Excursions into Libertarian Thought
207 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 61 ratingsGeorge H. Smith explores the history of libertarian ideas. Narrated by Daniel Hyland.
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Episodes
Immanuel Kant and the Natural Law Tradition
July 25, 2018 04:15 - 14 minutes - 19.9 MBGeorge Smith discusses Kant’s attempt to justify objective moral principles and his views on when the use of coercion is morally proper. Originally published in essay form on April 15, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
A Few Kind Words about the Most Evil Man in Mankind’s History
July 18, 2018 04:15 - 16 minutes - 22.5 MBGeorge Smith explains some fundamental features of Immanuel Kant’s moral and political theory. Originally published in essay form on April 8, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Some Personal Reflections on Ayn Rand
July 11, 2018 04:15 - 11 minutes - 16.6 MBGeorge Smith discusses some good and bad influences that Ayn Rand’s ideas had on his own intellectual development. Originally published in essay form on April 1, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ayn Rand on Aristotle
July 04, 2018 04:15 - 13 minutes - 19 MBGeorge Smith examines some of Rand’s claims about the beneficial influence of Aristotle’s ideas on the course of Western civilization. Originally published in essay form on March 4, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On the Influence of Ideas
June 27, 2018 04:15 - 15 minutes - 20.5 MBGeorge Smith discusses the issue of whether we should hold a philosopher responsible for the beliefs of those followers who agree with him. Originally published in essay form on February 26, 2016. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Some Reflections on the History of Philosophy
June 20, 2018 04:15 - 16 minutes - 23.5 MBGeorge Smith explains the views of Kant and Hegel on the history of philosophy, and explores whether moral judgments should be applied to the realm of ideas. Originally published in essay form on February 19, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Immanuel Kant and Nazism
June 06, 2018 04:15 - 12 minutes - 16.8 MBWas Kant somehow responsible for the rise of Nazism? Smith explores two points of view on this issue. Originally published in essay form on February 5, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ernst Cassirer on Fascism and National Socialism
May 30, 2018 04:15 - 12 minutes - 17.9 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses the mythological thinking that dominated Nazi ideology, as explained in Cassirer’s book The Myth of the State. Originally published in essay form on January 29, 2016. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ayn Rand and the History of Philosophy
May 24, 2018 04:52 - 12 minutes - 17 MBGeorge Smith discusses whether we should hold a philosopher responsible for how other philosophers use his or her ideas. Originally published in essay form on February 12, 2016 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ayn Rand on Fascism
May 23, 2018 04:15 - 12 minutes - 17 MBGeorge H. Smith explores Rand’s contention that America was sliding down a slippery slope to fascism. Originally published in essay form on January 8, 2016. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: A Leveller Connection?
May 16, 2018 04:15 - 17 minutes - 24.9 MBSmith examines and criticizes Richard Ashcraft’s arguments that Locke was significantly influenced by the Levellers. Originally published in essay form on December 18, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: In Search of the Radical Locke
May 09, 2018 04:15 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBGeorge H. Smith explains an important controversy about when the Two Treatises was written, and the possible influence of the Levellers on Locke. Originally published in essay form on December 4, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: Money and Private Property
May 02, 2018 04:15 - 11 minutes - 113 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the significance, for Locke, of the increased productivity caused by labor, and the relationship between money and property. Originally published in essay form on November 20, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: Some Qualifications in Locke’s Theory of Property
April 25, 2018 04:15 - 11 minutes - 15.6 MBGeorge H. Smith explains how Locke dealt with some problems in the traditional Christian theory of private property. Originally published in essay form on November 6, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: Some Problems in Locke’s Theory of Private Property
April 18, 2018 04:15 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses Robert Nozick’s criticisms of Locke’s property theory and the relationship between a natural-law justification of property and social conventions. Originally published in essay form on October 30, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: Hermeneutics and Labor
April 11, 2018 04:15 - 12 minutes - 17.1 MBGeorge H. Smith explains Locke’s ideas about how we should interpret a philosophic text, and the relationship between labor and private property. Originally published in essay form on October 23, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
John Locke: The Justification of Private Property
April 04, 2018 04:08 - 10 minutes - 14 MBIn his first essay in a new series on John Locke, Smith explains some essential features of Locke’s case for private property. Originally published in essay form on October 19, 2015 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: John Locke on Property
March 28, 2018 04:15 - 10 minutes - 8.69 MBGeorge Smith discusses Locke’s view of the original commons, before the institution of private property. Originally published in essay form on October 9, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Private Property and Natural Law
March 21, 2018 04:15 - 13 minutes - 10.8 MBGeorge Smith continues his discussion of how the theory of private property changed over the centuries. Originally published in essay form on October 2, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
FreeThought and Freedom: The Secularization of Private Property
March 14, 2018 04:15 - 14 minutes - 12.3 MBSmith contrasts the modern secular approach to private property with the traditional Christian theory. Originally published in essay form on September 25, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Early Christianity and the Modern Libertarian Movement
March 07, 2018 05:10 - 14 minutes - 7.06 MBDoes the modern libertarian movement have any significant similarities to the early Christian movement? George H. Smith explores this intriguing possibility. Originally published in essay form on September 18, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: The Christian Theory of Property
February 28, 2018 05:10 - 10 minutes - 5.04 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses the traditional Christian theory of private property and how it was viewed as the result of original sin. Originally published in essay form on September 11, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Jean Meslier on Property
February 21, 2018 05:10 - 12 minutes - 6.03 MBWas Jean Meslier a communist? George H. Smith explores this tricky issue. Originally published in essay form on September 4, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: The Political Theory of Jean Meslier
February 14, 2018 05:10 - 12 minutes - 5.81 MBGeorge H. Smith critically examines the claim that Jean Meslier was a communist anarchist. Originally published in essay form on August 21, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Jean Meslier and Christian Ethics
February 07, 2018 05:10 - 9 minutes - 4.63 MBGeorge H. Smith explains Jean Meslier’s three major objections to Christian morality, as taught by Jesus. Originally published in essay form on August 14, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Jean Meslier and the Catholic Church
January 31, 2018 05:10 - 13 minutes - 6.4 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the role of the Catholic Church in the French government, and how Jean Meslier reconciled his atheism with his role as a priest. Originally published in essay form on August 7, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Jean Meslier
January 24, 2018 05:10 - 14 minutes - 7.01 MBGeorge H. Smith explains some of the libertarian ideas of Jean Meslier, the notorious atheist-priest. Originally published in essay form on July 31, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: A Critique of Spinoza
January 17, 2018 05:10 - 12 minutes - 6.03 MBGeorge H. Smith criticizes some features of Benedict Spinoza’s political theory, especially his theory of rights. Originally published in essay form on July 24, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Spinoza’s Political Theory
January 10, 2018 05:10 - 12 minutes - 6 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the fundamentals of Benedict Spinoza’s theory of rights and government. Originally published in essay form on July 17, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Spinoza on Freedom of Religion and Speech
January 03, 2018 21:59 - 12 minutes - 5.75 MBGeorge H. Smith continues his discussion of Benedict Spinoza by explaining how he defended freedom of religion and speech. Originally published in essay form on July 10, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Spinoza on the Bible
December 27, 2017 05:10 - 12 minutes - 5.98 MBGeorge H. Smith explains why Benedict Spinoza’s Theologico-Political Treatise became one of the most scandalous books ever published. Originally published in essay form on May 29, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Benedict Spinoza
December 20, 2017 05:10 - 15 minutes - 7.23 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses Benedict Spinoza’s controversial ideas about God, religion, and his criticism of the Design Argument. Originally published in essay form on May 22, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Francis Bacon and the Rise of Secularism
December 13, 2017 05:10 - 16 minutes - 7.69 MBGeorge H. Smith explains Francis Bacon’s defense of certainty and his contributions to a secular worldview. Originally published in essay form on May 15, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Skepticism
December 06, 2017 05:10 - 11 minutes - 5.3 MBPyrrhonic skepticism had a tremendous influence on religious debates in post-Reformation Europe. Originally published in essay form on May 1, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: The Politics of Deism
November 29, 2017 05:10 - 12 minutes - 6.13 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the political implications of the deistic repudiation of special revelation and miracles. Originally published in essay form on April 24, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: John Toland and the Nature of Reason
November 22, 2017 05:10 - 16 minutes - 7.95 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the controversial arguments of the deist John Toland, as defended in Christianity not Mysterious. Originally published in essay form on April 17, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Miracles and Edward Gibbon
November 15, 2017 05:10 - 16 minutes - 7.63 MBGeorge H. Smith explains why Edward Gibbon rejected miraculous accounts in his masterpiece, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Originally published in essay form on April 10, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Deism, The Age of Reason, and Richard Carlile
November 08, 2017 05:10 - 11 minutes - 5.29 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the basic tenets of deism and why it posed a political threat. Originally published in essay form on March 27, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: The English Deists
November 01, 2017 04:10 - 12 minutes - 6.04 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the origins of deism and its basic ideas. Originally published in essay form on March 20, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: How Freethinkers Attempted to Avoid Persecution
October 25, 2017 04:10 - 11 minutes - 5.47 MBGeorge H. Smith explains some tactics that early freethinkers used in the attempt to avoid punishment for blasphemy and other religious crimes. Originally published in essay form on March 13, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Shaftesbury on the Value of Ridicule
October 18, 2017 04:10 - 12 minutes - 5.9 MBGeorge H. Smith explores Shaftesbury’s defense of ridicule and satire in matters of religion. Originally published in essay form on March 6, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin on Persecution
October 11, 2017 04:10 - 12 minutes - 5.97 MBGeorge H. Smith explains how some leading Christian theologians justified the death penalty for heretics and blasphemers. Originally published in essay form on February 27, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: The Problem of Heresy
October 04, 2017 04:10 - 9 minutes - 4.74 MBGeorge H. Smith explains the similarities between medieval heresy and our modern notion of treason against the state. Originally published in essay form on February 20, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Augustine’s Case for Righteous Persecution
September 27, 2017 04:10 - 12 minutes - 6.12 MBAugustine argued that religious persecution was justified when done in the interest of the salvation of those persecuted. Originally published in essay form on February 13, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Freethought and Freedom: Introduction
July 26, 2017 04:10 - 23 minutes - 10.8 MBGeorge H. Smith begins his series on the historical relationship between religious skepticism and libertarianism. Originally published in essay form on January 30, 2015. Narrated by Daniel Hyland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Bernard Mandeville v. Francis Hutcheson
July 19, 2017 04:10 - 16 minutes - 7.84 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses what Bernard Mandeville meant in saying that private vices produce public benefits, and how Francis Hutcheson criticized that theory. Originally published in essay form on January 23, 2015. Narrated by Daniel Hyland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Mandeville on the Benefits of Vice
July 14, 2017 20:25 - 14 minutes - 6.82 MBGeorge H. Smith discusses Bernard Mandeville’s defense of legal prostitution and other vices. Originally published in essay form on January 16, 2015. Narrated by Daniel Hyland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Bernard Mandeville
July 07, 2017 15:14 - 14 minutes - 6.86 MBGeorge H. Smith explains why Mandeville’s ideas about vice made him one of the most notorious writers of his time. Originally published in essay form on January 9, 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Joseph Butler, Continued
June 28, 2017 04:10 - 16 minutes - 22.7 MBOriginally published in essay form on December 19, 2014. Narrated by Daniel Hyland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Joseph Butler
June 21, 2017 04:10 - 15 minutes - 21.6 MBOriginally published in essay form on December 12, 2014. Narrated by Daniel Hyland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.