark’s Interview in C2C Journal: https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/05/confronting-the-post-academic-university-in-conversation-with-mark-mercer/ Peter March at St. Mary’s:

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57:14

Dennis Rasmussen - Did America Fail?

The Curious Task ·

2026/07/08

In this episode from 2021, Alex Aragona speaks with Dennis Rasmussen about his findings on how the American Founding Fathers truly felt about the experiment they designed and built as time went on. References Dennis Rasmussen previously joined The Curious Task to speak about his book The Infidel and the Professor, and you can listen to that episode here. The book discussed on this episode of The Curious Task is Fears of the Setting Sun by Dennis Rasmussen, which can be purchased from

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62:56

Moshe Lander - Should Taxpayers Fund The FIFA World Cup?

The Curious Task ·

2026/07/01

Alex Eames speaks with Moshe Lander about whether Canada’s billion-dollar FIFA bill is a smart investment, or if politicans and taxpayers are being sold a bill of goods. Moshe argues that while the World Cup will absolutely be fun and meaningful for fans, the public was sold a dollars-and-cents case that does not really hold up once you factor in temporary jobs, displaced spending, security costs, and FIFA’s ability to push expenses onto host cities. References Parliamentary Budget Officer, Federal

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65:22

Darrell Bricker - Is Canada At A Breaking Point?

The Curious Task ·

2026/06/24

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

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59:31

James Harrigan - What Does Pop Culture Say About A...

The Curious Task ·

2026/06/17

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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71:44

Matt Zwolinski - Are Markets Coercive?

The Curious Task ·

2026/06/10

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

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60:16

Matt Dinan - Is AI Ruining Liberal Education?

The Curious Task ·

2026/06/03

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

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59:24

Moin Yahya - What Is Inflation Really?

The Curious Task ·

2026/05/27

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,

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53:22

Nadine Strossen - Is Our Right To Speech In Danger?

The Curious Task ·

2026/05/20

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/0ialIpUc Hate: Why We

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