Political philosopher Kevin Vallier, author of Trust in a Polarized Age, joins Big John to map the doom loop connecting social distrust and political polarization — and why COVID may have been the event that broke American trust for good. Chapters:[00:00] Introduction[01:27] Vallier’s Origin Story — Liberty, Conformity & Columbine[03:13] The Open Society: Can It […]

The system isn’t just broken; it was built this way. Lars Mapstead ran for president on one theme: unrig it. Lars Mapstead is a tech entrepreneur and 2024 Libertarian presidential candidate who argues that the two-party duopoly, the Federal Reserve, and the IRS were designed to protect elites — not you. In this episode of […]

Why is it that the left, the right, and libertarians can talk about each other — but never to each other? Dr. Arnold Kling, MIT-trained economist and author of The Three Languages of Politics, breaks down the invisible framework that makes American political debate feel impossible. In this episode:– His provocative AI prediction: by the […]

What happens when socialism takes everything from your family — not once, but twice? Martha Bueno’s parents escaped Castro’s Cuba, rebuilt their lives in Venezuela, and then watched Hugo Chavez destroy it all over again. Now a CEO, mother of four, and former Libertarian Party official, she has a warning Americans need to hear. Chapters:00:00 […]

Does your vote actually change anything — or is ignorance the price of admission? Constitutional law professor Ilya Somin argues that political ignorance isn’t a failure of education or media — it’s a rational response built into the structure of democracy itself. In this episode:– Why more education and better internet access won’t fix the […]

“All laws ultimately come down to somebody with guns coming to make you do their bidding.” Is that really how freedom works? Dr. Aeon J. Skoble — Professor of Philosophy at Bridgewater State University — joins Big John to unpack what liberty actually means, why your moral obligations aren’t the government’s job, and where every […]

What if the people writing our laws aren’t just incompetent — but acting with bad intent? Jim Babka has spent decades inside the libertarian movement — from press secretary for presidential candidate Harry Browne to fighting campaign finance battles at the Supreme Court. He’s seen how the system actually works from the inside. What you’ll […]

The government says sex trafficking is exploding. The real numbers tell a very different story — and bad data is being used to destroy free speech online. Reason Magazine senior editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown exposes how crime statistics are weaponized to pass laws like FOSTA-SESTA, gut Section 230, and criminalize voluntary behavior — all under […]

Cathy Young reveals the terrifying reality of growing up in the Soviet Union, from secret police surveillance to her family’s harrowing Gulag survival stories. We discuss the dangers of authoritarianism and why the modern West fails to understand the cost of free speech. In this episode of The Big Questions, Big John sits down with […]

Is the public school system designed to educate children or train obedient workers? We break down why “Unschooling” is the ultimate exit strategy for parents who want to raise sovereign, independent thinkers. In this episode of Big Questions, we challenge the modern education model. Two veteran unschooling moms explain the mechanics of self-directed education, proving […]