The Tom Woods Show

Organizer of This Event Mises Institute Video of This Event Economic Cycles Before the Fed Resource Page Economic Cycles Before the Fed Special Offers I’ve just released a brand new, free eBook: 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered. Click here to get your copy! Learn the history and economics they didn’t teach you, from professors you can trust and in courses you can listen to on the go at my Liberty Classroom. Plus live Q&A sessions, recommended readings, and more. Join us, using coupon code SHOW (all caps) for a special discount.

Here’s a basic overview of the economic and moral imperatives behind the free market. I think it’s pretty convincing, but then since I’m the speaker, I suppose I would. (No YouTube versions of the episodes from yesterday through Monday, since it would be redundant to create them.) Organizer of This Event Saint Charles County Liberty Project Video of This Event Why Economic Freedom? Here’s Why Essay Mentioned “Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth,” by Ludwig von Mises Special Offers Here are 26 reasons to adopt Ron Paul’s homeschool curriculum today (and 4 not to). Sign up through this link and I’ll send you a FREE 10-lesson bonus course on the foundations of liberty, in time for the 2015-2016 academic year! Just drop me a line once you’ve signed up and I’ll get it to you. I’ve just released a brand new, free eBook: 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered. Click here to get your copy!

As a former neoconservative myself, I know how easy it is to get swept away by war propaganda. Here's my effort to convey this point, in a speech in Los Angeles, to some of the conservatives in the audience. Scroll down for show notes and mp3! SUBSCRIBE TO THE TOM WOODS SHOW iTunes Stitcher Here’s a speech in which the audience was not completely on my side on foreign policy. I wondered if I should bring it up. I then rebuked myself for even asking the question, and went on ahead. Enjoy! Organizer of This Event Tenth Amendment Center Video of This Event Tom Woods Speaks at Nullify Now, Los Angeles Books Mentioned Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, by Tom Woods Rollback: Repealing Big Government Before the Coming Fiscal Collapse, by Tom Woods GET YOUR FREE AUDIOBOOK Videos Mentioned Interview with a Zombie   Interview with a Zombie blooper reel   Special Offers Get the Kindle edition of my new book Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card o

About the Guest Dr. Lance Dodes is professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Book Discussed The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry Other Books by the Guest The Heart of Addiction: A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviors Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction (also available in audiobook) Guest’s Website LanceDodes.com Special Offers I’ve just released a brand new, free eBook: 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered. Click here to get your copy! Learn the history and economics they didn’t teach you, from professors you can trust and in courses you can listen to on the go at my Liberty Classroom. Plus live Q&A sessions, recommended readings, and more. Join us, using coupon code SHOW (all caps) for a special discount.

Book Discussed Overreach: Delusions of Regime Change in Iraq, by Michael MacDonald Related Episodes Ep. 188: Iraq: The Chickens Come Home to Roost (Scott Horton) Ep. 107: The Lies of Iraq, 11 Years Later (Scott Horton)

Steve Patterson explains what Bitcoin is and why it matters, and replies to common objections. About the Guest Steve Patterson is a freelance writer and video producer. Book Discussed What’s the Big Deal About Bitcoin? by Steve Patterson Guest’s Website Steve-Patterson.com Guest’s Twitter @StevePatt_ Related Episodes Ep. 253: Chicago vs. Austria, Bitcoin and More (Robert Murphy) Ep. 101: Bad News for Bitcoin? (Erik Voorhees) Ep. 57: Bitcoin: Objections and Replies (Erik Voorhees) Ep. 15: The Future of Bitcoin (Erik Voorhees) Special Offers Need inexpensive web hosting? Bluehost is running a quick special in honor of Valentine’s Day. Starting today (and lasting only a few days), Tom Woods Show listeners can get a discount: just $3.49 per month. Click here to grab it! Like the new TomWoods.com? It was designed by my friends at Studio 1 Design. They’ve agreed to give my listeners 10% off any design project through this special link. Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links,

Topics Discussed What rights do individuals have? How do we know they have these rights and no others? Do animals have rights? What’s wrong with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Why isn’t there a “right to a pension” or a “right to a paid vacation”? Is there such a thing as natural law? If so, what can it teach us? Isn’t utilitarianism just as good a grounding for libertarianism? About the Guest Frank van Dun is a Belgian law philosopher and natural law theorist. He is a senior lecturer in the philosophy of law at the University of Ghent. Guest’s Website Frank van Dun Articles Discussed “Human Dignity: Reason or Desire: Natural Rights versus Human Rights” “Natural Law: A Logical Analysis” “Argumentation Ethics and the Philosophy of Freedom” Special Offers Need inexpensive web hosting? Bluehost is running a quick special in honor of Valentine’s Day. Starting today (and lasting only a few days), Tom Woods Show listeners can get a discount: just $3.49 per month. Click here to grab it

About the Guest Johan Norberg is the author of 15 books, and a senior fellow both at the Cato Institute and the European Centre for International Political Economy. Sampling of Books by the Guest Financial Fiasco In Defense of Global Capitalism Article by the Guest “How Laissez-Faire Made Sweden Rich” Guest’s Facebook Johan Norberg Official Guest’s Twitter @JohanKNorberg Related Episode Ep. 17: Is Sweden a Good Model? (Per Bylund)

Book Discussed The End of Socialism, by James R. Otteson About the Guest James R. Otteson is executive director of the BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism, and Teaching Professor of Political Economy, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is also a Senior Scholar at the Fund for American Studies in Washington, DC, a Research Professor in the Freedom Center and Department of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute in California. Guest’s Websites JamesOtteson.com BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism, at Wake Forest University Guest’s Twitter @jroii Special Offers If you enjoy the Tom Woods Show, my new book — Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion — is for you. Check it out! And get a free copy of the audiobook version, with me reading it, atTomWoodsAudio.com. Like the new TomWoods.com? It was designed by my cool Australian friends at Studio 1 Design. They’ve agreed to gi

Professor Gerard Casey takes us on a whirlwind tour of political thought, including both the bad guys and the good guys, from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Topics Discussed Jean Bodin, Thomas Hobbes, and the notion of sovereignty Johannes Althusius: the crucial thinker no one has heard of The Levellers and natural rights John Locke, self-ownership, and private property Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the “general will” and more Course Discussed The History of Political Thought, Part II About the Guest Gerard Casey is a professor of philosophy at University College, Dublin, and a faculty member at Tom’s Liberty Classroom. Guest’s Recent Book Libertarian Anarchy: Against the State Book Mentioned Anarchy, State, and Utopia, by Robert Nozick Special Offers Take downloadable, on-the-go courses with Gerard Casey, Tom Woods, and other distinguished faculty at my Liberty Classroom! Twelve courses in history, economics, and philosophy, with more to come, plus live Q&A sessions and

I wasn’t always a libertarian. I began as a moderate Republican. I eventually became vice president of the Harvard College Republicans. But something pulled me away from conventional opinion and toward the persuasive and compelling heterodoxy of Austro-libertarianism. Here’s my story. Hope you enjoy it! Host of This Event Mises Institute Video of This Event An Evening with Tom Woods Woods Books Mentioned We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now, eds. Thomas E. Woods Jr. and Murray Polner Rollback, by Thomas E. Woods Jr. Videos Mentioned Tom Woods Speech at Nullify Now, Los Angeles Thomas Thwaites: How I Built a Toaster — From Scratch Special Offers If you enjoy the Tom Woods Show, my new book — Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion — is for you. Check it out! And get a free copy of the audiobook version, with me reading it, at TomWoodsAudio.com. And get my FREE eBook, 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered!

So many of the alleged merits of democracy are simply asserted or assumed. But there are very serious problems with democracy, and the always interesting Frank Karsten joins me today to hash some of them out. This one is a must-listen. About the Guest Frank Karsten is chairman of Mises Instituut Nederland and of the Stichting Meer Vrijheid (More Freedom Foundation), a Dutch libertarian organization which acts to reduce taxes and government intervention. Book Discussed Beyond Democracy: Why Democracy Does Not Lead to Solidarity, Prosperity and Liberty But to Social Conflict, Runaway Spending and a Tyrannical Government, by Frank Karsten and Karel Beckman Book Site BeyondDemocracy.net Guest’s Twitter @FrankKarsten Book Mentioned Democracy: The God that Failed, by Hans-Hermann Hoppe Episode Mentioned Ep. 326: What I Told the Washington Post About Secession Survey Here’s the survey I’ve mentioned in recent episodes. It will take less than a minute, and it will help me get a sense of the compositi

Guest’s Website Bennett.com Paper Mentioned “Designed for Change: End-to-End Arguments, Internet Innovation, and the Net Neutrality Debate” (PDF)

About the Guest Toby Baxendale is an entrepreneur who built up, among other things, the UK’slargest fresh fish supplier to the Food Service sector, a business he recently sold. He established and funded the first Distinguished Hayek Visiting Teaching Fellowship Program at the London School of Economics in honor of the Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek. He is co-founder and chairman the Cobden Centre. Guest’s Website TobyBaxendale.com CobdenCentre.org Guest’s Twitter @TobyBaxendale Guest’s Facebook The Cobden Centre Special Offers If you enjoy the Tom Woods Show, my new book — Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion — is for you. Check it out! And get a free copy of the audiobook version, with me reading it, atTomWoodsAudio.com. Also, I’ve just released a brand new, free eBook: 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered. Click here to get your copy!

Thom Hartmann’s fans have been sending around a graphic claiming that the economy tanks when taxes are lowered on the rich. It’s so wrong it’s embarrassing. Bob Murphy and I dismantle the thing completely. Article Discussed “Thom Hartmann’s Bogus Tax History,” by Bob Murphy About the Guest Robert P. Murphy holds a Ph.D. in economics from New York University. He is the author of numerous books (see below), including study guides to Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action (study guide here) and The Theory of Money and Credit (study guide here), and Murray Rothbard’s Man, Economy, and State (study guide here). Guest’s Blog Free Advice Books by the Guest Lessons for the Young Economist (free textbook; click here for a free teacher’s manual) Chaos Theory (available free) Understanding Bitcoin (with Silas Barta; available free) The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism (also available as an audiobook) The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal (also available as an audiobo

About the Guest Cody Drummond is CEO and founder of The Peacekeeper App. Peacekeeper App For Android For iPhone Guest’s Website Peacekeeper.org Guest’s Facebook Peacekeeper Guest’s Twitter @PeacekeeperApp Special Offers I’ve just released a brand new, free eBook: 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered. Click here to get your copy! Here are 26 reasons to adopt Ron Paul’s K-12 homeschool curriculum today (and 4 not to). I produce courses for this curriculum. Sign up through this link and I’ll send you a FREE 10-lesson bonus course on the foundations of liberty, in time for the 2015-2016 academic year! Just drop me a line once you’ve signed up and I’ll get it to you.

About the Guest Scott McConnell is a founding editor of The American Conservative magazine. Article Discussed “How Obama Can Stop Netanyahu’s Iran War,” by Scott McConnell Related Episodes Ep. 138: The Manufactured Iran Scare (Gareth Porter) Ep. 79: What Bush and Obama Accomplished (Scott Horton) Ep. 73: Iran Sanctions? (Daniel McAdams) Ep. 36: What’s Up with Iran? (Daniel McAdams) Special Offers If you enjoy the Tom Woods Show, my new book — Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion — is for you. Check it out! And get a free copy of the audiobook version, with me reading it, at TomWoodsAudio.com. And get my FREE eBook, 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians — Answered!

Peter Schiff returns to the Tom Woods Show to answer listener questions about investing and the economy. Questions were solicited on Tom’s Facebook page, so make sure to ‘Like’ that page for future opportunities to get your questions answered. Issues Discussed What does Peter recommend as an investment strategy, for both low- and high-income earners? What’s going on in Greece? How can you distinguish between a genuinely good investment, and a central-bank fueled one? What caused the oil price collapse, and what does the future hold? What are Peter’s currency forecasts for 2015? Why is Paul Krugman so upset with Peter? About the Guest Peter Schiff is CEO and Chief Global Strategist at Euro Pacific Capital, a frequent commentator on radio and television, and the New York Timesbestselling author of several books (see below). Guest’s Companies Euro Pacific Capital Euro Pacific Bank Schiff Gold Books by the Guest Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Economic Collapse The Little Book of Bull Moves

About the Guest Michael Boldin is executive director of the Tenth Amendment Center. Guest’s Website TenthAmendmentCenter.com Guest’s Twitter @TenthAmendment @MichaelBoldin Guest’s Facebook Tenth Amendment Center Related Book Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, by Tom Woods Book Mentioned We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now, eds. Tom Woods and Murray Polner Lecture Mentioned “What Must Be Done,” by Hans-Hermann Hoppe

I knew there was a Washington Post writer in the audience at the Mises Institute‘s event on secession this past weekend in Houston, and I knew exactly why he was there: to write an article about the “extreme” Ron Paul, as a way of causing problems for Rand. Now that you know that, you’ll better understand the tone and content of my remarks, which were in large part directed right at him. In the resulting article, he didn’t quote me at all. No wonder. Host of This Event Mises Institute Book Mentioned Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion, by Tom Woods GET YOUR FREE AUDIOBOOK Related Book Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, by Tom Woods Project Mentioned The Ron Paul Curriculum Get my courses a la carte as a Supporting Listener of the show Special Offers Like the new TomWoods.com? It was designed by my friends at Studio 1 Design. They’ve agreed to give my listeners 10% off any design project throughthis special link. Need inexpe