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Portraits of Liberty

Libertarianism.org

77 episodes

1 week ago

Portraits of Liberty investigates the lives and philosophies of thinkers throughout history who argued in favor of a freer world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All content for Portraits of Liberty is the property of Libertarianism.org and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Portraits of Liberty investigates the lives and philosophies of thinkers throughout history who argued in favor of a freer world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...

Episodes (20/77)

Portraits of Liberty

How Self-Interest Built Societies: Bernard Mandeville

This episode explores the provocative work of Bernard Mandeville, who argued that everything from commerce to civilization itself emerged not from altruism, but from self-interest, vanity, and competition. In his poetic satire and philosophical essays, Mandeville laid the groundwork for understanding society as an evolving system shaped by passions, not perfection.

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3 weeks ago

16 minutes 26 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Shyamji Krishna Varma: A Spencerian Radical

Drawing from Hebert Spencer, Shyamji Krishna Varma, an Indian revolutionary and journalist, challenged British colonial rule. From his rise as a Sanskrit scholar to his establishment of India House and the Indian Sociologist in London, his work laid the foundation for a transnational anti-colonial movement. His life is a testament to how classical liberalism and the fight for self-determination were deeply intertwined in the battle against empire.

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1 month ago

27 minutes 28 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Jeannette Rankin: The Peaceful Outlier

Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, remains one of the most principled pacifists in American political history. She was a vocal opponent of US intervention in European affairs in World War I and was the lone vote against US entry into World War II. Rankin endured harsh criticism for her choice for the rest of her political career. Rankin’s lifelong advocacy for women’s suffrage, social reform, and nonviolence cemented her legacy as a politician guided by conscience rather than political expediency.

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3 months ago

15 minutes 59 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Olaudah Equiano: The Man Who Transformed the Abolitionist Movement

Born in west Africa and kidnapped into slavery at age eleven, Olaudah Equiano endured the horrors of the Middle Passage before being sold to British and American masters. As an enslaved seaman, he traveled the world, gaining skills and knowledge that would later shape his abolitionist message. After purchasing his freedom, Equiano settled in London, where he became a leading voice against slavery. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, defied racist assumptions, advocating for economic prosperity through free trade rather than human bondage. By blending personal testimony with political and economic arguments, Equiano helped redefine abolitionist thought, paving the way for the eventual end of the transatlantic slave trade.

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4 months ago

20 minutes 48 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Revisiting Frédéric Bastiat

From his critique of state-controlled education in “Baccalaureate and Socialism,” to his extensive correspondence with free-trade advocate Richard Cobden, to his independent political career in a tumultuous France, Bastiat’s insights are still applicable today. In this episode, we explore his lesser-known works and his reflections on freedom, self-ownership, and the dangers of state intervention.

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4 months ago

19 minutes 45 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Father of the School of Salamanca: Francisco de Vitoria

The 16th-century Dominican theologian Francisco de Vitoria has been hailed as the father of international law. Vitoria's teachings at the University of Salamanca shaped the foundation of modern natural law and human rights, from his pioneering defense of indigenous rights in the New World to his profound contributions to political theory.

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5 months ago

18 minutes 15 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Forgotten Austrian: Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

Born in 1851, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk distinguished himself as an economist, writing on theories of capital and interest. His work, Karl Marx and the Close of His System, remains one of the most thorough rebuttals of the labor theory of value. But beyond his work as an economist, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk put theory into practice as a statesman arguing against the rapid fiscal expansion of the Austrian state.

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6 months ago

14 minutes 36 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Law of Equal Freedom: Herbert Spencer

Over his 60-year career, English philosopher Herbert Spencer discussed a myriad of topics, including ethics, political philosophy, sociology, and psychology. Central to his intellectual journey, however, was his exploration of evolution—a concept that shaped his vision for a freer world. Though his name may not be widely recognized today, Spencer was once one of the foremost advocates for liberalism across the globe.

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8 months ago

26 minutes 28 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The German Economic “Miracle”: Ludwig Erhard

Following World War II, Germany's economy was in ruins and was made even worse by ongoing price controls implemented by the state. Ludwig Erhard, an economist from a humble background, immediately abolished all price controls when elected director of economics in occupied Germany. The result is what economists and historians call an economic miracle, but what Erhard himself believed was the natural result of an economy freed from bureaucracy and state intervention.

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8 months ago

17 minutes 38 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Redefining the Enlightenment: Namık Kemal (with Mustafa Akyol)

An episode interviewing senior fellow Mustafa Akyol about the life and legacy of Namık Kemal, the Ottoman journalist and author. Born into the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, Namık Kemal became a prolific journalist and reformer who advocated for constitutional government within the Ottoman Empire. His outlook was defined by his commitment to individual rights that are applied equally to everyone. Though exiled by the Ottoman state numerous times, Namık Kemal helped pave the way for constitutional government to take hold.

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9 months ago

46 minutes 24 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Liberty Further Extended: Lemuel Haynes

Born into poverty and indentured servitude, Lemuel Haynes became the most prominent black preacher of 18th-century America. He combined his experiences as a soldier of the American Revolution and a devout Calvinist to expound the philosophical principles of liberty. From the pulpit, he condemned slavery and upheld the principles of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal.

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11 months ago

20 minutes 39 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Violent Genesis of the State: Franz Oppenheimer

Though obscure today, the German sociologist Franz Oppenheimer crafted a radical theory of the state. In his book The State, he argued that the state's origins were not in public justice or establishing laws but in the reign of a conquering group over their defeated foes. His work influenced libertarian theorists such as Albert Jay Nock, Walter Block, and Murray Rothbard.

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11 months ago

17 minutes 1 second

Portraits of Liberty

The Medieval Case Against Taxes: William of Pagula

Despite its reputation as a dark age, the Medieval period was not devoid of intellectual substance. An example of this is William of Pagula, a 14th-century English priest and scholar who wrote The Mirror of King Edward III, a political treatise condemning the king's practice of purveyance and excessive taxation. Using a mixture of Biblical and Classical authorities, William made the moral case against interfering with property rights.

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1 year ago

15 minutes 44 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

No Superior and Few Equals: Elizabeth Freeman

Born into slavery, Elizabeth Freeman gained her freedom in 1781, eighty years before the American Civil War. Freeman did not escape to Pennsylvania as was common at the time. She gained her freedom through the courts. Upon winning her case, she changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman to celebrate her new life.

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1 year ago

14 minutes 24 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Soldier Philosopher: Adam Ferguson

Born between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands, Ferguson made a name for himself writing philosophical history, an early precursor to sociology. In his famous work, An Essay on The History of Civil Society, Ferguson explained how civilization is refined over many generations as society evolves to deal with ever-increasing complexity.

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1 year ago

15 minutes 35 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

The Forgotten Abolitionist: The Black Revolutionary, Industrialist, and Abolitionist James Forten

Despite his upbringing in poverty and vicious racial discrimination, the black freeman James Forten rose to become one of the foremost sailmakers in Philadelphia and a crucial voice in the abolition of slavery. Though largely forgotten today, Forten defied the racial stereotypes of his day and became a symbol of black achievement in the new nation of America.

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1 year ago

23 minutes 25 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Liberty's Forgotten Man: William Graham Sumner

This month, we examine the often-overlooked legacy of William Graham Sumner, a 19th-century sociologist, economist, and political thinker. Despite his pivotal role in establishing sociology as a discipline at Yale, Sumner's contributions have been overshadowed, partly due to his association with Herbert Spencer, who has been incorrectly labeled a social Darwinist. The episode delves into Sumner's life ideas, covering his critique of imperialism, the Forgotten Man, and the phenomenon of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs.

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1 year ago

21 minutes 39 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Live like a Libertarian: Karl Hess

Renowned for his larger-than-life character, Karl Hess started as a conservative but slowly shifted away from the Republican party, turning towards the New Left. Eventually seeing the contradictions of both the right and the left, Hess became an anarchist without hyphens.

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1 year ago

19 minutes 10 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

Citizen Jane: Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs revolutionized the study of cities. She did not see them as merely areas of high population densities, but as huge laboratories for experimentation making cities the flash points of the history of human progress. Her intellectual career was spent checking the hubris of government officials.

Further Reading:

A City Cannot Be a Work of Art: Learning Economics and Social Theory From Jane Jacobs by Sanford Ikeda

More articles and podcasts from Libertarianism.org:

The Rise of Free Cities: Guizot's Seventh Lecture

The Harlem Renaissance: Black Cultural Innovation Unleashed

Immanuel Kant on Spontaneous Order

Interview with Chelsea Follett – The Liberty Exchange

The Ethics Of Progress – Building Tomorrow

Why More People Means More Wealth – Free Thoughts

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1 year ago

21 minutes 47 seconds

Portraits of Liberty

A Monument to Freedom of Speech: Havel's Place

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of Havel's Place in Georgetown, an episode dedicated to the dissidents of Czechoslovakia responsible for the Velvet Revolution in 1989, overthrowing the brutal Communist regime without violence or bloodshed.

Find out more at Libertarianism.org

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1 year ago

18 minutes 38 seconds