The Curious Task

By Institute for Liberal StudiesSociety & Culture Science Social Sciences Education

The Curious Task episodes

October 21 Graeme Thompson—How Can Canada Make Sense of the Current Geopolitical Moment?
In this conversation, Alex speaks with Graeme Thompson about the current economic tensions between Canada and the U.S., and the broader geopolitical contexts that surrounds those tensions.
References
1. Graeme Thompson: Canadians No Longer Take Geopolitics Seriously—and Our Neglect Is Going to Cost Us (The Hub, 2024) https://thehub.ca/2024/03/22/graeme-thompson-canadians-no-longer-take-geopolitics-seriously-and-our-neglect-is-going-to-cost-us/
2. Top Risks 2026: Implications for Canada (Eurasia Group, 2026) https://www.eurasiagroup.net/issues/Top-Risks-2026-implications-for-canada
3. Top Risks 2025: Implications for Canada (Eurasia Group, 2025) https://www.eurasiagroup.net/issues/Top-Risks-2025-Implications-for-Canada
4. Top Risks 2026: Canada (RBC Thought Leadership and Eurasia Group, 2026 — Graeme Thompson, contributor) https://www.rbc.com/en/thought-leadership/geopolitics-trade-and-the-economy/top-risks-2026-canada/
5. Is the American Century Over? (Harvard Gazette) https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/03/america-still-at-top/
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.
To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
1 hr 19 min
October 14 Geoff Kellow - Do Markets Promote Virtue?
In this episode from 2021, Alex speaks with Geoff Kellow about the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin and whether they can help us better understand the connection between markets and virtue.
References
1. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091
2. “Benjamin Franklin and Adam Smith: Two Strangers and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Geoff Kellow
Link: https://read.dukeupress.edu/hope/article-abstract/50/2/321/134723/Benjamin-Franklin-and-Adam-SmithTwo-Strangers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext
3. “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Wealth-Nations-Adam-Smith/dp/1680920960
57 min
October 07 Rachel Lomasky - Can A.I. Be Ethical?
In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Rachel Lomasky about hot-button issues surrounding machine learning and artificial intelligence and the limitations and definitions of each, especially when it comes to ethical decision-making.
References
1. Rachel’s Articles, Law&Liberty
Link: https://lawliberty.org/author/rachel-lomasky/
2. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) vs. Machine Learning” by Columbia Engineering
Link: https://ai.engineering.columbia.edu/ai-vs-machine-learning/
3. “Transcending Technopessimism” by Rachel Lomasky
Link: https://lawliberty.org/transcending-technopessimism/
57 min
September 30Matt Zwolinski - Is There Such A Thing As A Free Market?
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 critiques.
References
Matt Zwolinski's Substack, Bleeding Heart Libertarian
Link: https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/
"Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State" by Robert Hale (1923)
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/2142367
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
"23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism" by Ha-Joon Chang
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/23-Things-Dont-Tell-Capitalism/dp/1608191664
"The Myth of Ownership: Taxes and Justice" by Liam Murphy and Thomas Nagel
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Ownership-Taxes-Justice/dp/0195150163
"Tyranny, Inc." by Sohrab Ahmari
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Inc-Private-American-Liberty/dp/0593443462
"The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism" by Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi
Link: https://a.co/d/5lCZvGS
Thanks to our patrons including: Amy Willis, Kris Rondolo, and Christopher McDonald.
To become a patron, go to patreon.com/curioustask
1 hr 1 min
September 23Ross Emmett and Steve Slivinski — What Policies Hurt Business?
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 the World Bank that was briefly mentioned in the podcast.
You can read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article on the barriers of doing business in Philadelphia here.
An in-depth explanation of the DBNA’s methodology and business categories is available for reading at this link.
The DBNA Land Use index was inspired by The Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index, which can be accessed here.
Here are the recent rankings of the DBNA report, which includes a comparison of the performance in cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States (including the top five and five lowest-performing cities).
You can interact with the data collected by DBNA at this link.
Virginia Postrel’s book, The Future and its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress, can be purchased on Amazon Canada at this link.
Here is an article on the Bootleggers and Baptists problem coined by Bruce Yandle.
1 hr 4 min
September 16Ethan Nadelmann - Is Vaping A Public Health Problem?
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 shaping the global discourse - and misinformation - around alternatives to cigarettes.
References
"Thinking Seriously About Alternatives to Drug Prohibition" by Ethan Nadelmann
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20027122.pdf
"The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction" (KAC Reports)
https://gsthr.org/
"High Price" by Carl Hart
https://a.co/d/inDX5Gi
"Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/014311526X
"Ending the War on Drugs: A Solution for America" by Dirk Chase Eldredge
https://a.co/d/bIGQpJ6
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.
56 min
September 09Steve Davies - Why Is Politics Today So Weird?
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 influence of leaders like Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, and Emmanuel Macron, and explores what the future holds for liberal ideas in a shifting political landscape.
References
"The Great Realignment: Understanding Politics Today" by Steve Davies (Cato Institute)
https://www.cato-unbound.org/2018/12/10/stephen-davies/great-realignment-understanding-politics-today/
Steve Davies' talk at the IEA's THINK event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GVMnQ4-_cQ
"The Road to Serfdom" by Friedrich Hayek
https://www.amazon.ca/Road-Serfdom-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320553
"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy" by Joseph A. Schumpeter
https://www.amazon.ca/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Joseph-Schumpeter/dp/0061330086
"The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution" by Francis Fukuyama
https://www.amazon.ca/Origins-Political-Order-Prehuman-Revolution/dp/0374227349
"Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes
https://www.amazon.ca/Leviathan-Thomas-Hobbes/dp/0140431950
"The Constitution of Liberty" by Friedrich Hayek
https://www.amazon.ca/Constitution-Liberty-Friedrich-Hayek/dp/0226320847
Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit https://patreon.com/curioustask.
55 min
September 02 Andrew Smith - Do Entrepreneurs Help Create Peace?
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. Mussio
Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/abs/canadian-entrepreneurs-and-the-preservation-of-the-capitalist-peace-in-the-north-atlantic-triangle-in-the-civil-war-era-18611871/228FB9ECC4A2E2BA40799185F77B0239
56 min
August 26Darrell Bricker - Is Canada At A Breaking Point?
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 in.
References:
Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk
Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson, The Big Shift
George Grant, Lament for a Nation
Statistics Canada — Canadian international merchandise trade data, including energy exports
Canada Energy Regulator — Canada-U.S. energy trade overview
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 6 min
August 19 Nathan Goodman - What Does Immigration Have To Do With Climate Change?
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 https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/summary-for-policymakers/#:~:text=Climate%20change%2C%20through%20hazards%2C%20exposure,adapt%20and%20mitigate%20within%20limits
- Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems: Elinor Ostrom https://www.jstor.org/stable/27871226
- The case for open immigration Chandran Kukathas https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/237298126.pdf

1 hr 2 min