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

What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things.0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America”11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow?20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit?26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt?27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt?41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy?44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis?49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt?51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice

A priest shows up. Antony doesn’t confess, James doesn’t convert, but they all talk about human dignity.Checkout Fr. James Martin, SJ 's book, 'Work in Progress.'https://www.amazon.com/dp/00626944800:00 Introduction and Overview0:29 The Ultimate Quiet Quitting Story4:32 Scott Bessent’s $950 Billion Bond Buyback Plan8:05 Is the Treasury Conducting Its Own Monetary Policy?12:14 Foolishness of the Week: American Airlines Does It Again16:57 Father James Martin on Pope Leo, AI, and Human Dignity20:50 What Happens When AI Meets Humanlike Robots?22:48 AI, Loneliness, and Replacing Human Relationships24:57 Can Free Markets Serve the Common Good?29:22 Property Rights, Poverty, and the Role of the Church34:53 Who Gets to Define the “Common Good”?36:17 Subsidiarity, Data Centers, and Local Decision-Making41:18 Human Rights vs. Human Flourishing43:38 Wealth, Profit, and the Morality of Capitalism48:00 What Did Jesus Mean by “The Poor Will Always Be With You”?51:22 Individual Charity vs. Community Responsibility55:15 Social Media, Human Dignity, and the Loss of Community1:00:09 Father James Martin’s Work in Progress

When government statistics are under question, it gets pretty hard to know what the hell is actually going on.00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview00:32 Civil Disobedience, Crime, and Flock Cameras06:17 License Plate Tracking and the Surveillance State10:52 Rising Treasury Yields and Federal Borrowing12:20 Surge Pricing, Markets, and Government Intervention15:48 Monopolies, Standard Oil, and De Beers20:01 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Tariffs on Brass Instruments24:02 The Death of Reliable Government Data27:00 Why Politicizing Economic Data Matters30:21 Immigration Data, Jobs, and the Economy33:01 Immigration and Social Security36:39 Migrant Workers, Business Planning, and Regulation41:39 Why Reliable Data Keeps Prices Lower44:06 Final Thoughts on Kindness and Grace

Clark Neily joins us once again, this time to discuss the thorny matter of constitutional interpretation.00:00 Introduction and Overview00:26 TSA Phone Searches and the Right to Privacy06:26 The University of Michigan Abandons Traditional Grades10:31 Foolishness of the Week: Transgender Athletes and the WNBA18:48 Clark Neily on How to Read the Constitution21:54 Originalism vs. Textualism27:02 Applying the Constitution to Modern Technology30:31 Wiretapping, Smartphones, and the Fourth Amendment33:06 Constitutional Rights at the Border36:54 What the Constitution Really Means by a “Jury”40:22 Original Meaning and the Second Amendment50:01 The Right to Bear Arms and Resisting Government57:36 Equal Protection and the Fourteenth Amendment01:09:49 How Far Does the Second Amendment Go?01:13:35 What Does It Mean to “Infringe” a Right?01:25:14 The Forgotten Privileges or Immunities Clause01:27:07 Closing Thoughts

This week Ant and James seem not to have much of a point, but that's never stopped them before, and it sure didn't stop them this week.00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview00:24 Caleb Hammer, Personal Finance, and Economic Hypocrisy05:13 Thomas Jefferson, Hypocrisy, and Judging Ideas vs. People10:00 Political Tribalism and Why People Stop Thinking Critically14:46 Government Ownership of Corporations and Modern Socialism20:51 Gas Prices, Oil Company Profits, and Government Taxes26:43 Foolishness of the Week: The Reflecting Pool Fiasco31:28 The 2028 Election, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and John Fetterman33:48 Russia’s Nuclear Threats and the War in Ukraine41:35 China, Population Collapse, and the Future of Global Power49:18 Closing Thoughts