407 – It’s all Greek to me

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Jul 022015
 

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Jason and the Argonauts

 
 
 
 

Topics:
00:07 It’s all Greek to me – from philosophy to crisis: Greece’s debt default, Greek referendum, issues in bailout deal
14:10 Shared roots, different branches – Europeans and the Greeks: Ancient Greece, discovery of philosophy, slavery, history of Europe’s relationship with Greece, Greece’s options, symbolism of inclusion, psychological issues
27:00 Greece’s unhealthy health care philosophy: Greece as a bad example to the rest of the world, Greek health care crisis, Greek prescription drug crisis, Greek currency crisis, no European recovers, beware of Italy
45:40 The Greek gods – religiously secular: Greek mythology and legends, separation of the heavens and earth, not religion but a story, Jason and the Argonauts (2000), the Greek gods, reason as the weapon to resist the gods
59:51 END

406 – Capitalism or capitalisn’t / Papal perversity

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Jun 252015
 

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Papal Perversity

 
 
 
 

Topics:
00:07 Capitalism or capitalisn’t: Glen Pearson’s hatred of capitalism, rich vs poor, poverty, environmental destruction, social equilibrium, real causes of poverty, socialism as the cause of political dysfunction
17:55 Climate changes – politicians don’t: G7 Leaders Summit, battle against global warming, vague carbon targets, a history of the world’s five ice ages, carbon dioxide,
33:45 Papal perversity: Morality as a matter of degree – Celcius: Pope Francis’ hatred of capitalism, pope calls for international tyranny as moral imperative, inadequate conservative responses to pope’s irrationality, a moral case for fossil fuels
46:00 My Goodness! But is it natural? David Brooks on the Road to Character, a need to be good, humility, technology and competitive capitalism, selfishness vs self-centredness, need vs knowledge
57:24 END

404 – Guest: Dr. Andrew Bernstein – philosopher, novelist, radical for capitalism

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Jun 112015
 

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Andrew Bernstein

 
 
 
 

Topics:
00:07 Ego, ergo no go: resistance to Objectivism, progressive vs progress, making the case for capitalism, dominant moral code of altruism, abysmal record of socialism, confused views of altruism, values of pursuing self-interest
14:30 Philosophy’s course: course of philosophy, absorbing philosophy vs learning philosophy, being overwhelmingly positive through truth, open immigration, welfare state is the problem, moral case against welfare state
38:16 Objectivism’s class act: Atlas Shrugged, putting Ayn Rand’s books into schools, Obamacare, socialized health care, disappearance of independent thinking, legacies of Marxism, moral and economic ignorance, regulating the doctors – and profit, competition required, America is a mixed economy, stimulating demand restricting supply creates high prices
40:45 A war on drug prohibition: a case for ending drug prohibition, ethics of using recreational drugs, supporting a war on drugs without prohibition, transforming the political/legal battle into a moral/philosophical battle, virtues of clean living, lowering the homicide rates, juvenile reactions to legalizing drugs, paradoxical truths
55:25 END

399 – Cash flow / Fiddling with tradition

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May 072015
 

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399_Scrooge_McDuck_Diving_168x100

 
 
 
 

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

397 – Monologue & Monopoly / Universities: Charlemagne to Amit Chakma / 4/20 protests

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Apr 232015
 

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Charlemagne

 
 
 
 

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

393 – The militant atheist? / The choice: Objectivism vs the status quo

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Mar 262015
 

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Choice

 
 
 
 

Topics:
00:07 The militant atheist? Conrad Black vs the militant atheist, using logic to justify faith, God as creator, God as standard of good, H.L. Mencken vs the militant theist, time and infinity, atheism is not a philosophy
14:15 Capital’s real Isms: capital is not an ism, claiming victims of capitalism, conservatism’s impotent defense of capitalism or freedom, misrepresenting capitalism as slavery
31:55 The choice: Paul McKeever, Ayn Rand or status quo, ad hominim attacks against Ayn Rand, Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, rationality as the highest virtue
40:55 Just plain silly: right or wrong vs good or evil, silly assertion, arbitrary claims, insanity label is a judgement, Progressive Conservative moral and political record, Freedom Party moral standard, immoral Christian influences on the law, philosophy requires effort, faith is effortless, Objectivism unjustly vilified 57:17 END

392 – Political correctness / Capitalism? / Hydro monopoly

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Mar 192015
 

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dollars cents

 
 
 
 

Topics:
00:07 Ignorance is strength: redefining terms of the debate, political debate, redefining words, Orwellian tactics, progressive goal is ignorance, freedom, general welfare, niggardly slur, from rape to sexual assault, progressive language agenda, prostitute, whore, gypsy, exclusion of man, fisherman to fisher, actress to actor, womyn, changing public mind set and attitudes, gay, homosexual
12:55 Watch your language! changing language standards, retarded to slow to challenged to gifted, crippled to handicapped to special needs, beyond Orwellian, hidden insults in political correctness, fear of offending, Oriental to Asian, Merry Christmas to Seasons Greetings, spelling of words, center and centre, Webster’s political spelling, language sovereignty, plow vs plough, alternative spelling system, ignorance is strength
30:20 Crook-ed thinking about capitalism: keeping capitalism unknown, Glen Pearson, Mark Carney, World Economic Summit, inequality in world’s wealth, economic capital vs social capital, economic inequity – good and bad, collective ownership is communism, market fundamental
45:00 Hydro just One: Ontario’s electricity monopoly, from Ontario Hydro to Hydro One, private monopoly vs public monopoly, profit motive, power at cost, profit is production, peak electricity rates to rise, saving money through price increases, illusion of monopolized choice
59:31 END

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