Choosing Better

Many societies are advancing assisted suicide as a viable option in the arsenal of the healthcare provider. But this breaks from longstanding duties of the physician to not administer poisons as evidenced in the Hippocratic Oath from antiquity. Enoch and Tim discuss the limits of individual autonomy and the morality of assisted suicide in a liberal democratic society.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 21 February 2024

Who determines what land can be owned and the rules of ownership? From the freedom to roam in Scotland to communal decisions in Oaxaca to racial restrictions in American Samoa, the rules of private property are as diverse as the nations. Enoch and Tim discuss these differences and talk about some of the benefits and challenges of private property rights. But first, some trivia!

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton

Who would want to grant a legal monopoly to an individual or even a corporation? While we want to encourage research and development, creativity, and taking risks, we also love the competition of the marketplace and the resulting lower prices for our favorite inventions and creations. In this episode, Enoch and Tim discuss intellectual property rights and consider the optimal duration to grant monopolies through patents and copyrights all while having a lot of fun.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton

Thank you so much for making our first season a success. We've both been overwhelmed by the positive feedback regarding the podcast and have been pleasantly surprised that not everyone thinks we're crazy (or at least that there are so many people who enjoy joining in our craziness).

We've both temporarily moved out of the country which has made recording a bit of a challenge. We're exploring how we can continue to record from a distance, but it will be a few weeks at the earliest before we are able to start making new episodes again. Hope you'll join us for season 2 when it's available and until then, keep choosing better! (Maybe even after then).

The academic seas are stormy, and the typical landmarks are in flux. Sometimes the best path forward is to look to the past. Join us as we reflect on the purpose of education and the role of the liberal arts.

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 5/18/2023

The penalties for breaking the law vary dramatically across time and space. In this episode we reflect on why certain patterns might emerge in how crimes are treated with respect to GDP per capita. We also consider the tradeoffs in play for those receiving punishment as well as the broader society.

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 5/5/2023

The potential economic gains from migration are enormous. Even the smallest estimates suggest migration has the potential to raise incomes more than 10 fold that of increased openness to trade. Few seem happy with current policies in the US, but what can be done? In this episode we reflect on a bit of the history of migration in the US and discuss Weyl and Posner's proposal from their book, Radical Markets.

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 4/18/2023

AI can emulate many things that humans do. AI can emulate many things humans can't do. AI can emulate many things humans shouldn't do. AI can emulate many things AI shouldn't do. Perhaps emulating human emotions falls into this fourth category. This certainly appears to be the consensus for condolence letters. But are there times where this artificial sincerity is appropriate? Could it ever offer an improvement? And regardless the moral implications, what are the implications? Join us as we explore the topic! Note: this was our first recorded episode (back in March of 2023).

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 3/14/2023

We generally think of scarcity in a negative light, but what would life look like if things weren't scarce? Could their be hidden mercies embedded in this concept. We invite you to share some of your scarce time and attention to reflect with us.

(Link to Referenced Article on Scarcity)

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 4/6/2023

What are the moral implications of prices? Is there such a thing as a "Just Price?" Under what conditions are prices unjust? Let's talk about arbitrarily giving money to random friends (or strangers), price gouging, and the effects of the prices on your soul.

Credits:

Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠

Post-Production - Michael Morris

Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠ for their support of our production, Stevener Gaskin, Kimberly Fair and the ICAM Studio.

Initial Record Date: 10/2/2023