Category:Role of Government
Make Compromise Great Again: Arthur Schlesinger and the politics of the extreme
February 8, 2017 | Post
It is the peripheral positions in modern politics, on both right and left, that inevitably deteriorate into tyranny.
Immanuel Kant: Philosopher of Freedom
February 2, 2017 | Post
Kant was self-consciously an Enlightenment liberal who believed in limited government and maximum freedom.
Crony-in-Chief: Donald Trump epitomizes Ayn Rand’s “Aristocracy of Pull.”
February 2, 2017 | Post
A president who truly understood Rand’s philosophy would not be cozying up to Putin, bullying companies to keep manufacturing plants in the United States, or promising “insurance for everybody.”
Lunar prisoners fight for freedom in Robert A. Heinlein’s The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
February 1, 2017 | Post
My message to you today is simple: don’t miss this book. There is a lot to be learned about liberty here.
Obama’s constitutional legacy
January 27, 2017 | Post
Obama deserves credit for helping to push the struggle for same-sex marriage to a successful conclusion, for appointing some highly capable judges (despite flaws in their judicial philosophy), and for causing the Supreme Court to establish some valuable precedents protecting federalism, property rights, and religious freedom (albeit, often unintentionally). On the other hand, we may well have occasion to rue his overly expansive approach to executive power, particularly when it comes to initiating wars without congressional authorization.
We need less politics and more private governance
January 26, 2017 | Post
One of the most important things we can do is really explain and understand how markets, not government intervention, are our best hope for an orderly and prosperous society.
5 weird ways Prohibition still exists today
January 25, 2017 | Post
Prohibition was repealed more than 80 years ago, but we’re still feeling its policy hangover.
President Trump's 6 biggest threats to liberty
January 20, 2017 | Post
Donald Trump is president. Here are his six biggest threats to liberty.
Trump’s First 100 Days — Learn Liberty Roundtable
January 20, 2017 | Post
What follows is an extended transcript of a conversation I had with four professors about Donald Trump’s first 100 days plan. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.
Stop calling out the hypocrites
January 12, 2017 | Post
In a few short weeks, Donald Trump will assume the presidency. On executive orders, judicial appointments, political obstructionism, infrastructure spending, and war-making powers, rest assured: flips will be flopped, shoes will make their way onto the other foot, turnabout will be fair play, and libertarians of all stripes will be there to point out the hypocrisy.
When Should Libertarians Support Foreign Intervention?
January 9, 2017 | Video
Dr. Stephen Davies asked a key question: for any proposed foreign intervention, which course of action maximizes liberty? He argues that it is rare for the benefits to be greater than the cost to human rights. He also addresses the question of consequences to both the countries acting and those being acted on.
4 New Year's resolutions for the Trump administration
January 3, 2017 | Post
Trump doesn’t seem like the type for self-improvement, but here are four unsolicited recommendations anyway.
Liberalism reconstructed for a world divided
December 31, 2016 | Post
So 2016 is limping to an end with an assassination of an ambassador, another “inspired” attack on innocents at a Christmas market, and the formal election of a master crony-capitalist to the office of the presidency of the United States.
Happy New Year from Learn Liberty (360°)
December 30, 2016 | Video
2016 was a wild ride, and we’re grateful to fans like you who watched, commented, and shared along the way. Check out the links below to see our top 10 most popular videos from this year: Economics: Is Raising Minimum Wage A Bad Idea? How Big is the U.S. Debt? Government Surveillance: We’re Being Watched […]
Rogue One and the Politics of Star Wars
December 29, 2016 | Post
As Tyler Cowen puts it, in many ways “this is the real Star Wars movie that many of you have been waiting for.”
13 books every well-rounded libertarian should read
December 27, 2016 | Post
There are books that every libertarian should read and books every libertarian has read, but those circles don’t perfectly overlap. Here are 13 diverse book recommendations for well-rounded thinkers.
What makes a person a person?
December 26, 2016 | Post
Personhood is a moral concept, related to the notion of individuality.
Trump inherits a super-powered presidency.
December 25, 2016 | Post
Now that the Electoral College has made Trump’s 2016 win final, this a good time to start thinking about what powers he will have when he comes into office in January.
Does the constitution require a war on Christmas?
December 25, 2016 | Post
“In no way did America’s Founders — especially those men who drafted and ratified the First Amendment — desire to build a wall of separation between church and state.” — Mark Hall
Democrat vs. Republican is Outdated
December 23, 2016 | Video
“There’s this big shuffling of the deck going on in most western democracies,” says Professor Steve Davies, on the global political realignment of globalists vs. nationalists.
Naughty and Nice 2016: Who made the list?
December 20, 2016 | Post
Here at Learn Liberty, we like an optimistic muffin with our bitter coffee, so we took the liberty of compiling a naughty and nice list for the holiday season.
11 key facts about Americans’ attitudes toward the Police
December 20, 2016 | Post
The Cato Institute has released Policing in America—an extensive national public opinion report that explores Americans’ attitudes toward the police based on an original Cato Institute/YouGov national survey of 2,000 Americans.
Privilege, Risk, and Harm
December 18, 2016 | Post
Trump’s victory has triggered a spate of post-hoc analysis about what went wrong. One of the major narratives to take root is that Trump’s win was fueled by a rejection of PC culture and identity politics broadly.
Bureaucracy buries the human spirit with paperwork
December 18, 2016 | Post
The following words represent the generally acknowledged mindset of a bureaucrat: “Rules are rules, fella. I don’t make ‘em. I just enforce ‘em.”