The Curious Task

Institute for Liberal Studies

We explore philosophy, politics, economics, and other ideas from a classical liberal perspective.

  1. Jun 10

    Matt Zwolinski - Are Markets Coercive?

    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 Economy Sohrab Ahmari, Tyranny, Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty—and What to Do About It F. A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

    1h 12m

  2. Jun 3

    Matt Dinan - Is AI Ruining Liberal Education?

    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 Dinan https://mattdinan.substack.com/p/the-ai-skeptical-professors-guide Matt Dinan’s viral “honest B or C student” post on X https://x.com/second_sailing/status/1912857896599105564 “Tyler Cowen’s AI Campus” — Marginal Revolution https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/01/tyler-cowens-ai-campus.htm 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

    1 hr

  3. May 20

    Nadine Strossen - Is Our Right To Speech In Danger?

    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 Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship - Nadine Strossen: https://a.co/d/0isrx1H3 The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech and Why They Fail - Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff: https://a.co/d/00P1zxhP FIRE: 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_Act   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

    53 min

  4. May 13

    Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy?

    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/0dI4FOkK Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment 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

    46 min

  5. May 7

    James Czerniawski - Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media?

    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

    57 min

  6. Apr 29

    Holly Doan - What Is The Role Of Investigative Journalism In A Free Society?

    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

    1h 10m

  7. Apr 22

    Aris Trantidis - Why Should We Care About Clientelism?

    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 Trantidis https://www.cambridge.org/ca/universitypress/subjects/economics/economics-general-interest/clientelism?format=PB The Calculus of Consent - James M. Buchanan and Gordon Tullock https://a.co/d/0fslxBBZ The Logic of Collective Action - Mancur Olson https://a.co/d/06w0x507 The Selectorate Theory and International Politics - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Randolph M Siverson https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62239/chapter-abstract/550747911?redirectedFrom=fulltext The Myth of the Rational Voter - Bryan Caplan https://a.co/d/0cufjmjt 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

    1h 4m

  8. Mar 18

    Is An Examined Education Better? - Nick Cowen

    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=6261178 The 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.html Graduate premium in the UK and debates over higher education quality https://theskillsagenda.substack.com/p/a-declining-graduate-premium 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

    1h 3m
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About

We explore philosophy, politics, economics, and other ideas from a classical liberal perspective.

Information

  • Creator
    Institute for Liberal Studies
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    325
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © A project by the Institute for Liberal Studies 499634
  • Show Website
    The Curious Task

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