Excursions
Self-Interest and Social Order in Classical Liberalism: Shaftesbury
George H. Smith begins his exploration of self-interest and social order by explaining Lord Shaftesbury’s theory of social psychology.
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George H. Smith
George H. Smith was formerly Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Humane Studies, a lecturer on American History for Cato Summer Seminars, and Executive Editor of Knowledge Products. Smith's fourth and most recent book, The System of Liberty, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2013.
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Lysander Spooner on Vices and Crimes
Smith begins his discussion of Lysander Spooner’s libertarian classic, “Vices are not Crimes.”
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 10
George H. Smith explores Emile Durkheim’s major objections to Herbert Spencer’s theory of a free society based on voluntary contracts.
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Dio Lewis on Lysander Spooner and Prohibition
Smith discusses Lewis’s rare insights on Spooner’s personal life, and his libertarian case against prohibition.
The Humane Studies Review: A Research and Study Guide
The Humane Studies Review: A Research and Study Guide
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 9
George H. Smith explores some features of social holism, as explained and defended by Emile Durkheim.
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Gerrit Smith, Lysander Spooner, and Dio Lewis on Prohibition
Smith discusses Gerrit Smith’s arguments for prohibition and the reply by Lysander Spooner, as published in a book by Dio Lewis, Prohibition: A Failure.
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 8
George H. Smith explores the historical and theoretical roots of methodological individualism and subjectivism.
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Abolitionism, Prohibition, and the Whig Party
Smith continues his explanation of why so many abolitionists supported the compulsory prohibition of alcohol by linking them to the ideology of the Whig Party.
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Abolitionism: Slavery as Sin
Smith begins his explanation of why so many abolitionists joined the crusade for the legal prohibition of alcohol.
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 7
George H. Smith discusses some controversial features of praxeology, as defended by Ludwig von Mises.
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Final Comments on Wendell Phillips and Non-Voting
Smith concludes his discussion of the no-voting theory of Wendell Phillips by explaining Phillips’s attitude toward taxes and the limits of democracy.
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 6
George H. Smith explains methodological individualism and its implications for the existence of institutions and other social phenomena.
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Anarchism Versus Limited Government Abolitionism
Smith discusses how William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips differed in their approaches to non-voting.
Free Thoughts
Can Anarchy Work?
Peter T. Leeson joins us this week to discuss rational choice theory as it applies to self-governance. What happens in the absence of government?
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 5
George H. Smith discusses the value of sociology and some misconceptions of methodological individualism.
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Abolitionism and Modern Voluntaryism
Smith discusses some similarities between the anti-political abolitionists and contemporary voluntaryists.
Excursions
Social Laws, Part 4
George H. Smith explains Herbert Spencer’s views of the scientific status of sociology, the nature of social laws, and the practical value of social science.