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- 6 days ago45 min
Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy?
Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and an emphasis on letting kids struggle, fail, and become passionate about the process of learning itself. Casey also explains why she and her husband started the school for their daughter, how her earlier work in Dallas and Sierra Leone shaped her view of education, and why she believes every child has a “genius” that education should help uncover. References Acton Academy Calgary Central https://www.actoncentral.org/ Acton Academy https://actonacademy.org/ The One World Schoolhouse - Salman Khan https://a.co/d/0dI4FOkK Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
- 1 weeks ago56 min
James Czerniawski - Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media?
Matt speaks with James Czerniawski about proposed bans on children using social media and AI, exploring concerns around mental health, digital literacy, free speech, privacy, and the consequences of regulation. James argues that while online harms are real, outright bans are ineffective and often counterproductive, advocating instead for parental awareness, digital literacy, and a more optimistic approach to AI. References James’ website: https://jamesczerniawski.com/ James’ author page at the Consumer Choice Center: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/author/james/ The UK Online Safety Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer Institute for Family Studies: Digital Parent Toolkit: https://ifstudies.org/blog/new-tools-to-help-parents-navigate-teens-social-media-use The Twitter Files: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Files COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
- 2 weeks ago1h 10m
Holly Doan - What Is The Role Of Investigative Journalism In A Free Society?
Alex sits down with Holly Doan to discuss Accountability Journalism and the role that non-mainstream journalistic media has in the current Canadian political landscape. They discuss the decline of traditional newsrooms, subsidies for Canadian media companies and the lack of transparency that has led us to a climate where the press is struggling to keep up with the times. References Blacklock’s website: https://www.blacklocks.ca/ The Hub article on government subsidies for traditional Canadian media outlets: https://thehub.ca/2025/05/05/the-names-of-media-outlets-receiving-government-mandated-funding-released-only-days-after-election/ Carney’s CBC funding announcement: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-cbc-funding-1.7501902 Holly on X: https://x.com/hollyanndoan Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
- 3 weeks ago1h 4m
Aris Trantidis - Why Should We Care About Clientelism?
In this episode, Alex speaks with Aris Trantidis about his book Clientelism and why it matters for anyone concerned with democracy, public choice, and the modern state. Trantidis explains clientelism as a system of political exchange in which politicians trade targeted favours, contracts, regulation, and other private benefits for support, campaign resources, and loyalty - arguing that this dynamic is not a "bug" but a structural feature of politics that can distort markets and democracy. References Clientelism — Aris Trantidis https://www.cambridge.org/ca/universitypress/subjects/economics/economics-general-interest/clientelism?format=PB The Calculus of Consent - James M. Buchanan and Gordon Tullock https://a.co/d/0fslxBBZ The Logic of Collective Action - Mancur Olson https://a.co/d/06w0x507 The Selectorate Theory and International Politics - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Randolph M Siverson https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62239/chapter-abstract/550747911?redirectedFrom=fulltext The Myth of the Rational Voter - Bryan Caplan https://a.co/d/0cufjmjt Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask
- Apr 15, 202656 min
Dan Griswold — Can You Win a Trade War?
In this episode from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Dan Griswold as he explores the benefits of open markets and free trade, and whether you can "win" a trade war. References 1. “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” by Daniel Griswold Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Mad-About-Trade-America-Globalization/dp/193530819X 2. “Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Steel on U.S. National Security” by U.S Department of Commerce Link: https://www.commerce.gov/issues/trade-enforcement/section-232-steel 3. “China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusions Process” by Office of the United States Trade Representative Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/tariff-actions 4. “Only Congress can end the China trade war quagmire” by Daniel Griswold Link: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/expert-commentary/only-congress-can-end-china-trade-war-quagmire 5. “The Coronavirus Should Not Prompt Us to Rethink Globalization” by Daniel Griswold Link: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-coronavirus-should-not-prompt-us-to-rethink-globalization 6. “Daniel Griswold: Curbing globalization would compound coronavirus damage” by Daniel Griswold Link: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/13/daniel-griswold-curbing-globalization-would-compound-coronavirus-damage/ 7. “Daniel Griswold on US Demographic Decline and the Case for Expanding Immigration” by Daniel Griswold Link: https://www.mercatus.org/macro-musings/daniel-griswold-us-demographic-decline-and-case-expanding-immigration 8. “Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy” by Douglas Irwin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Clashing-over-Commerce-History-Policy/dp/022639896X 9. “Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - A Global Call to Action” by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry Link: https://www.amazon.com/Death-China-Confronting-Dragon-paperback/dp/0134319036 10. “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” by Office of the United States Trade Representative Link: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement
- Apr 8, 202644 min
Thomas Bunting - What Can Baseball Tell Us About Politics?
In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Thomas Bunting about politics, democracy, social progress and more as they relate to baseball and athletics more broadly.
- Apr 1, 20261h 16m
Bryce Tingle - How Are Regulations Damaging Markets?
In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Bryce Tingle about corporations, how these unique legal entities are governed, how changes we have made to corporate governance has discouraged companies from joining Canada’s public markets, and how the decline in our public market is hurting Canadians. Episode Notes: 1. Bryce’s article “Returning Markets To The Centre Of Corporate Law” https://jcl.law.uiowa.edu/sites/jcl.law.uiowa.edu/files/2023-09/Tingle_Final.pdf 2. Bryce’s profile at UofCalgary https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/bryce-tingle 3. Jensen and Meckley’s “The Theory Of The Firm” https://www.sfu.ca/~wainwrig/Econ400/jensen-meckling.pdf 4. Introduction to Douglass North’s theory of Institutions: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40803-016-0028-8 5. Summary of Montesquieu’s “Doux Commerce” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doux_commerce 6. Mill on Trade As a Social Act: https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/five.html 7. The Voltaire quote referenced regarding the London Stock Exchange: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7351337-go-into-the-london-stock-exchange-a-more-respectable
- Mar 25, 202654 min
Nigel Ashford - Can We Change The World For Liberty?
In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Nigel Ashford about the prospects for a freer world and how the memory of history, the hope of younger persons, and the teaching of ideas can shape the future of classical liberalism. Further Reading: https://libertarianism.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/socin003.pdf Chapter 2 of this book: https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Blundell-interactive.pdf https://fee.org/articles/the-tide-in-the-affairs-of-men/ https://cdn.mises.org/Intellectuals%20and%20Socialism_4.pdf https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/why-do-intellectuals-oppose-capitalism http://wordlist.narod.ru/Government-Failure.pdf
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About The Curious Task
Host Alex Aragona and a rotating cast of guests explore philosophy, politics, economics, and other ideas from a classical liberal perspective.
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