Freedom and the Lawmakers

By Alberto Mingardi

Mingardi dives into Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s new book, highlighting three examples of how Americans today are being “over-ruled.” Mingardi challenges the reader, “The inescapable lesson of all these examples is that the United States is now “a nation of laws.” Not a nation under the rule of law. Why?”

Thinking: Both Fundamental and Misunderstood

By Richard B. McKenzie

McKenzie again takes on behaviorists in this new article, in which he argues that thinking has too often been left out of economic models. He insists, “[T]hinking must be understood as the most fundamental of economic problems—bounded by the brain’s scarcity constraints—before economists can address all other real-world economic problems.”

Conceived in Liberty or Conceived in Sin?

Exploitation and Modern Prosperity

By Art Carden

Art Carden tackles a thought-provoking question: Can voluntary transactions ever be exploitative? He explores the nuances behind fair trade, consent, and economic freedom, challenging us to rethink what it means to "exploit" and where ethical lines are drawn in the marketplace. If both parties benefit, is there any room for exploitation—or is this just part of the natural dynamics of exchange?

Feeling Lucky

By Arnold Kling

In this insightful review, Arnold Kling delves into the complex interplay between luck and skill. Kling examines Mark Rank’s argument that success often hinges on more than just hard work, asking us to reconsider how we interpret achievement and merit in both life and the marketplace. Is success really a matter of personal effort, or does luck play a bigger role than we like to admit?

Give Away a Kidney? Are You Crazy? (with filmmaker Penny Lane)

After filmmaker Penny Lane decided to donate a kidney to a stranger, it took three years and a complex, often infuriating, sometimes terrifying process to make it happen. Along the way, being a filmmaker, she eventually decided to chronicle her experience and explore the question: How can a choice that seems so obvious to the donor seem so strange to everyone else? Listen as she tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts what she learned, what's still a mystery, and what she hopes we'll all take away from her story.

Explore more.

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From the Shelf with curator Arnold Kling

The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World

by Nichola Raihani

Join Arnold Kling with special guests economist Bart Wilson, primatologist Christopher Martin, and philosopher Jack Hope as they discuss Raihani’s book on human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival.

Read Kling’s review.

See previous episodes of From the Shelf.

November 12, 2024 1-2 pm EST

Pre-registration is required