Richard Gamble of Hillsdale College examines Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic -- its history and theology -- and how it fits into the American civil religion, whereby the United States government is the instrument of righteousness not only here at home but around the world as well.

Sponsor: Skillshare

Show notes for Ep. 1405

Kristian Niemietz joins me to discuss the persistent attraction of socialism despite its terrible track record, and the excuses and apologias its supporters offer in order to justify their ongoing faith.

Sponsor: MVMT

Show notes for Ep. 1404

Randall Holcombe of Florida State University joins me to discuss what he calls "political capitalism," whereby the private and public sectors collaborate for their mutual benefit, and against the public interest. Sometimes the process is open and obvious, but more often it is hidden and obscure.

Show notes for Ep. 1403

Following up on a theme I raised with Professor Dan Moller in episode 1399 (if our ideas are so good, why aren't we more popular?), I want to address a related question, which has been thrown at us from time to time: if libertarianism is so great, why aren't there any pure libertarian countries?

Sponsor: Policy Genius

Show notes for Ep. 1402

Gene Epstein joins me to respond to Bhaskar Sunkara's new book The Socialist Manifesto. (Sunkara was invited to participate, but declined.)

Show notes for Ep. 1401

Alex Merced, Libertarian Party vice chair, takes questions submitted by my private Supporting Listeners group, the Tom Woods Show Elite (https://www.supportinglisteners.com) on topics including the Johnson/Weld ticket, whether the LP should avoid presidential politics altogether, whether there's ever a case for not fielding an LP candidate in a particular election, and a lot more.

Sponsor: Away

Show notes for Ep. 1400

Dan Moller, a philosophy professor at the University of Maryland, has just produced an intriguing, and to my mind compelling, new kind of argument against the welfare state. He takes on this issue in particular because it is one of the positions libertarians hold for which they are most demonized. His argument compels us to consider the question of how much we may legitimately shift our own burdens onto others, particularly without their consent.

Sponsor: Harry's

Show notes for Ep. 1399

Big business has become a villain not just to the progressive left but also to the populist right and even to many libertarians, who think they see cronyism everywhere. Lost amid this climate of condemnation is a sober assessment of the true record of big business in improving our lives. Tyler Cowen gives us precisely that assessment: he is frank about the moral faults of big business, but he overwhelms us with arguments in its favor that most people have never heard. Result: an excellent book and episode.

Sponsor: Skillshare

Show notes for Ep. 1398

Eric Peters was recently punished by Google for some of the content on his website, which covers news from the world of cars through a libertarian lens. Wait until you hear what the offending material was. Plus, Eric takes a fascinating array of listener questions submitted by members of my Supporting Listeners group (https://www.supportinglisteners.com).

Show notes for Ep. 1397

In this blast from the past from 2009, I'm interviewed by Alex Jones about central banking and the financial crisis.

Show notes for Ep. 1396