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Yaron Brook: Ayn Rand vs. Big Government

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EDT

"People don't vote their pocketbooks, people vote what they think is right," says Yaron Brook, president of The Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights and author of Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand's Ideas Can End Big Government.

"So we need a moral revolution in this country, and that's how we get a free market revolution."

At FreedomFest 2012, Reason's Matt Welch sat down with Brook to discuss what Obama has meant for sales of Atlas Shrugged, why big government hurts the poor, and how Ayn Rand inspired the Tea Party.

Held each July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians a year. ReasonTV spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks. For an ever-growing playlist, go here now.

About 7 minutes.

Camera by Tracy Oppenheimer and Alex Manning; edited by Jim Epstein.

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Ask a Libertarian 2012

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Got a question for a libertarian? Then give it your best shot on Tuesday, June 12, when Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch answer any and all queries, such as:

Should anything be banned?
Aren't libertarians just Democrats who hate poor people?
Do you really want to legalize Heroin?
Who will you be voting for in November?
Where did you get that blouse?

Gillespie and Welch are the authors of the book The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America, out in paperback June 26 .

On Tuesday, from 11AM ET til 4PM ET, Gillespie and Welch will receive questions via Facebook, Twitter, and email, and, with the help of Reason.tv's crack team of videographers, will post rapid-fire video responses to your most probing and provocative queries.

The lines are open, so think up your toughest question and send it our way.

To ask via email, send to letters@reason.com
To ask via Facebook, go to Reason's Facebook page
To ask via Twitter, send to @reason
To ask via YouTube, comment to this YouTube video

And on the day of the event, we'll scan the comments section at Hit & Run and our Ask a Libertarian page.

About 40 seconds. Produced by Meredith Bragg.

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What We Saw at the Reason Rally

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv headed down to the National Mall for the Reason Rally (no affiliation!) in Washington, DC. The March 24 event was billed as the “largest gathering of the secular movement in world history” and drew a several thousand-strong crowd of damp, enthusiastic unbelievers (and a few protesting believers) to the National Mall. Reason.tv asked a few of these folks why they bothered to gather on a rainy Saturday.

Produced by Joshua Swain, interviews by Lucy Steigerwald

Approximately 2:47 minutes long.

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Evolutionary Psychologist Gad Saad on Consumerism, Sex, Advertising, and Human Nature

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EST

"The Ferrari is exactly the same in the human context," says evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad, "as the peacock's tail is on the peacock."

Saad is an evolutionary behavioral scientist at Concordia University and author of the book The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal about Human Nature, in which he argues that most consumer behavior can be explained by evolutionary psychology.

Reason.tv's Zach Weissmueller sat down with Saad to discuss why most Ferrari owners are men, whether or not advertising executives manipulate our minds, the strong political opposition to the evolutionary sciences from across the spectrum, and the evolutionary significance of Sir Mix-a-lot's "Baby Got Back."

About 10 minutes. Interview by Zach Weissmueller. Shot by Sharif Matar; edited by Weissmueller.

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Philosopher Matt Zwolinski on "Bleeding-Heart Libertarians," The Poor, and Social Justice

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

"Libertarians ... when they try to convince people of libertarianism, they do it by talking about the way in which free markets make life better for the poor," says Matt Zwolinski, a philosopher at the University of San Diego and a creator of the web site Bleeding Heart Libertarians.

While the notion of "social justice" has long been anathema to some libertarians, Zwolinski says that a bleeding-heart libertarian realizes that an abiding concern for the most vulnerable in society is an essential part of any moral political system.

"But, simply being committed to social justice does not mean that you have to be committed to the view that government must directly try to promote the well-being of the poor and vulnerable members of society," says Zwolinski. Instead, the bleeding-heart libertarian looks at the empirical evidence and accepts that small government and free markets are the best methods by which to provide for the poor.

Interview by Zach Weissmueller. Shot by Paul Feine. Edited by Weissmueller. Approximately 10 minutes.

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Who is John Galt? Behind the Scenes of Atlas Shrugged

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Atlas Shrugged Part 1, see it in theaters April 15th!!!

"Who is John Galt?"

On the week Atlas Shrugged Part 1 hits the theaters, Reason.tv goes behind the scenes to speak with the people both on and off the silver screen to explore the mysterious question that haunts the world of Ayn Rand's epic, Atlas Shrugged.

Approximate length 3 minutes. Produced by Hawk Jensen, Senior Producer Ted Balaker, Camera by Alex Manning, Zach Weismueller, Austin Bragg. Edited by Hawk Jensen.

Music by Jason Shaw @ Audionautics.com

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To see Reason.tv's exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Atlas Shrugged Part 1 go here.

To see Reason.tv's exclusive behind interview with the producer and screenwriter of Atlas Shrugged Part 1 go here.

To see all our Ayn Rand videos go here.

To see the original Atlas Shrugged Trailer go here.

Behind the Scenes of Atlas Shrugged the Movie

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST

Reason.tv presents exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of the movie adaption of part I of Ayn Rand's epic and hugely influential novel, Atlas Shrugged, which tells the story of a United States crumbling under the weight of government intervention and the "men of the mind" who fight against their collectivist exploiters.

This sneak peek offers a glimpse into the post-production process as well as portions of a never-before-viewed scene from the movie.

***SPOILER ALERT*** This video contains portions of a scene and actors discussing the actions of their characters.

This pivotal scene features James Taggart (played by Matthew Marsden, Black Hawk Down, Transformers), the weak-willed, conniving brother of the film's heroine, Dagny Taggart, as he conspires with the likes of corrupt lobbyist Wesley Mouch (Michael Lerner, A Serious Man, Barton Fink), shady businessmen Orren Boyle (Jon Polito, Miller's Crossing), and Paul Larkin (Patrick Fishler, Lost, Southland), to bring down the successful steel magnate Hank Rearden. They view Rearden's supposed threat of monopoly over the steel and railroad industries as on obstacle in the path to success for wealthy playboy Francisco D'Aconia, with whom they're investing their money, though James Taggart is suspicious (perhaps rightly so) of D'Aconia's trustworthiness and business acumen.

Atlas Shrugged Part 1 hits theaters April 15.

Produced by Hawk Jensen and Ted Balaker. Camera by Alex Manning and Jensen, who also edited.

Special thanks to Harmon Kaslow, Mike Marvin, and John Orland.

Approximately 2.5 minutes.

To see our exclusive behind interview with the producer and screenwriter of Atlas Shrugged Part 1 go here.

To see all our Ayn Rand videos go here.

To see the original Atlas Shrugged Trailer go here.

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Adapting the Epic: The Making of Atlas Shrugged the Movie

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST

"The whole theme of the movie is, really, human evil," says Brian O'Toole, the screenwriter behind Atlas Shrugged Part I, the feature adaptation of Ayn Rand's influential novel. "And human evil springs from good intentions."

O'Toole and producer Harmon Kaslow tell Reason.tv what viewers can expect to see in the movie, which covers the first of three sections in Rand's novel.

"This movie really comes across as a very empowering movie for women," says Kaslow. "It's about a woman who takes on a lot of forces working against her."

The movie is set in a dystopian near-future, and the story follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive who faces a crisis when one of her trains is derailed. While Dagny tries to improve the railway by collaborating with Hank Rearden, an entrepreneur who's developed a new kind of metal, her brother James Taggart conspires with government officials and crony capitalists who are bent on taking Rearden down.

"To me, this was the underdog story," says O'Toole.

Atlas Shrugged Part 1 hits theaters April 15.

Produced by Hawk Jensen and Ted Balaker. Camera by Zach Weissmueller and Jensen, who also edited.

Approximately 3.5 minutes.

To see our exclusive behind the scenes sneak peak of atlas shrugged go here.

To see all our Ayn Rand videos go here.

To see the original Atlas Shrugged Trailer go here.

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Nick Gillespie, Matt Welch, and Katherine Mangu-Ward Explain Libertarianism on Freedom Watch

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Reason.tv and Reason.com Editor in Chief Nick Gillespie, Reason Magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch, and Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward appeared on a discussion panel for an entire episode of Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to talk about what it means to be libertarian and how best to apply libertarian principles in today's politics. Airdate: December 17, 2010.

Approximately 33 minutes.

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Ayn Rand & The World She Made: Q&A with Anne C. Heller

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Anne C. Heller's critically acclaimed and best-selling 2009 book, Ayn Rand and the World She Made, is new in paperback (we're tempted to say that it makes a great Christmas gift, though it's clear that Rand didn't believe in the holiday or the altruism that attaches to it!).

Reason's Nick Gillespie talks with Heller about Rand, whom the biographer says remains the great explicator of capitalism's virtues and remarkably undervalued by the literary establishment.

"How many novelists of ideas do we have in post-war America?" asks Heller, who says the most surprising thing she learned about Rand during her research was her fearfulness. From double-locking doors to wearing heavy rubber gloves while washing dishes to avoid germs, Heller argues that Rand bore the scars of a Jewish childhood spent in the virulently anti-Semitic confines of czarist Russia and the fledgling Soviet Union.

As Gillespie noted in his review of Ayn Rand and the World She Made and Jennifer Burns' Goddess of the Market, Heller's biography is a rich, sympathetic treatment of a major cultural figure that simultaneously analyzes and humanizes Rand's major, continuing influence on 20th- and 21st-century America.

Approximately 6.30 minutes. Shot by Jim Epstein and Adam Hawk Jensen. Edited by Josh Swain.

To watch Reason.tv's video series about Ayn Rand, Radicals for Capitalism, go here.

To read Reason's archive of articles about Rand, go here

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Skeptic Michael Shermer on Atheism, Happiness, and the Free Market

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Whether they're intelligent design advocates, psychics, or 9/11 truthers, Skeptic Magazine's Founding Publisher Michael Shermer says the world is full of people who believe weird things.

Shermer sat down with Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh at Libertopia 2010 in Hollywood to discuss why self-help gurus aren't the key to happiness, what the New Atheist movement hopes to accomplish, why liberals accept evolution but not free markets, and why he switched from global warming skepticism to acceptance.

Approximately 9 minutes. Camera by Adam Hawk Jensen and Zach Weissmueller. Edited by Weissmueller. Music by Bjorn Fogelberg (Magnatune Records).

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Experimental Economist Bart Wilson on the Meaning of "Fair"

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:20:00 EDT

Politicians and pundits often use the word "fair" to describe policies they favor. But what does "fair" really mean?

Chapman University experimental economist Bart Wilson argues that fairness should not be construed as equality of outcome, but as a process in which everyone plays by the rules and honors agreements. When lawmakers obscure the definition of this word, it may result in policy that is ineffective, arbitrary, and fundamentally unfair.

Approximately 8:50. Interview by Zach Weissmueller and shot by Austin Bragg. Edited by Weissmueller.

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It's The Love Boat...For Ideas!

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EDT

Regular readers of Reason.com and Reason.tv and subscribers to the print edition of Reason already know that we're shoving off on our first-ever cruise in February 2011. Get more shiver-yer-timbers details here.

Among the Reason staffers who have already been shanghaiied into participating are Matt Welch, Jacob Sullum, Ron Bailey, and Nick Gillespie.

Our special guest stars include best-selling author Matt Ridley, whose latest tome is The Rational Optimist, and Patri Friedman, the visionary behind The Seasteading Institute. More speakers will be announced soon...

Here's what you'll get on the Reason cruise:

Moderated panel sessions featuring Reason editors and guest speakers, along with plenty of discussion.

Special additional sessions hosted by our cruise partner, The Seasteading Institute.

Many chances to meet and spend time with our editors and special guest speakers.

Exclusive parties and dining with our editors and guest speakers. You will dine with your fellow Reason cruise attendees, so that you have the chance to meet many of your fellow freedom lovers.

Admission to Reason seminars and ad-hoc sessions

Admission to numerous Reason cruise private cocktail receptions.

Admission to Reason group excursions.

Port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges, and government fees.

Accommodations and all meals.

We set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 30 next year and return, god willing, February 6, after visiting exotic ports of call in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Antilles. We'll be shipping out on Celebrity Cruise's Solstice, a big mother of a ship every bit as unsinkable as the Titanic and James Cameron's career put together. Double occupancy cabins start at around $1,500 per person and spaces are limited.

So come aboard, we're expecting you! Go to ReasonCruise.com for details.

Video produced by Meredith Bragg.

Bootleggers and Baptists: A Conversation with Bruce Yandle

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

While serving as the Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission during the Reagan years, Bruce Yandle developed a theoretical framework he called "bootleggers and Baptists" to help make sense of regulatory dynamics. As the old story goes, when Baptists lobby for dry Sundays, it's the bootleggers who benefit. Yandle's insight was to point out that "bootlegger and Baptist" coalitions are surprisingly common in US politics. Paul Feine sat down to talk with Yandle about modern day examples of "bootleggers and Baptists."

Bruce Yandle is an economist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University; Dean Emeritis of Clemson University's College of Business & Behavioral Science; and a senior fellow at the Property & Environment Research Center. Yandle served as a senior economist on the White House staff during the Ford and Carter administrations and as the Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission under Reagan. Yandle is the author/editor of 16 books, including, most recently, Regulation by Litigation (Yale Press).

Interview by Paul Feine. Shot by Dan Hayes and Alex Manning. Edited by Paul Detrick.

Approximately 8 minutes.

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Matt Ridley on His New Book, The Rational Optimist, & Why "Ideas Having Sex" is a Very Great Thing Indeed

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EDT

Best-selling science writer Matt Ridley's latest book is The Rational Optimist, which explains why the author is upbeat on the prospects of a planet and a civilization that seems to lurch from one pending political, economic, or environmental catastrophe to another.

Doomsayers have it all wrong, writes Ridley, who argues that prosperity and innovation have outraced even the visions of Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill.

The phrase diminishing returns is such a cliché that few people give it much thought. Picking out the pecans from a bowl of salted nuts gives diminishing returns: The pieces of pecan in the bowl get rarer and smaller. The fingers keep finding almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, or even—God forbid—Brazil nuts. Gradually the bowl, like a moribund gold mine, ceases to yield decent returns of pecan.
Now imagine a bowl of nuts that has the opposite character. The more pecans you take, the larger and more numerous they grow. That is the human experience for the last 100,000 years. The global nut bowl has yielded ever more pecans.

Reason's own science correspondent Ronald Bailey talked with Ridley recently in Washington, D.C. They discuss Ridley's book, his hopes for the future, and the policies that can improve - or undermine - the prospects for our future.

Past Reason articles by, about, and featuring Matt Ridley.

If you like what you see, then sign up for Reason's first-ever cruise in February 2011, which features Ridley, Bailey, Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Jacob Sullum, and other guest speakers for a week of relaxation and conversation. For details go here.

Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg, who also edited the segment.

Approximately 10 minutes.

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Nathaniel Branden on "My Years With Ayn Rand"

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Throughout Ayn Rand's career, no collaborator was closer to her than Nathaniel Branden, whom she once named her "intellectual heir." In Rand, Branden found a fearless advocate of individualism and of man as a heroic being. In Branden, Rand saw her vision come to life in flesh and blood. "She gave people a sense that they could be effective. That if they would persevere, stick by their standards, work hard, you could achieve something you can be proud of. Find that part in you—she would say ‘the hero in your own soul'—and work towards that," says Branden.

After a decade at the center of Rand's inner circle, Branden founded the Nathaniel Branden Institute with the goal of promoting her philosophy. The Institute was largely responsible for the spread of Rand's ideas during the 1960s, but came to an abrupt end when romantic conflict between Branden and Rand tore apart their professional association.

Despite the official and unreconciled split between the two, the 79-year-old Branden has remained true to the spirit of Rand's work during his prolific career as a psychologist of self-esteem. To this day, their legacies remain inseparable and in 2000, Branden authored My Years with Ayn Rand, his second memoir of his relationship to the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

Approximately 10 minutes. Nathaniel Branden was interviewed by David Nott, filmed by Alex Manning, and edited by Hawk Jensen and Alex Manning.

This video is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials.

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Barbara Branden on The Passion of Ayn Rand

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Arguably, no two people were closer to Ayn Rand than Barbara and Nathaniel Branden, whom Rand once named as her "intellectual heir." Indeed, when the Brandens married in 1953, the author served as bridesmaid (Rand had also urged the pair to wed).

A decade later, the Brandens would collaborate on the first biography of Rand, Who Is Ayn Rand? In 1986, Barbara published a second biography, The Passion of Ayn Rand, which eventually was made into an award-winning Showtime movie starring Helen Mirren.

Despite the ruinous and controversial romantic affair between Rand and Nathaniel Branden, and her eventual ouster from Rand's inner circle, Barbara still feels fondly for the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. As Branden, now 80, recalls in this Reason.tv interview, "I felt like she's answering questions that I've been looking for answers for, and nobody's been giving me any sort of answer until now."

Approximately seven minutes. Interview by Seth Goldin, camera by Alex Manning, and editing by Hawk Jensen.

This is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials or scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

This video is also available on Reason.tv's YouTube channel. Go here to subscribe.

Goddess of the Market Author Jennifer Burns on Ayn Rand

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward recently sat down with Jennifer Burns, an assistant professor of history at the University of Virginia and author of the new book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right.

Shot and edited by Meredith Bragg.

This is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand.

Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

Reason Foundation Co-Founder Tibor Machan on Ayn Rand

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Tibor Machan was one of the founding partners in Reason Enterprises, which began publishing Reason magazine in 1971, three years after its creation. He became editor in the spring of 1971 and worked with the magazine through the '70s and '80s as an associate editor and senior editor. In 1978 he co-founded the Reason Foundation with Manny Klausner and Bob Poole. Today Machan holds the R. C. Hoiles Chair of Business Ethics and Free Enterprise at the Argyros School of Business & Economics at Chapman University in Orange, California.

"I think that for Ayn Rand to have survived and made a life for herself, she almost needed that edgy personality, otherwise she would have been destroyed," says Machan, who was born in Hungary in 1939. At 14 years of age, his father smuggled Machan out of the country, fearing the Hungarian communist government. His background helps give Machan insight into how the intellectual mind of Ayn Rand functioned. "Her unpleasantness," he says, "ultimately can be fully justified given the treatment she was given when she came out the Soviet Union, told the truth about that country, and nobody paid attention." In 2000, Machan wrote Ayn Rand exploring all the major themes of Ayn Rand's philosophical thought.

Approximately six minutes. Interview by David Nott, camera by Alex Manning, and editing by Hawk Jensen.

Reason Foundation Co-Founder Manny Klausner on Ayn Rand

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:49:00 EST

Manuel "Manny" Klausner was one of the founding partners in Reason Enterprises, which began publishing Reason magazine in 1971, three years after the publication's creation. He became editor in the summer of 1972 and a senior editor in June 1978. In 1978 he co-founded the Reason Foundation with Tibor Machan and Bob Poole. He remains on the board of the Reason Foundation today, is a stalwart supporter of the Federalist Society, and a libertarian lawyer extraordinaire.

"Rand is, I think, a very valuable resource in the movement for people who take liberty seriously," says Klausner. "When I was editor of Reason in the early 1970s, we got an article that was submitted that proposed a method for converting the world to libertarianism, and that was by going door-to-door and distributing to every household a copy of Atlas Shrugged. We rejected the article...but it was an example of the kind of impact Rand has had and continues to have on many many people."

Approximately six minutes. Interview by David Nott, camera by Alex Manning, and editing by Hawk Jensen.

This interview is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

Reason Foundation Co-Founder Bob Poole on Ayn Rand

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Robert W. Poole Jr. was one of the founders of Reason Enterprises, which began publishing Reason with its January 1971 issue (the magazine had started in 1968, under the direction of Lanny Friedlander). He co-founded the Reason Foundation in 1978 with Manny Klausner and Tibor Machan and has held many titles with the magazine, including editor, managing editor, executive editor, editor-in-chief, and publisher. He remains on the board of the Reason Foundation today and is the Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow and Director of Transportation Policy.

"Rand really inspired a lot of people who otherwise might have become conservatives, like me," says Poole. "If you go back and look at surveys that were done of libertarians in the 1960s, '70s, and even the '80s, and asked what single book or thought leader most inspired you to become a libertarian, it was always Rand by a large large majority—always a plurality and usually a majority."

Approximately six minutes. Interview by Michael C. Moynihan, camera by Dan Hayes, and editing by Hawk Jensen.

This is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand.

Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

Rand-O-Rama: The Long Shelf Life of Ayn Rand's Legacy

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Few authors have ever achieved the popularity that the novelist and essayist Ayn Rand (1905-1982) did. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943 and Atlas Shrugged in 1958, Rand became a full-blown cultural phenomenon, selling millions of books and inspiring countless readers—ranging from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to actress Angelina Jolie—with her moral defense of capitalism. A refugee from Soviet Russia, Rand argued that capitalism was the best way of organizing society not simply because it was more efficient than communism but because it allowed the individual to fill his or her potential. A self-declared "radical for capitalism," Rand emphatically rejected collectivism of all stripes and embraced "man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Decades after her death, Rand's work is hotter than ever. In an age of massive government intervention into every aspect of the economy and personal lives, sales of her books are way up and a movie version of Atlas Shrugged is in the works. References to Rand are everywhere from Mad Men to The Colbert Report to The Simpsons and there's even a new critical appreciation, as evidenced by two new biographies, Ayn Rand And The World She Made and Goddess of The Right.

Approximately four minutes long and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, "Rand-O-Rama" analyzes the 21st-century Rand renaissance.

It is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials.

The Flaw of Averages

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Have you heard the one about the river-crossing statistician who drowns after determining that the water is, on average, only three feet deep? This, says author Sam L. Savage, is just one example of the flaw of averages.

But don't despair, Savage writes in The Flaw of Averages: Why We Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty. There are sensible ways to make judgments involving uncertainty and risk. Reason senior editor Michael C. Moynihan met up with Savage to discuss the "seven deadly sins" of averages and how a greater understanding of these flaws could prevent future financial meltdowns.

Approximately 4:30. Shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Meredith Bragg.

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Anarchist Philosopher Does Not Consent To Be Governed!

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

"Growing up in D.C. will turn you into an anarchist," jokes Against the State: An introduction To Anarchist Political Theory author Crispin Sartwell. "I'm expecting the revolution to emerge from Wheaton (Maryland), high schoolers in the D.C. area who are embroiled in the bureaucracy of the American state." This five-and-a-half-minute-long interview was conducted by Nick Gillespie and shot and edited by Dan Hayes.

Widely published in both popular outlets and academic journals, Sartwell teaches at Dickinson College. For more information on him, go to his website.

For an audio podcast version of this interview, go here.

And check out his October 30, 2008 appearance on the Reason.tv Talk Show, where he discussed anarchy, Darfur, and hip hop with the journalist Eli Lake and hosts Michael C. Moynihan and Nick Gillespie.

The Age of American Unreason: Nick Gillespie Q&A with Susan Jacoby

dan.hayes@reason.org (Dan Hayes) — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On C-SPAN's Book TV, reason's Nick Gillespie recently sat down with Susan Jacoby, author of the new book The Age of American Unreason, to talk about anti-intellectualism on the right and left, trends in popular culture, and what Jacoby sees as a dangerous decline in the level of academic and political discourse.

From C-SPAN's description of the book:

In "The Age of American Unreason," Susan Jacoby offers a critique on American society and says that the combination of anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism in American culture is becoming a serious problem. In the book she focuses on issues including society's addiction to mass media, ineffective educational systems, and religious fundamentalism.

It's a spirited and intense conversation between a cultural pessimist and a cultural optimist that lasts for about an hour.