Policy@McCombs

Circa 1990, the late great Milton Friedman gave this eloquent half-hour introduction to his views on economic policy.  David Boaz, Cato’s executive vice-president, then moderates a free-wheeling policy conversation between Friedman, David Henderson of the Naval Post-Graduate School, Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute, and Hannes Gissurarson of the University of Iceland.

In the late 1980s, philosopher George Walsh gave this six-hour course on history’s most influential religions. With his characteristic erudition and humor, he covers so-called “primitive religion,” followed by Indian religion (Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism), Judaism and Christianity, and finally Islam.

In the late 1980s, philosopher George Walsh gave this six-hour course on history’s most influential religions. With his characteristic erudition and humor, he covers so-called “primitive religion,” followed by Indian religion (Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism), Judaism and Christianity, and finally Islam.

In the late 1980s, philosopher George Walsh gave this six-hour course on history’s most influential religions. With his characteristic erudition and humor, he covers so-called “primitive religion,” followed by Indian religion (Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism), Judaism and Christianity, and finally Islam.

Disclaimer: Please be aware the audio quality in this episode may not meet our usual standard due to damage to the age of source material before digitization.

In the late 1980s, philosopher George Walsh gave this six-hour course on history’s most influential religions. With his characteristic erudition and humor, he covers so-called “primitive religion,” followed by Indian religion (Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism), Judaism and Christianity, and finally Islam.

The John V. Roach Honors College at Texas Christian University sponsored this 2023 debate between Prof. Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and Prof. Scott Sehon of Bowdoin College.

In 2017, 8thgraders Aidan and Tristan Caplan talked to their dad, Bryan Caplan, about their homeschooling experience in middle school. Spoiler: After three weeks of regular high school, they resumed homeschooling and are now at Vanderbilt University.

Brothers Hyrum Lewis (BYU – Idaho) and Verlan Lewis (Utah Valley University)’s new *The Myth of Left and Right* attacks the “essentialist” view that “left” and “right” are coherent political philosophies in favor of a “social” view that “left” and “right” are incoherent bundles of issue positions.  In this interview, Bryan Caplan and Robin Hanson find much common ground with the Lewis brothers, but still find some residual merit in the essentialist view.  Hanson analogizes ideology to gender identity: Some features of gender are social, but are all of them?!  Caplan maintains that the social theory is 85% true, but the authors stick with 100%.  

Also: Should there be affirmative action for right-wing academics?

Bryan Caplan interviews Chris Rufo on his best-selling *America's Cultural Revolution*. In this wide-ranging interview, Rufo tackles some tough questions, including: How bad were the founders of critical theory, really? How fake is Continental philosophy? What would Rufo had done if he'd had Freire's job in Guinea-Bissau? Are fanatics evil? And, does he really hate libertarians? And many more.