I sat down with Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor-in-chief of Reason, to discuss why we’ve both come to embrace libertarianism, even while we have entirely different ways of understanding the world. As a Catholic, my belief in universal morality and equal human dignity has led me to the conclusion that we should aim to maximize individual freedom. Katherine, on the other hand, doesn’t come at this from a religious perspective but instead embraces an optimistic utilitarian view of individual human potential for its own sake. She offers a refreshing take on why, if you’re worried about the state of the world, you should forget about voting and focus on raising independent and capable kids.
Follow Katherine on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/kmanguward
Check out Katherine’s work at Reason: https://reason.com/people/katherine-mangu-ward/
Outline:
[0:00] Why shouldn’t you vote?
[8:08] Modern parallels to the 60s and 70s
[16:37] Individualism, consent, and coercion
[24:07] Can we be virtuous without freedom?
[27:55] Can we be free without traditional virtue?
[32:19] Utilitarianism vs. universal morality
[41:51] Have we killed God, and if so, what now?
[50:33] Is ‘capitalism’ the right term for free markets?
[55:16] Why are we playing with communism again?
[58:28] The end of “the end of history”
[1:08:13] What’s wrong with our media landscape?
[1:16:33] Julian Assange and WikiLeaks
[1:22:42] Elites, populists, and the party shift
[1:28:57] Raise kids for healthy independence
[1:37:52] Why people struggle with optimism
[1:41:11] If you want to change the world, have kids
Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_LAWIIeOWgM
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Katherine Mangu-Ward: Virtue Requires Freedom and Freedom Requires Virtue