Topics: 00:07 The Greater Divide: conservatism vs freedom, comparative views – conservative – liberal – freedom, The Great Divide – Bill Gairdner, personal vs public, concept of self, individual vs group, Salim Mansur, individual sovereignty 20:45 Tyrannical democracy: freedom and rights, choice, freedom – democracy – totalitarianism, voting, majority rule, social freedom conflicting rights, democratic cycle 34:50 Definitions please: the problem with adjectives, comparative definitions, conservatism, liberalism, libertarianism 45:08 The political god particle: subjective views of god, supreme being, atheism and morality, floating political abstractions cause confusion and harm 56:49 END
Topics 00:07 The Great Divide: clash between ideological forces, what’s beneath the surface, why liberals and conservatives will never agree, ideas vs politics, modern liberals vs classic liberalism, human nature, change agents, perfection, party politics, virtue liberals, individualism, equality liberals, from liberty to equality, sexual freedom, libertarian socialism 18:55 Feeling blue about red: theory vs practice, Liberal and Conservative contradictions, prostitution politics, politician vs statesman, more democracy but less freedom, concept of the self, self discipline vs self gratification, self-esteem, duty, we world vs me world, choice vs the common good, pornography, freedom not a good in itself 31:00 The great deviation: freedom as a guarantee of rights, freedom vs choice, the six freedoms, social beings, freedom as power, tyranny and democracy go hand-in-hand, the great deviation, society’s rights vs individual rights, libertarian position, the harm principle, individualism and the non-aggression principle, duties and obligations, conceptions of democracy, society and the next generations, rights – objective and subjective 44:45 Conceit in the moral arena: freedom guaranteed by restraint, libertarian conservatives, social conservatives, fiscal conservative, individual vs social freedom, views on morality, morality as a language, principles and facts before debate, an increasingly closed society, eternal discussion and debate, Canada-US divide, Obama is America’s Trudeau, conceits
Topics: 00:07 So what’s news? a brief history of Just Right, Jim Chapman, measured truths in media, news, media bias, Alex Epstein, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, experts, advisors, authorities, unacknowledged assumptions, right and wrong, standard of value 19:10 So what’s truth? Gordon Hume’s fundamental truths about a Performing Arts Centre in London: cost overruns-high taxes-subsidies-losses, essential facts vs essential truths, essential truths about morality and government 31:45 Little truth in news: Reading between the lines of news and commentary, little truth in news, getting the facts wrong, FHRITP, Hydro One employee dismissal over ‘f’ word, judging the media on its judgements, Elizabeth May’s ‘f’n vulgar speech, media bias on the side of the Left, Garland Texas shooting, media polarization on blaming shooter responsibility 46:20 Media Polarization: CNN polarizes North American media coverage, MSNBC and FOX, internet changes the media game, fracturing of news reporting, news reporting as political propaganda, denying news bias, values precede moral judgement 58:44 END
Topics: 00:07 Prescription for description: symbolism and abstractions, market mechanism, water flow as a market analogy, prescriptive vs descriptive laws, law of supply and demand, law of gravity, natural gravitation, social gravitation, profit and loss, natural vs unnatural 18:55 Smart economy – smart phone: rationing, artificial pricing, economy as best deal for lowest price, technology, smart economy, smart phones, flow of capital and cash 30:25 Traditional Harmonies: social harmony, family, social bonds, fellowship, voluntary co-operation, common culture, changing tradition, force strains social bonds, discomfort and upheaval of change 39:40 Trading Traditions: John Macmurray on traditions, religion as organized shared world views, family, fellowship, capacity for reflection, religion and the fellowship of communion, continuity of culture through time, nature worship and intentionality, shared rituals, common intentions through representation, creating a persistent vision of community, breaking with tradition, traditions maintained by mutual consent, loss of tradition accompanied by loss of knowledge, when traditions fail 57:30 END
Topics: 00:07 Amen to secularism: Supreme court decision on prayer, Alain Simoneau, Jean Tremblay, tradition and religion, separation of church and state, Canada as a secular nation, no official religion in Canada, religious history of Canada, Christian heritage, Thomas Jefferson, neutrality of government on religious matters, John Adams, James Madison, religious persecution, atheist government 17:15 State your religion: spirituality and organized religion, tradition, Lord’s Prayer recital, details of Supreme Court decision, state’s duty of religious neutrality, abstaining from prayer, symbolism and prayer 30:50 Fear Factor: fear as a motivator, emotion over reason, future present past, irrational fear vs rational fear, ignorance and superstition, lack of fear, consequences of fear in politics, fear and religion, after life, living with fear 47:50 The only thing we have to fear is…: fear of climate change, fear of majority rule, fear of the future, fear of the self, fear of death, fear of living, fear of freedom 1:01:05 END
Topics: 00:07 Monologue: Hydro One, Privatization of Beer Sales in Ontario, talk show callers, cannabis protests, monologue, monopoly, history repeats itself, history does not repeat itself, capitalism has no history to repeat, technological advances, words and concepts 17:10 Monopoly: Ontario beer sales monopoly, expansion of monopoly, private interests, Hydro One, conversation in a vacuum, essential service myth, monopolies at root of increasing income gap, state capitalism, privatization, public, private, ownership, public ownership 33:45 Culture of Learning – from Charlemagne to Amit Chakma: Western University, Amit Chakma, non-confidence vote, education priorities, attracting international students, Government of Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan, salary contract, fundraising and building international presence, idea of university, Charlemagne 54:29 Going up in smoke: 420 cannabis events, London Victoria Park protesters, frivolous news coverage of cannabis, Marc Emery, not legalizing but ending prohibition 59:19 END
Topics: 00:07 Safety First: being safety conscious, safety should be no concern of government, the rarity of carbon monoxide poisoning, Ontario government imposing costs on homeowners, fire department authority over homeowners, safety and liability, smoke detectors, government creating a risk-free environment, increasing state restrictions, safety first freedom last 14:34 Trade Cap: Kathleen Wynne’s cap-and-trade plan, CO2 emissions, Return of the Primitive, purpose of government, earth currently in an ice-age, climate always changes, immoral motivations behind anti-industrial ideologies, being anti-industrial is being anti-human, nature is harsh and cruel, nature’s harmony with industrialism, Wynne’s cartel creation, a moral issue – not just an economic issue, philosophy of destruction, Freedom Party 30:41 Beauty is in the I of the beholder: beauty is objective, standards of beauty, beauty as society’s highest value, religion’s role in art and architecture, symbolism, beauty as harmony, acquiring artistic tastes 49:30 The art of art: art reflects truth, the purpose and function of art, literal vs interpretation, emotion as a sum of values, emotional reason, art and pleasure, art and religion, art an objectification of metaphysics 1:00:24 END
