Eamonn Butler joins us to discuss his new book Ayn Rand: An Introduction. Why does Rand’s work remain so influential? Her thinking still has a profound impact, particularly on those who come to it through her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead—with their core messages of individualism, self-worth, and the right to live without the impositions of others. Eamonn Butler is the Director of the Adam Smith Institute. In this episode, we discuss Ayn Rand, her work as a fiction author, and her fascinating life and history.  

Find Ayn Rand: An Introduction now available on www.libertarianism.org

More about Eamonn Butler.

More about Ayn Rand.

More on Objectivism.

Excursions into Libertarian Thought - Series on Ayn Rand and Altruism

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Keith E. Whittington joins us this week to discuss his new book Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech. Whittington argues that universities must protect and encourage free speech because vigorous free speech is the lifeblood of the university.  We discuss free speech on campus, the use of trigger warnings and how universities can promote freedom of thought and ideological diversity.

Further Readings/References:

Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech

More work by Keith E. Whittington

Campus Freedom - Free Thoughts Podcast

Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate

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Peter T. Leeson joins us to talk about his new book WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird. Peter T. Leeson is the Duncan Black Professor of Economics and Law at George Mason University. We discuss some of the world’s strangest customs and behaviors; everything from convicting insects of crimes in a court of law to wife sales. How can this be rational economic behavior?

WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird by Peter T. Leeson

More work by Peter T. Leeson

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John Hasnas joins us this week to discuss the evolutionary process of common law. What is common law? Is it a completely random process? If common law is so great, why is there so much legislation?

More about John Hasnas

“Common Law” - The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism.org

Natural Law: Origins of Common Law

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Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington join us to discuss forensic science and the criminal justice system. We also discuss structural racism, Mississippi’s inadequate death investigation system and the relationships between police, prosecutors and forensic scientists.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South

The Changing Role of Criminal Law - Free Thoughts Podcast

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Timothy Sandefur joins us for a conversation on Frederick Douglass. We also discuss the abolitionist movement, Douglass’s relationship with President Abraham Lincoln and how Frederick Douglass fits in with subsequent leaders of the black civil rights movement. Timothy Sandefur is the author of Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man. 

How Libertarians Ought to Think About the U.S. Civil War by Timothy Sandefur

Frederick Douglass

Slavery in America

More on Drapetomania

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The Problem of Police Misconduct - Free Thoughts Podcast

Thin Blue Lies: How Pretextual Stops Undermine Police Legitimacy

Clark Neily

Jay Schweikert

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Rick Doblin joins us to gives us a primer on the medical uses of psychedelics. Rick Doblin is the Founder and Executive Director for MAPS; the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. We discuss the War on Drugs, how those suffering from PTSD are benefiting from psychedelics and how the DEA could hinder the research surrounding psychedelics and marijuana.

Rick Doblin

MAPS - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Drug Prohibition -  Encyclopedia of Libertarianism.org

Illicit Drugs - Encyclopedia of Libertarianism.org

Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs - Free Thoughts Podcast

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Pope Francis and the Caring Society

Robert Whaples

Laudato si’

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Bryan Caplan gives us the case against traditional education and how employers reward workers for costly schooling they rarely if ever use, and why cutting education spending is the best remedy. Why have decades of growing access to education have not resulted in better jobs for the average worker but instead in runaway credential inflation?

The Case against Education

Encyclopedia of Libertarianism: Education

Free Thoughts Podcast: The Education Apocalypse

Free Thoughts Podcast: The State of State Education

More about Bryan Caplan’s work

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