The emancipatory and cosmopolitan case for radical social, political, and economic liberalism. Hosted by Aaron Ross Powell.
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Pluralism and Liberalism (w/ Jacob T. Levy)
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A liberal society is necessarily an open and diverse one. When people are free to move and free to choose, a country's population and culture will reflect all those differences in tastes, preferences, and ways of living. And that's part of what makes liberalism so great. But a pluralistic society can be bothersome for those who'd prefer everyone be…
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Liberalism as Emancipation (w/ Janet Bufton)
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I'm joined today by Janet Bufton, Program Coordinator & Co-Founder at the Institute for Liberal Studies. I'm a little embarassed it's taken me this long to get her on the show, because she's one of the most thoughtful advocates out there of the kind of genuine and broad liberalism--and liberal values--that are at the heart of ReImagining Liberty. W…
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Remembering David Boaz: A Conversation with His Closest Colleagues
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On June 7th, David Boaz died. He was the Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute, author of *The Libertarian Mind*, and the most important figure in the libertarian movement in the last half century. He was also my mentor, my close friend, and, for twelve years, my boss. I had the privilege of holding, for the first two of those years, what …
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We Need More Emotion in Politics (w/ Jason Canon)
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Politics gets pretty emotional, and we typically view that as bad. The political scene would be better, we suppose, if more people could set aside their emotions and rationally engage with the hard questions. My guest today isn't so sure. Jason Canon is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge in political science, and while he doesn't reject…
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The Ideology of Christian Nationalism (w/ Paul Matzko)
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Among the various ideologies opposing liberalism that have seen new or renewed prominence in the last decade is Christian nationalism. It motivates quite a lot of the far right in the culture war, played a role in the attempted overthrow of American democracy on January 6th, and seems to be everywhere on social media. But what is it? Where did it c…
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Radicalism and Rhetoric (w/ Cory Massimino)
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Today's conversation is a good one, but I struggle to come up with a straightforward summary for this intro. I brought back on my good friend, and frequent guest, Cory Massimino to discuss anarchism in theory and practice. And that where we start. But we also get into a larger conversation about the nature of political debate, and the rhetoric of p…
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The Challenge of Gun Violence (w/ Trevor Burrus)
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One of my goals for this show is to explore the complexities of issues people have strong opinions about and assume are straightforward. And it's difficult to think of one that fits that bill better than guns. Today I'm joined by my long time friend and Free Thoughts podcast co-host, constitutional lawyer Trevor Burrus. We talk about the causes of …
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The Nature of Ideology (w/ Jason Blakely)
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We’re all ideological, even if we don’t admit it. We like to think of everyone else as ideological, but imagine our own views to be “reality-based,” simply a clear-eyed picture of how things really are. That's nonsense, and today's episode is all about why. My guest is Jason Blakely, a political science professor at Pepperdine University and author…
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Myths of Populist Economics (w/ Ryan Bourne)
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Populism is a bundle of bad ideas motivated primarily by grievances. Once result is set of economic preferences that will only make the country poorer. With populism on the ballot in November, I've brought on my friend and old colleague Ryan A. Bourne to talk about the errors of populist economics. Ryan is the R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Un…
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Misogyny and the Political Divide (w/ Cathy Reisenwitz)
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The right has a problem with women. I don't mean in the sense that women are far less likely to vote for right-wing candidates than men are, though it is true that we have women voters to thank for our avoidance, so far, of the country turning fully towards hard-right authoritarianism. Instead, I mean that misogyny is much more openly expressed by …
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The Evolving Discourse of Social Media (w/ Renée DiResta)
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Digital expression is weird. When we move our communities and communications into digital spaces, such as social media, the result is an uncertain landscape of new incentives, mechanisms of influence, vectors of information and disinformation, and evolving norms. All of which have profound effects on our personal lives, our culture, and our politic…
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AI, Journalism, and the Future of News (w/ Julian Sanchez)
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Both the short and long term impact of AI technologies is unknown, but it's almost certain to be significant. It will destroy some industries, accelerate others, and revolutionize still more. And, it seems, no one has a lukewarm opinion about AI. You're either excited about its prospects, or convinced it's nothing more than intellectual property th…
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The Risk of Civil War 2.0 (w/ Patrick Eddington)
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The January 6th insurrection demonstrated the Trumpist right's willing to use violence to advance its political interests. My guest today is worried that was just the start. Patrick Eddington is a former CIA analyst and a senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute. In a series of essays at his newsletter, The Repub…
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Actually Explaining Postmodernism (w/ Matt McManus)
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On the one hand, we're told we live in a postmodern age. On the other, postmodernism is a notoriously challenging set of philosophical ideas to nail down and understand. But it's worth the effort, because postmodernism, even if it gets some of its arguments wrong or overstates its case, is deeply interesting, with genuinely valuable insights. To he…
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Music, Meaning, and Liberalism (w/ Akiva Malamet)
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Music gives us meaning, not just in the way we identify deeply with our favorite songs, but in the ways genres create scenes and communities. My conversation today brings back my good friend Akiva Malamet, contributing editor at The UnPopulist, to discuss the connection between music and meaning, and what that can tell us about liberal politics and…
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The Ideological Origins of the Reactionary Right (w/ Tom G. Palmer)
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There's something different about the contemporary right. Classical liberal rhetoric has been replaced with something much uglier and more reactionary, keen to carve the world into us and them and celebrate the use and abuse of power. Today's conversation is about this turn. Or, as my guest explains, this return to ideologies a century old or more,…
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Liberalism, Buddhism, and the Politics of Impermanence
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Early access release: 12/9. Public release: 12/16. Become a supporter and get early access to all new episodes. I am a liberal. I’m also a Buddhist. In a recent essay at The UnPopulist, I wrote about the intersection of the two, which I see as more than compatible, and in fact mutually reinforcing. Buddhist ethics gives us not just the best way to …
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Years go, I put together an edited volume called Arguments for Liberty. Every chapter took a different school of moral philosophy and made the case for liberalism within it. The point wasn’t just to be an introduction to moral philosophy by way of being an introduction to liberalism, but also to show that the case for liberty isn’t limited to a sin…
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What is Liberalism? (w/ Chandran Kukathas)
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We talk a lot about liberalism on this show, but to date haven't done an episode on just what liberalism is. So it is my pleasure to have Chandran Kukathas join me today to fix that. He is Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University, and the author of many books, i…
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The Future is a Conversation (w/ Jason Kuznicki)
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The future is a conversation. What the future looks like, and how and which technologies will shape it, isn’t something we can plan, or dictate, or demand in advance, but rather something that emerges from the back-and-forth bargaining of everyone with a stake in it. That’s the argument presented by my guest today, Jason Kuznicki, Editor in Chief o…
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Finding Meaning In Liberalism (w/ Akiva Malamet)
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Today’s conversation is a companion to our prior episode. I’m joined again by Akiva Malamet, managing editor of The UnPopulist. Last time we talked about identity within liberalism. Now we turn to meaning. Everyone wants to lead a meaningful life, but one of the critiques of liberalism is that a liberal society takes away traditional sources of mea…
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Is There a Place for Identity Politics? (w/ Akiva Malamet)
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It seems like everyone has an opinion about identity politics, but far fewer people have a clear definition of it. This is a problem, not just because arguing about vaguely defined terms is rarely productive, but also because identity plays a important role in how we ought to think about liberalism and the role of liberal institutions. My guest tod…
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How Corporations Govern (w/ Alexei Marcoux)
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Governments rule our lives, but quite a lot of us believe corporations do as well. And just like we can ask questions about how the states are governed, we can ask similar questions about corporations. How ought they to run themselves? Whose interests should they take into account? What social responsibilities, if any, do they have? To help us thin…
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When You Think Your God Wants You to Be an Authoritarian (w/ Kevin Vallier)
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People have all kinds of reasons, none of them good, for opposing liberalism. Recently, among intellectuals on the right, we've seen the reemergence of a particular religious anti-liberalism that goes by the term “integralism.” It most often comes in a Catholic flavor, but you can find versions of it across pretty much every faith. Kevin Vallier, A…
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Who's Afraid of Cultural Marxism? (with Ian Bennett)
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One of the earliest episode of this show was a conversation with my friend Ian Bennett, of the Epoch Philosophy YouTube channel, about Marxism. It’s one of my favorite ReImagining Liberty episodes so far, not just because Ian is tremendously smart and I learn a lot from him, but because it’s the kind of conversation I find particularly valuable: a …
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In a series of essays on my website, I’ve been setting out the case goodwill and what I call sympathetic joy within the liberal project. These virtues not only strengthen liberalism, but help us to be happier and more content within a diverse and dynamic liberal society. I haven’t discussed this much on the podcast so far. And so I was happy that m…
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Surround Yourself With Those Who Are Admirable, and Distance Yourself From Those Who Aren’t.
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This is an audio version of my essay "Surround Yourself With Those Who Are Admirable, and Distance Yourself From Those Who Aren’t.," originally published on my website on July 20, 2023. The essay discusses the place of admirable friendship in an ethical life. Original link: https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/p/surround-yourself-with-those-who If you'd…
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Why the Right Hates Equality (w/ Matthew McManus)
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Over the last decade, the political far right has roared back into power, not just with Trumpism in the US, but with populist movements around the globe. Understanding why this is happening—and what we can do about it—requires understanding the nature of the right, as well as its history. That’s why I was so happy to learn that my friend and freque…
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The Patriarchal Christian Right (w/ Kristin Kobes Du Mez)
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White evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in his campaigns and presidency. White Christian nationalism was a driving force in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And many of the worst reactionary movements in the country, powering the growth of the far right’s influence, have their source in evangelical America. This is all, frank…
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Trans Rights and Gender Authoritarianism (w/ Gillian Branstetter)
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The ongoing moral panic and sweeping legislative changes aimed at trans people aren’t just a tremendous assault on the liberty, autonomy, and dignity of peaceful Americans owed the space to live their lives as they choose. They’re also the latest example of the way ideological ideas about “traditional” and “natural” gender roles have long been a to…
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The Politics of Immigration and Demographic Change (w/ Justin Gest)
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Immigration has meant that America's demographics, throughout the whole of the nation's history, have been in constant flux. Today, the percent of the population that’s foreign born is the highest it’s ever been, and we'‘e headed, over the next couple of decades, to a majority minority status. This is all good news for the country, in terms of our …
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Markets and Social Justice: A Conversation with Nick Cowen
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We can take the social and economic concerns of the left seriously while still embracing free markets. In fact, if we understand the nature and effects of markets correctly, it can become compelling to view them not as antagonistic to those concerns, but as the most powerful solution to them available. I’m joined today by Nick Cowen. He’s a Senior …
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This is an audio version of my essay "Social Conservatism is Suffering," originally published on my website on April 7, 2023. The essay discusses how we cannot make permanent what is inevitably impermanent, and so insisting otherwise brings distress. It is better to embrace dynamism and social diversity. If you'd like to receive all of my essays a …
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Deirdre McCloskey on Religion in a Liberal Society
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Read a transcript of this episode. Deirdre McCloskey is probably my favorite contemporary liberal scholar. Her work ranges widely across disciplines, is always fascinating, and builds its defense of free markets and the open society in a deeply humane and compassionate fashion. I've talked with her on podcasts before, but today's a little different…
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Fascism and the American Right (w/ Shane Burley)
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On the one hand, it seems like everyone today is calling everyone else a fascist. On the other, genuine fascism is clearly on the rise, and fascist ideas have found increasing purchase, even mainstream purchase, on the right. Taken together, these two statements mean that not only should we be serious about the work of combating fascism, but we als…
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The Necessity of Digital Free Speech (w/ Matthew Feeney)
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It seems like everyone is mad at “Big Tech.” Progressives dislike it because they think it’s too permissive of the spread of mis- and disinformation. Conservatives dislike it because they think it’s biased against them. Both sides agree that government should do something about it. Which, if you care about a free, open, and innovative internet, is …
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Tolerance and Liberalism (w/ Andrew Jason Cohen)
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A liberal society is a tolerant one. It's a society that allows for pluralism in preferences, lifestyles, religions, and approaches to life. But how far does tolerance go, what are the exceptions, and how can we better cultivate it? To discuss these questions, I'm joined today by Andrew Jason Cohen. He is is Professor of Philosophy and Founding Dir…
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What Democracy Demands of Us (w/ Kevin J. Elliott)
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My guest today is Kevin J. Elliott, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Murray State University. He's the author of the upcoming book, Democracy for Busy People, and that's the jumping off point for today's conversation, which digs into what it means to be a good democratic citizen, and what democracy demands of us. Read a transcript of thi…
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The Four Corners of Liberalism (w/ Emily Chamlee-Wright)
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This is a show about liberalism, but liberalism is a bit of a contested term, slippery, evolving, and claimed by lots of people with rather diverse views about what it means. My guest offers a helpful framework for clarifying what liberalism is by dividing it in what she's called "The Four Corners of Liberalism": related and overlaping, but still d…
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Welcome to the first episode of ReImagining Liberty at its new home with The UnPopulist. This is a show about the emancipatory and cosmopolitan case for radical social, political and economic freedom. With every episode, host Aaron Ross Powell explores and defends liberalism by talking with scholars, activists and others working to build a freer wo…
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What's Wrong with Anarcho-Capitalism (w/ William Gillis)
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I sometimes hear market anarchists say that "Anarcho-capitalism isn't anarchism." This claim, and the disagreements about the nature and values of a free society underpinning it, raises a lot of fascinating questions about liberty, radical liberalism, the characteristics of capitalism, how you even define that term, and the broader movement for lib…
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The Reasonableness of Radicalism (w/ Jason Lee Byas)
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Years ago, a then colleague and I pitched the idea of a book called "The Reasonableness of Radicalism," which would've set out the case for an unapologetically radical political liberty and defended it against calls for moderation. The project never went anywhere, though, because we were told by the people making decisions that they didn't like to …
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Liberty in a Changing World (w/ David Boaz)
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I've spent my entire career as what you might call a professional liberty advocate. But the last six or seven years have forced a lot of re-thinking on my part about how best to discuss these ideas in the evolving political landscape. The fundamental case for freedom, grounded in shared dignity and mutual respect, remains strong, but it feels like …
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What to Do About Poverty (w/ Michael Tanner)
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We all want to alleviate poverty, and help those living with it. The hard question is how. The left has a set of ideas, focused on redistribution and the welfare state. The right tends instead to view poverty as the result of moral and cultural failings. Libertarians have their own set of answers, but have often been pretty bad at talking about the…
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Critical Race Theory (w/ Sam Hoadley-Brill)
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Few terms in our contemporary political scene provoke stronger reactions than “critical race theory.” If you listen to much of the right, CRT is a Marxist plot to literally destroy America by teaching children to hate the country, its founding principles, and even themselves. The resulting moral panic has led to anti-CRT legislation, and acted as a…
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Don Lavoie and the Case Against Planning (w/ Pete Boettke)
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Chances are, you've never heard of Don Lavoie. I certainly didn't run across him when I was getting into libertarianism in college, and it wasn't until years into my time working for the Cato Institute that I learned about him from my boss, David Boaz. But Lavoie is arguably the North Star for what the liberty movement needs to become if it wants t…
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Growing the Liberty Movement (w/ Trevor Burrus)
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Across nearly a decade, and over four hundred episodes, of the Free Thoughts podcast, Trevor Burrus and I talked a lot about liberty. Today I invited him on ReImagining Liberty to continue that conversation. At issue is the question of how to approach being an advocate for radical liberalism in a political environment that seems to have lost its ta…
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Liberalism vs. Leftism (w/ Akiva Malamet)
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What's the relationship between libertarianism or radical liberalism and the ideas of the left? Most place them in clear and direct opposition, and argue that liberty advocates should have more affinity for conservatism, at least in its American variety. My guest today argues otherwise. Akiva Malamet (@akiva_malamet), a writer and philosopher, and …
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Making Criminal Justice More Just (w/ Radley Balko)
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We can argue at length about the proper role of government. But if we're to have any state at all, one of its clear jobs is to protect us from crime, and to punish criminals. And yet the American criminal justice system is anything but just, and a full accounting of just how bad it is can be pretty harrowing. The criminal justice system is the most…
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The Post-Liberal Conundrum (w/ Michael Tolhurst)
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A lot of people seem to be pretty down on freedom right now. Some take it so far as to blame liberty, and political liberalism, for not just our economic woes, but also for allowing our culture to drift away from some kind of socially conservative, right-leaning, often religious imagined ideal. These “post-liberals” have found intellectual purchase…
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