Can Halloween Save Democracy? - Rachel Humphries

ILS Educational Programs Manager Alex Eames speaks with Moin Yahya about whether the state should run the postal service. They explore the history of Canada Post’s monopoly, competition and innovation in mail delivery, and why Lysander Spooner’s 19th-century rebellion still matters for debates about government-run enterprises today. References: Moin A. Yahya — Faculty Profile (University of Alberta, Law) https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/myahya Canada Post Corporation Act (Justice Laws, Government of Canada) https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10/ Lysander Spooner, The Unconstitutionality of the Laws of Congress Prohibiting Private Mails (1844) — full text  https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/spooner-the-unconstitutionality-of-the-laws-of-congress-prohibiting-private-mails-1844  American Letter Mail Company (Spooner’s private competitor to the U.S. Post) — Overview (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Letter_Mail_Company Royal Mail — Background & 2013 Privatization (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail  --- Thanks to our patrons—especially Kris Rondolo—for supporting The Curious Task. To join them: https://patreon.com/curioustask  

Matt speaks with Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress Institute) about “technohumanism”—the view that science, technology, and industry are good insofar as they advance human flourishing. They dig into agency vs. accelerationism, why progress creates new problems to solve, and where the next big gains may come from (AI, biotech, nuclear, housing, etc.). References Announcing “The Techno-Humanist Manifesto” — Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress) https://blog.rootsofprogress.org/announcing-the-techno-humanist-manifesto Technohumanism — Overview & Chapters (official project site) https://technohumanist.org/ Roots of Progress (main site / institute) https://rootsofprogress.org/ --- Thanks to our supporters—including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this episode, Matt speaks with Rachel Davison Humphries, Senior Director of Civic Learning Initiatives at the Bill of Rights Institute, about how rituals like Halloween can strengthen democracy by building trust and social capital in communities. References “Halloween Treats for Democracy” — Rachel Davison Humphries (Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/opinion/halloween-treats-for-democracy-c8e861ba  Rachel Davison Humphries — Profile (Bill of Rights Institute) https://oll.libertyfund.org/people/rachel-d-humphries Rachel Davison Humphries on the Bill of Rights Institute and the Importance of Civics Projects — Getting Smart Podcast episode https://www.gettingsmart.com/podcast/rachel-davison-humphries-on-the-bill-of-rights-institute-and-the-importance-of-civics-projects/ Democracy in America — Alexis de Tocqueville https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/815 Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2020, Alex Aragona speaks with Mustafa Akyol as he explores whether Islam can be compatible with liberalism, and his recent research on freedom in Muslim-majority countries. References from Episode 70 with Mustafa Akyol Mustafa Akyol is the author of Rethinking the Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next? (Turkish), Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty, The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims, and his book set for release in April 2021, Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (all available titles hyperlinked to Amazon Canada store pages). You can read Mustafa’s articles featured on his profile on the CATO Institute’s website at this link. The concluding segment of this podcast was dedicated to discussing Mustafa’s findings in his study, Freedom in the Muslim World, which was published on the Cato Institute’s website and is available for reading here. Mustafa quotes the observation that Islam had compatible socio-legal setups for embracing liberal society early on had it abided by its foundational teachings from Professor David Forte’s article, Islam’s Trajectory. This article can be read on the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s website at this link. One of the themes in his upcoming book, Reopening Muslim Minds, Mustafa cites Ash’arism as one of the theological paradigms predating modernity which gave rise to the insularity in Islamic philosophy towards thoughts not originating from revelation. The journal Studia Islamica has an article recounting the religious history of Ash’arism and can be accessed at this link through an active JSTOR account. Mustafa briefly mentions the Euthyphro Dilemma (Wikipedia), Divine Command Theory (Michael W. Austin, Eastern Kentucky University), and Ethical Objectivism (Oxford Reference) whilst discussing the different camps in Islamic thought. More can be read about these topics through their respective hyperlinks. You can read more about philosopher John Locke’s premises on toleration of religion and heresy here (A Letter Concerning Toleration courtesy of McMaster University), as well as his view on the separation of church and state at this link (Liberty Fund). While literature on Islamic liberalism is vast, a good place to start is this article titled What Is Liberal Islam?: The Sources of Enlightend Muslim Thought featured in the Journal of Democracy at this link. This article on Deutsche Welle summarizes the domestic and international tensions stemming from the cartoons of religious caricatures that were published in France. Mustafa quotes Daniel Philpott’s book, Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (available on Amazon Canada), about how Islam “had seeds of freedom, but those seeds need to be cultivated.” You can read the excerpt where the French jurist, Jean Bodin, commended the religious freedom of the Ottoman empire compared to the denominational violence amongst Christians in Europe in Daniel Goffman’s book, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe here. Here are Wikipedia articles to the controversy of Islamic scarfs in France, policing over the burkini, and Saudi Arabia’s legislation on public head coverings for women.

In this episode, Alex speaks with political researcher Sam Routley about how conservatism is changing in Canada. Drawing on his article “Decoding Canada’s Conservative Coalition” published in The Hub, Routley explains why Canada’s conservative movement has remained more stable than those in other Western democracies, where right-wing politics have undergone dramatic upheavals. They discuss the historical roots of Canada’s “fusionist” conservatism, the economic and cultural shifts driving new tensions between working-class and knowledge-economy voters, and how Pierre Poilievre’s brand of populism fits within Canada’s longstanding political traditions.  References: DeepDive: Decoding Canada’s Conservative coalition — Sam Routley (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2025/09/27/deepdive-decoding-canadas-conservative-coalition/ The Hub Sam Routley — Author Page (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/author/samroutley/ The Hub Stephen Harper embraced pragmatic, incremental change. Does Pierre Poilievre have grander ambitions? — Sam Routley (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2024/10/11/sam-routley-stephen-harper-embraced-pragmatic-incremental-change-does-pierre-poilievre-have-grander-ambitions/ The Hub Canada’s hard-fought immigration consensus is crumbling before our eyes — Sam Routley (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2024/04/10/sam-routley-canadas-hard-fought-immigration-consensus-is-crumbling/ The Hub Canada needs new political experts — Sam Routley (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2023/11/09/sam-routley-canada-needs-new-political-experts/ The Hub How Canada’s Conservatives Should Solve Their Free Trade Confusion — Sam Routley (C2C Journal) https://c2cjournal.ca/2023/07/how-canadas-conservatives-should-solve-their-free-trade-confusion/ C2C Journal Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption — Stephen J. Harper (Indigo) https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/right-here-right-now-politics-and-leadership-in-the-age-of-disruption/9780771038624.html Indigo ---  Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with Neil Boyd about the effects of drug decriminalization and legalization in Canada and around the world, and how regulation and criminalization can have positive or negative impacts on users of various substances and the communities around them. References 1. “Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 1996” by the Justice Laws Website Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/  2. “Cannabis Act, 2018” by Justice Laws Website  Link: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-24.5/

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Jason Lee Byas about the complexities of responding to questions of historic injustice, reparations, and compensation within a libertarian framework.  References 1. Articles by Jason Lee Byas, Center for a Stateless Society  Link: https://c4ss.org/content/author/jason-byas  2. “Rectification and Historic Injustice” by Jason Lee Byas Link: https://philpapers.org/archive/BYARAH.pdf  3. “A Black Commons: A Framework for Recognition, Reconciliation, and Reparations” by Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone  Link: https://www.academia.edu/113180745/The_Black_CommonsA_Framework_for_Recognition_Reconciliation_Reparations  4. “Compensation for Historic Injustices: Completing the Boxill and Sher Argument” by Andrew I. Cohen Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40212837.pdf  5. “Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions” by David Boonin Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Should-Race-Matter-Unusual-Questions/dp/0521149800  6. “The Ethics of Liberty” by Murray N. Rothbard Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Ethics-Liberty-Murray-N-Rothbard/dp/0814775594  7. “Historical Rights and Fair Shares” by A. John Simmons Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3505011  8. “The Multiculturalism of Fear” by Jacob Levy Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Multiculturalism-Fear-Jacob-T-Levy/dp/0198297122  9. “Apologies and Moral Repair: Rights, Duties, and Corrective Justice” by Andrew I. Cohen Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Apologies-Moral-Repair-Corrective-Justice/dp/0367508036

In this coversation from 2023, Matt speaks with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods, and why a decision as simple as where we choose to live can often make the difference between lives of prosperity and lives of uncertainty and strife.  Seth's book can be ordered here: https://a.co/d/aqUzRny 

In this episode, Alex speaks with journalist and author Andrew Coyne about why Canadian democracy is in crisis. Drawing from his book The Crisis of Canadian Democracy, Coyne explains how the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office, the erosion of cabinet and caucus independence, and the iron grip of party discipline have hollowed out Parliament. They explore electoral reform, regional alienation, and voter disengagement, and discuss why Canada’s institutions now fail to hold leaders accountable. Coyne argues that the issue is systemic: a slow but steady weakening of democratic norms that requires serious institutional repair if Canadian democracy is to endure. References The Crisis of Canadian Democracy — Andrew Coyne https://a.co/d/49B2UrX Andrew Coyne — Columns (The Globe and Mail) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/andrew-coyne/ Canada’s Democracy Is in Crisis: Andrew Coyne on GCD #3 — Macdonald-Laurier Institute https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/canadas-democracy-is-in-crisis-andrew-coyne-on-gcd-3-in-the-post/ Q&A: MPs ‘Utterly Subservient’ to Leaders — Coyne on Reforming Canada’s Democratic System — The Hill Times https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/06/26/qa-mps-utterly-subservient-to-leaders-says-andrew-coyne-who-proposes-a-path-away-from-that-anti-democratic-system/465123/ Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2024, Matt speaks with Tyler Cowen about his recent book "GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter?", as they discuss the case for and against each of the top finalists, and the interactive AI features that Tyler has integrated into the book's online release. Episode Notes: The full book plus all interactive AI features can be found for free here: https://goatgreatesteconomistofalltime.ai/en