George Shultz, former Secretary of State, and Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, were responsible for the initial meetings that led to melting the ice of the Cold War. In this conversation, the two diplomats talk about their first meeting and the impressions each had on the other. Their candid exchanges made it possible for the United States and the Soviet Union to begin the process of communication. You can sense the beginnings of a mutual respect. “This is a different man. This is an agile mind… you can have a conversation with this man. He’s terrific.” This …
Episode 105 – Things into Fiction (Podcast)
Richard Strier, author and winner of the Warren-Brooks Prize for Literary Criticism, talks with the late Richard Stern, author and professor of literature, about their memories, observations, and perspectives. Stern credits life experiences for giving texture and animation to his work and early influence from his family life on his strong preference for a concise and “boiled down” writing style. Share in “Things into Fiction” between two literary giants, originally recorded in 2003.
Remembering Dr. Walter E. Williams
All of us at Free To Choose Network are saddened to learn of the passing of our friend, Dr. Walter E. Williams. Walter once told me he tried to avoid using anything written within the last 40 years in his economics class. He wanted students to know that Coase, Hayek, and Friedman were right then, and they’re still right today. Walter’s straight-faced irreverence masked his genuine compassion for the human condition; he’d often break the ice at our regular dinners in Wayne, PA by asking, “How many times have you been arrested?” to our stunned table guests, then proceed to …
Insights from Bob Chitester
FTCN founder Bob Chitester examines the relationship between the philosophy of liberty and the capacity for creativity, reflects on his career and friendship with Milton and Rose Friedman, and explains how good storytelling can impact society’s future.
Episode 104 – Empirical Economics (Podcast)
“How do we get new economic ideas? One of the fascinating questions that always bothers me, and many economists, right, is how do you get an Albert Einstein?” James Heckman posed this question to the late Robert Fogel in this discussion about Empirical Economics, originally recorded in 2001. The two Nobel prize winners talk about some of the history of economics and how changes in scientific knowledge embody the new technologies and the motor and engine of economic growth.
The Story of Free To Choose Network
The story of Bob Chitester, Milton Friedman, and Free To Choose® Network are featured in this article from the Erie Times News.
Episode 103 – What is An Idea? (Podcast)
Listen to 30 minutes with the late Aaron Wildavsky, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, and Dr. Bruce Ames, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, both at UC Berkeley, as they discuss the development & refinement of research objectives. It was recorded in 1992.
Judge Douglas Ginsburg on the Constitution
Former appellate judge and George Mason University Law Professor Douglas Ginsburg examines the Constitution through the eyes of judges, legal scholars, and historians. This is a recording of a virtual event hosted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Episode 102 – What is an Idea? David Kelley (Podcast)
Listen to 50 minutes with David Kelley, philosopher and founder of The Atlas Society, and Jim Powell, author, journalist, and CATO Senior Fellow, as they discuss the formation and testing of ideas in What is An Idea?. It was recorded in 1992.
The New York Times on Milton Friedman 50 Years Later
Fifty years after publication of his influential manifesto on free-market capitalism, readers discuss whether profits should be a corporation’s top priority.