The Liberty Exchange

Free Speech is for Losers: A Conversation with Bruce Pardy

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Bruce Pardy about the assaults on free speech in Canada, the UK and Europe. These moves to censor and control speech, especially online content, are ominous indicators of multiple assaults on free expression and political liberty more generally. Pardy outlines the various developments, the legal implications, and argues that our liberty won’t be reclaimed if we continue to outsource our problem solving to the state.

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David Beito on his book FDR: A New Political Life

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with David Beito about FDR's rise to the American presidency, and the negative consequences for civil, political and economic liberty. The conversation explores the ways in which Roosevelt was influenced by Wilson, who had promulgated a new formulation of freedom, and Teddy Roosevelt, whose nationalism, coupled with the ideas imported from Bismarck's German thinkers, encouraged a strong movement toward centralization and an increase in federal power.

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You Don’t Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty with guest Tim Sandefur

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Tim Sandefur about his recent book, You Don’t Own Me, published by Libertarianism.org in 2025. The conversation explores themes of liberty, individualism and personal autonomy as they find expression in novels, films, blues music and architecture, to name just a few of the genres up for discussion.

Important note:

Tim notes that it was Bernard Taupin, not Tim Rice, that wrote the lyrics for “Nikita”

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Peak Human: Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages with Johan Norberg

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:00:00 GMT

In this episode Jonathan Fortier talks with Johan Norberg about his new book Peak Human, which explores seven golden ages to reveal the common thread that makes societies thrive. Their conversation explores not only what went wrong when these civilizations collapsed, but the lessons to be learnt about what was done right. Openness, Norberg argues, has historically triumphed over withdrawal from the rest of the world.

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I, Smartphone: The Power of the Free Market with Lawrence W. Reed

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode Jonathan Fortier talks with Lawrence Reed about his essay, "I, Smartphone", which revisits the themes of Leonard Read's famous essay, "I, Pencil" for contemporary audiences. Their conversation explores the incredible complexity and power of free markets and the foundational principles that allow those markets to function most successfully.

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Talking Liberty and Milton Friedman: A Conversation with Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Fortier talks with Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network, about a network of over 500 liberty-advancing think tanks around the world. Their conversation explores the necessity of decentralized knowledge and local efforts as essential elements in promoting free societies in different cultures with unique circumstances. Jonathan and Brad discuss the recent issue of the Atlas magazine, “Freedom’s Champion”, in which Brad celebrates the legacy of Milton Friedman, his close to connection to Atlas, and his many contributions to promoting liberty around the world.

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The Capitalist Manifesto: A Conversation with Johan Norberg

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 21:26:45 GMT

Jonathan Fortier talks with Johan Norberg, author of The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World. The conversation explores how a simple coffee shop can illustrate the complexity of international trade, why capitalism is a "double thank you" system in which we may all get what we need more efficiently, and much more. Norberg delves into everyday examples that help us appreciate this economic system that has brought us unprecedented prosperity.

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Modern Libertarianism: A Conversation with Brian Doherty

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:55:00 GMT

Jonathan Fortier talks with Brian Doherty, author of Modern Libertarianism: A Brief History of Classical Liberalism in the United States. The conversation explores some of the main themes in Doherty’s book, including figures like Mises and Hayek, Ayn Rand, Leonard E. Read and many others. Doherty muses on the nature of the libertarian movement and the many strains of thought animated by fractious individuals.

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Open Borders: A Conversation about Immigration with Bryan Caplan

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:50:00 GMT

Jonathan Fortier and Bryan Caplan discuss the reissue of Open Borders a graphic non-fiction novel published by Libertarianism.org. Caplan argues for the tremendous power of open migration to unleash economic potential and generate much greater overall human flourishing. The episode explores some of the common objections to immigration, considering both the American and European context, and concludes with some speculation about how best to modify current regulation to facilitate the movement of people looking for opportunity in the United States.

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The Freedom Convoy: The Case of the Canadian Truckers with Bruce Pardy

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:40:00 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier and Bruce Pardy discuss some of the ways that the government response to COVID (both in Canada and abroad) revealed the fragility of individual freedom in the face of political power and explore the various reasons that political, legal and civic institutions failed to protect individual liberty in a time of apparent crisis. The conversation explores aspects of the Canadian trucker protest as, in a sense, representative of the wider international and democratic opposition to authoritarian governments. Jonathan and Bruce conclude with some reflections on the centuries-long tendency to “move power around” from one place of authority to another, without questioning the legitimacy of exercising power over others. The conversation concludes with some thoughts about the administrative state, and the manner in which it stands in opposition to accountable government and a robust individual freedom.

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Creative Destruction: A Conversation with John Dalton

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 13:00:08 GMT

Jonathan talks with John Dalton, Professor of Economics at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, about his book, Creative Destruction, published by Libertarianism.org in 2024. Jonathan and John discuss the work of Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist who popularized the idea of creative destruction, and the important ways that Vienna served as a stimulating backdrop for early theorizing about market dynamism and cultural change. The conversation touches on many important themes central to free societies and competitive markets. They conclude with a consideration of case studies that help to illustrate the concept of creative destruction.

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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hayek’s Nobel Prize: A Conversation with Don Boudreaux

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:09:00 GMT

Jonathan Fortier talks with Don Boudreaux, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, about the legacy of F.A. Hayek. Don provides a quick overview of the background and context of Hayek’s Nobel Prize, the intellectual rivalry with Keynes, and a general survey of Hayek’s important insights and their ramifications for understanding free societies.

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The Individualists: A Conversation with Matt Zwolinski about the history of Libertarianism

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:59:22 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Matt Zwolinski about his recent book, The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism (co-authored with John Tomasi, Princeton, 2023). They discuss various approaches to understanding the foundational principles of libertarianism, dominant historical differences in the evolution of libertarian thought, and some future challenges to liberty.

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Sustaining and Revitalizing Democracies: A Conversation with Brook Manville and Josiah Ober

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:44:37 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Brook Manville and Josiah Ober about their recent book, The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives (Princeton, 2023). Manville and Ober identify essential qualities for robust democracies, and explore how Ancient Athens, Republican Rome, Parliamentary Britain and the American Founding each struggled to develop and maintain key practices and institutions to preserve their political orders.

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FDR’s War on the Bill of Rights

Fri, 24 May 2024 16:31:31 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier speaks with David T. Beito, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Alabama. Together they discuss his new book The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights, particularly focusing on FDR’s use of censorship and the implementation of Japanese internment camps during World War II.

His book is available for order at the Independent Institute or Amazon. Links below.

https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=142

https://www.amazon.com/New-Deals-Bill-Rights-Concentration/dp/159813356X

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Liberty in our Lifetime: A Conversation with Jason Sorens

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:14:12 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Jason Sorens, Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute of Economic Research and Founder of the Free State Project. They discuss the origins and purposes of the Free State Project, the question of secession, the lessons that other American states might learn from the FSP, analogues with other secessionist movements around the world, and then turn to a discussion of the Cato-supported publication, “Freedom in the 50 States.”

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Adventures in Hayek: A Conversation with Bruce Caldwell

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:44:37 GMT

In this episode, Jonathan Fortier talks with Professor Bruce Caldwell, the general editor of the Collected Works of F. A. Hayek (University of Chicago Press) and Director of the Center for the Study of the History of Political Economy at Duke University. They discuss the challenges and rewards of editing Hayek, reflect on the perennial significance of Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” and discuss the recent publication of the minutes from the first Mont Pelerin Society meeting in 1947.

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Executive Power: The Cult of the Presidency with Gene Healy

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 20:24:59 GMT

In this episode Jonathan Fortier talks with Gene Healy about the growth in the scope and power of the office of the American President, and some of the ways that this has negative consequences for political accountability and individual liberty. Healy’s book, The Cult of the Presidency, first published in 2008 by the Cato Institute, will be reissued this coming autumn in advance of the American presidential election. The conversation turns partly on what has changed in the intervening 16 years, but also on a number of other topics, such as the delinquency of Congress in the face of Executive over-reach, the growth of the administrative state, the influence of technology in presidential reach, the unintended consequences of the presidential race, and much more. Healy’s research and insights are presented with a unique grace and wit that makes this a compelling account of the changes to the nation’s top political position and associated implications for a free society.

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Liberty in Review: A Conversation with Todd Zywicki

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 17:55:14 GMT

As part of our “Janus Week” in which we look back on 2023 and forward to 2024, Jonathan Fortier and Todd Zywicki discuss the recent high points for liberty and potential threats on the horizon. Zywicki distinguishes between positive wins and defensive moves as they discuss the election of Milei, the rolling back of Covid restrictions, the Supreme Court’s apparent moves to rein in the administrative state, the checks on DEI and ESG and much more. Zywicki encourages us to think more carefully about simplified mental models that libertarians traditionally used to distinguish between public and private violations of individual freedom, and suggests that we are living through a different era, where these two sectors are both more intertwined, but also a period in which, arguably, both the public and private sectors have extremely significant impacts on liberty.

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Classical Liberalism and the Higher Things

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 09:00:00 GMT

For a philosophy that seeks to allow us the choice in how we pursue our own interests, some argue liberalism leaves us unmoored or adrift. Dan Klein thinks differently. In a wide-ranging conversation with Libertarianism.org Director Jonathan Fortier, they discuss the transcendence of the divine, joy, beauty, community, and virtues such as benevolence and friendship. They also explore the concept of quasi-religious political ideologies and how thinking liberally with “the higher things” in mind can lead to a more equal and just world.

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America's Founders, Christianity, and the Path to Liberty

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 09:00:45 GMT

As terms like Christian nationalism and Catholic integralism are bandied about regarding their place (or lack thereof) in modern American politics, it becomes important to ask; what role did Christianity play in the founding and early life of the United States of America? To answer this question, Libertarianism.org Director Jonathan Fortier is joined on this episode of The Liberty Exchange by guest Mark David Hall.

Jonathan and Mark discuss the role of Christian belief in the American founding and the early Republic. They highlight the influence of Puritan ideals on the development of democratic institutions and the concept of consent-based political order, as well as the issues of religious liberty and equality, emphasizing the contributions of Christians in advancing religious freedom.

Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: How Christianity Has Advanced Freedom and Equality for All Americans by Mark David Hall

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A City Cannot Be a Work of Art: Sanford Ikeda on Jane Jacobs and Spontaneous Complexity

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:00:34 GMT

Our Centers of Progress theme this week has revolved around the history and nature of cities, and their role in promoting values central to free societies –including a respect for liberty, individual rights, free speech, and cosmopolitanism. But putting those values into action is much more complicated than it sounds.

Sanford Ikeda, Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York, Purchase College has a deep knowledge of urban planning with a particular expertise in the work of Jane Jacobs, a giant of twentieth-century theory of urban design. In this episode we focus on how thinking about cities offers a particularly good avenue towards economic and social theory. Professor Ikeda’s work explores how different approaches to the design and growth of cities can either enable or be in tension with individual liberty and human flourishing.

How Cities Can Change the World

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:05:47 GMT

When you imagine a city what comes to mind? Is it a crumbling locale jampacked with residents yet devoid of any sense of community? Or is it a densely populated but vibrant network of people coexisting in a kind of chaotic harmony? While we may take for granted cities as institutions, their development has fundamentally changed the way humans live, work, and come together to pursue their goals.

In her new book, Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World, Chelsea Follett explains why and how cities tend produce more innovation than rural areas, what makes a city a center of progress, and what we can do to ensure cities stay free.

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Havel on Authenticity, Responsibility, and Freedom

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 08:00:04 GMT

When ideology overtakes thinking for oneself—who is to blame? Is the state solely responsible, or do many of us outsource our moral responsibility to ideology? According to Václav Havel, the line between ruler and ruled might be less apparent than we think.

To close out this week celebrating the 10th anniversary of Havel’s Place, Libertarianism.org Director Jonathan Fortier is joined by Flagg Taylor, Associate Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College. They discuss Havel’s varied range of influences and contemporaries, the spiritual depravations of planned economies, and what it means to live authentically in both post-totalitarian and liberal consumerist societies.

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The Velvet Revolution and Václav Havel

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 08:00:15 GMT

Welcome to the first ever episode of The Liberty Exchange!

No matter what your thoughts may be on any particular topic, it can be hard to feel comfortable expressing those ideas in today’s highly charged social climate. But, as dangerous as words can seem, they are a powerful tool as well, one we should all be more willing to utilize over more coercive means, especially in the face of actual totalitarian threats.

Here at The Liberty Exchange, we want to speak across ideological boundaries, and one of the figures that inspired our that mission is Václav Havel. Havel was a Czech dissident who modeled courageous opposition to totalitarian power and argued for the necessity of talking across ideological lines in the struggle for individual freedom. To discuss Havel's influence, Libertarianism.org Director Jonathan Fortier is joined by Milan Babík from Colby College.

They discuss Milan's childhood experiences growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution, the importance of language in shaping politics and reality, and what we can learn from Václav Havel’s fight for greater freedom and the necessity to live authentically in the midst of totalitarian threats.

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Milan Babík - Colby College

The Power of the Powerless - Václav Havel

The Garden Party - Václav Havel

Václav Havel Library - Prague, Czech Republic

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Coming Soon: The Liberty Exchange

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:44 GMT

Coming soon, a brand new podcast from Libertarianism.org...

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