Words & Numbers

David Friedman joins us once again to discuss differing legal systems (and Renaissance fairs).00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview01:14 Furries, Renaissance Fairs, and Pittsburgh Subcultures06:42 Rethinking the Social Security Retirement Age10:46 Foolishness of the Week: The BBC Loses Its Mind17:02 David Friedman on Alternative Legal Systems17:58 Renaissance Fairs vs. Historical Recreation23:04 Competing Legal Systems Throughout History28:15 Benefit of Clergy and Medieval English Law30:29 How Multiple Legal Systems Can Coexist32:06 Order Without Law and Enforcing Social Norms35:27 Civil Asset Forfeiture and Incentives in Punishment36:45 Amish and Romani Legal Systems39:50 How Romani Communities Enforce Their Own Laws46:11 Sharia Law and Islamic Legal Systems in America53:08 When Crime Is Against the State vs. the Victim55:17 Private Justice and Compensation in Iraq57:46 Tribal Responsibility and Saudi Legal Traditions59:09 David Friedman’s Current Projects and What’s Next1:00:11 Climate Change, Population Growth, and Economic Orthodoxy1:02:39 Where to Find David Friedman’s Work

James and guest co-host Tom Krannawitter try to figure out (and explain) what the normative standard of nature is.00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview01:08 Trump, the Midterms, and the Future of the Republican Party06:27 Colorado Republicans and the Changing Conservative Movement09:42 What Does It Mean to Be a Conservative?16:02 Aristotle, the American Founding, and the Role of Virtue18:58 Foolishness of the Week: Mike Johnson and the $5,000 Checks21:46 The New Deal, Government Spending, and Buying Votes26:57 Why Culture Matters More Than Politics30:13 The Normative Standard of Nature32:50 Natural Law, Human Nature, and Right and Wrong34:41 Aristotle on Virtue and Friendship38:46 Can Morality Exist Without Religion?40:04 Learning from Experience, Age, and Human Nature44:29 Can Political and Cultural Norms Be Unjust?46:42 The Declaration of Independence as a Moral Standard47:54 The Intellectual Origins of American Progressivism49:05 Hegel, John C. Calhoun, and the Rejection of Natural Rights50:33 How the German Model Transformed American Education52:56 Progressivism and the Rejection of Nature

James and Tom Krannawitter, who is pinch-hitting for Ant this week, discuss the differences between the Greek and German educational methods, and why we should care.00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview01:17 Trump’s Triumphal Arch, Snipers, and Government Militarization05:25 When Police Destroy Your Property and Don’t Pay for It09:07 Qualified Immunity and Holding Police Accountable12:32 Could Insurance Help Police the Police?17:27 Foolishness of the Week: Homeschooling Disqualifies a Firefighter20:19 Homeschooling, Accreditation, and the Education System23:12 Classical Education vs. the Modern University25:22 How Accreditation Reshaped American Higher Education28:33 What a Real College Education Looks Like33:21 Socrates, Classical Education, and the Pursuit of Truth36:04 The Greek vs. German Models of Education41:01 Methodology, Old Books, and the Modern University43:16 How to Pursue a Real Education in College45:17 What Frankenstein, Blade Runner, and Plato Have in Common45:59 The Intellectual Origins of Progressivism47:25 Machiavelli, Technology, and Conquering Nature50:00 Social Engineering and the Progressive Project52:30 Natural Rights, Human Will, and the Limits of the Enlightenment54:35 Closing Thoughts

Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in "emergencies," which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason.0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish?5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury Split12:22 Foolishness of the Week: A Five-Year-Old, a Pond, and CPS15:32 Foolishness of the Week: Punished for Stopping a Mass Shooter18:17 The Affordability Crisis and Government Intervention19:58 The Ratchet Effect: Why Government Power Never Shrinks21:15 From the Great Depression to COVID: A Century of Expanding Government24:14 The 2030s: Social Security and the Coming Wealth Tax25:50 The 2040s: The Debt Crisis and a Digital Dollar32:27 The 2050s: Population Decline and Universal Basic Income34:11 How Temporary Government Powers Become Permanent35:27 Socialism, the Berlin Wall, and North vs. South Korea40:11 Social Security Insolvency and America’s Growing Debt42:11 Property Taxes, Ownership, and the Erosion of Economic Freedom47:01 How Young People Can Prepare for Social Security’s Future50:21 Retirement Savings and the Coming AI Bubble54:32 AI Regulation, Government Protection, and the Ratchet Effect

Ant and James reflect on 9/11, both the day and its legacy.0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview0:24 Citizens United, Super PACs, and Money in Politics6:48 Corporate Donations, Trump, and Political Influence10:50 AI Is Putting an Entire Industry Out of Business13:56 AI, College Cheating, and the Future of Education17:28 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Threatens to Halt Trade20:48 Why Trade Deficits Aren’t What Politicians Think22:24 25 Years Later: Remembering 9/1125:25 Where We Were When the Attacks Happened29:03 How 9/11 Changed America Overnight31:39 Fear, Terrorism, and the Wars That Followed 9/1134:22 How 9/11 Changed the Nature of War35:17 The War on Terror and America’s “Wars on Nouns”42:28 TSA, Security Theater, and the Post-9/11 Surveillance State44:30 The Militarization of American Law Enforcement46:06 Did Americans Trade Freedom for Security?48:31 Fear, Crime, and the Lasting Legacy of 9/1150:32 Closing Thoughts: Have Some Charity in Your Heart