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Reason presents a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City. Moderated by former Barron’s Economics Editor Gene Epstein, the Soho Forum features Nobel prize winners, radical thinkers, and other public intellectuals facing off over the future of abortion, bitcoin, electric vehicles, government debt, illegal drugs, robotics, sex work, and other controversial topics.
- 86 - A Soho Forum Discussion of COVID with Tom Woods
Brent Orrell of the American Enterprise Institute and podcaster and author Tom Woods debate the resolution, "Government-imposed restrictions during the Covid pandemic were prudent and essential."
Fri, 26 Apr 2024 - 1h 33min - 85 - Did Capitalism Fail During the Pandemic?
Joe Nocera of The Free Press and Gene Epstein of The Soho Forum debate the resolution, "Capitalism has been a…
Fri, 05 Apr 2024 - 1h 32min - 84 - What's the Root Cause of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Reporter and podcaster Eli Lake and author Jeremy Hammond debated the resolution, "The root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the Palestinians' rejection of Israel's right to exist."
Fri, 01 Mar 2024 - 1h 28min - 83 - Must Government Fund Science?
M. Anthony (Tony) Mills of the American Enterprise Institute and Terence Kealey of The Cato Institute debate the resolution, "Government must…
Fri, 02 Feb 2024 - 1h 29min - 82 - Social Media Censorship and The First Amendment
Stanford's Jay Bhattacharya debates St. John University's Kate Klonick on the federal government's role in social media censorship.
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 - 1h 31min - 81 - Will AI Destroy Humanity?
Susan Schneider of the Center for the Future Mind and AI entrepreneur Jobst Landgrebe debate the resolution, "Artificial intelligence poses a threat to the survival of humanity that must be actively addressed by government."
Fri, 17 Nov 2023 - 1h 45min - 80 - Will Electric Cars Disappoint Environmentalists?
The Manhattan Institute's Mark Mills and InOrbis CEO Rosario Fortugno debate the resolution, "Between now and 2035, electric vehicles in…
Fri, 20 Oct 2023 - 1h 36min - 79 - Would Anarcho-Capitalism Be a Disaster?
Chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute Yaron Brook and George Mason University professor Bryan Caplan debate the resolution, "Anarcho-capitalism would definitely be a complete disaster for humanity."
Fri, 22 Sep 2023 - 1h 26min - 78 - Should Libertarians Support School Choice?
Education activist Corey DeAngelis and attorney Stephan Kinsella debate the resolution, "Today's school-choice movement in the U.S. is worthy of support by libertarians."
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 - 1h 26min - 77 - Should the U.S. Have Free Immigration?
The Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh and attorney Francis Menton debate the resolution, "The U.S. should have free immigration except for those who pose a…
Fri, 28 Jul 2023 - 1h 41min - 76 - Is the Nonaggression Principle Incoherent?
Libertarian economists David Friedman and Gene Epstein debate the resolution,"The right way to persuade people of libertarianism is by showing them that its outcomes are superior, without any resort to the flawed non-aggression principle."
Fri, 30 Jun 2023 - 1h 35min - 75 - Are Libertarians Greedy and Delusional?
Law professor Andrew Koppelman and Soho Forum director Gene Epstein debate whether Libertarianism has been thoroughly corrupted by greed.
Fri, 26 May 2023 - 1h 43min - 74 - Does The 1619 Project Have Anything To Teach Us?
Two historians go head-to-head on whether the controversial New York Times project has any value. Woody Holton vs. Phil Magness
Fri, 21 Apr 2023 - 1h 42min - 73 - Black America and Progressivism: Jason L. Riley vs. Nikhil Pal Singh
The Manhattan Institute's Jason L. Riley and New York University (NYU) professor Nikhil Pal Singh debate whether black Americans should move away from progressivism.
Sat, 01 Apr 2023 - 1h 43min - 72 - National Divorce?
On February 21, law professor F.H. Buckley and Libertarian Party activist Jonathan Casey debated the resolution, "The breakup of the United States into different regions is a workable option likely to bring a marked improvement in human affairs."
Fri, 24 Feb 2023 - 1h 19min - 71 - Should We Abolish the Federal Reserve?
On January 26, economists Lawrence H. White and Frederic Mishkin debated the resolution, "Replacing the Federal Reserve with free market…
Fri, 27 Jan 2023 - 1h 33min - 70 - Should Americans Value Nationalism?
Rich Lowry and Alex Nowrasteh debate the resolution, "Nationalism is an important value that Americans should support."
Fri, 16 Dec 2022 - 1h 26min - 69 - Never Lock Down Again? Jay Bhattacharya vs. Sten Vermund
On November 15, Jay Bhattacharya and Sten Vermund debated the resolution, "Focused protection, as set forth in the Great Barrington…
Fri, 18 Nov 2022 - 1h 54min - 68 - Is Free Market Ideology Hurting the Economy?
"Free market ideology is largely responsible for the dismal performance of the U.S. economy over the past few decades." That…
Mon, 24 Oct 2022 - 1h 34min - 67 - Is It Time to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons?
As tensions rise in Eastern Europe, Ward Wilson argued in an Oxford-style debate for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Arguing for the negative was Peter Huessy.
Fri, 23 Sep 2022 - 1h 22min - 66 - Does Climate Science Really Compel Us Toward Urgent Action?
Does the world need to rapidly convert to using renewable energy to save the planet from global warming? That was…
Fri, 09 Sep 2022 - 1h 30min - 65 - Will Bitcoin Demonetize Gold?
Keith Weiner defends gold against bitcoin podcaster Pierre Rochard. The debate resolution was "Gold will remain an important form of money in the twenty-first century."
Fri, 12 Aug 2022 - 1h 25min - 64 - Should the U.S. Be Arming Ukraine Against Russia?
Should the U.S. give full military and political support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, short of sending troops? At a live debate in New Hampshire, Cathy Young said yes and Scott Horton said no.
Fri, 08 Jul 2022 - 1h 22min - 63 - Did Prescription Opioids Cause The Overdose Epidemic?
Adriane Fugh-Berman defended the proposition, "America's overdose crisis is the result of doctors over‐treating patients with opioids." Jeffrey Singer argued that the rate of overdoses and the rate at which doctors prescribe opioids aren't correlated.
Fri, 10 Jun 2022 - 1h 21min - 62 - A Feminist Debate on Sex Work
Do people who hire sex workers deserve to go to jail, or should all laws prohibiting consensual sex work be repealed?
On May 9, 2022, writer and activist Julie Bindel debated Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown at the Sheen Center in lower Manhattan. The resolution was "A good society should criminalize the purchase of sex."Fri, 20 May 2022 - 1h 19min - 61 - Send The U.S. Military to Taiwan?
Should the United States use military force to deter China from invading Taiwan?
That was the subject of this month's Soho Forum debate, which took place in front of a full house at the Sheen Center in downtown Manhattan.
Brookings Institution senior fellow William Galston said yes. Former State Department diplomat Peter Van Buren said no.Fri, 22 Apr 2022 - 1h 17min - 60 - Regulate Social Media? Jonathan Haidt Debates Robby Soave
Haidt, professor of ethical leadership at New York University and co-founder of Heterodox Academy, defended the debate resolution, "The federal government should increase its efforts to reduce the harms caused by social media."
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 - 1h 24min - 59 - Two Libertarians Debate Vaccine Mandates
Ilya Somin and Angela McArdle debate the resolution, "While vaccine mandates are an infringement on freedom, some are justified due to their big payoff in lives saved."
Sat, 18 Dec 2021 - 1h 24min - 58 - Abolish Intellectual Property Rights?
The United States Constitution explicitly calls for copyright and patent laws to "promote the progress of science and useful arts"…
Wed, 24 Nov 2021 - 1h 30min - 57 - U.S. Foreign Policy: Bill Kristol vs. Scott Horton
Bill Kristol vs. Scott Horton: "A willingness to intervene, and to seek regime change, is key to an American foreign policy that benefits America."
Fri, 08 Oct 2021 - 1h 34min - 56 - Do Voter ID Laws Undermine the Democratic Process or Ensure Trustworthy Elections?
Do voter identification laws ensure secure and trustworthy elections, or are they a way for political parties to manipulate the democratic process in their favor? NYU's Eliza Sweren-Becker debates Hans von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation.
Fri, 17 Sep 2021 - 1h 22min - 55 - Is the Free State Project a Better Idea than the Libertarian Party?Fri, 30 Jul 2021 - 1h 11min
- 54 - Does Bitcoin Have the Potential to Become a Generally Accepted Medium of Exchange?
If the world were to lose confidence in the dollar, what could replace it— another fiat currency, gold, or bitcoin? That was the topic of a recent Oxford-style debate hosted by the Soho Forum.
John Vallis, a financial consultant and host of the Bitcoin Rapid-Fire podcast, believes that bitcoin will eventually replace governments' fiat money as the preferred medium of exchange. He argues that bitcoin's global adoption is a matter of when not if.
Lawrence H. White, an economics professor at George Mason University, is skeptical of bitcoin's future as money. He believes it may have a future as a financial asset, but isn't suitable to become a global medium of exchange.Fri, 16 Jul 2021 - 1h 19min - 53 - Socialism or Capitalism? A Soho Forum Debate
"Socialism is preferable to capitalism as an economic system that promotes freedom, equality, and prosperity."
That was the proposition at an in-person Soho Forum debate held on Sunday, April 18 in The Villages, Florida.Fri, 23 Apr 2021 - 1h 59min - 52 - Is More Presidential Power Necessary in the Modern World? A Soho Forum Debate
Do U.S. presidents need fast-track authority or should their power be sharply curtailed? At a Reason-sponsored Soho Forum debate held on March 17, 2021, and moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein, Terry Moe and Gene Healy went head-to-head on this issue. It was an Oxford-style debate, meaning the winner is the person who moves the most people in his direction.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 - 1h 22min - 51 - Should Businesses Only Focus on Shareholder Value? A Soho Forum Debate
At each of Whole Foods Market's more than 500 American stores, managers ask every team member—from the meat clerks to the baristas to the janitorial staff—to orient their work around a shared purpose, which is to make natural and healthy food widely available. This goal, according to Whole Foods CEO and co-founder John Mackey, is in no way inconsistent with maximizing shareholder value, often seen as the essential purpose of a corporation.
At a Reason-sponsored Soho Forum debate held on February 18, 2020, Ayn Rand Institute Chairman of the Board Yaron Brook challenged this view. He believes that maximizing profit should always be the primary goal of companies, and it's that focus which explains why capitalism has lifted the broad masses out of poverty. That's the message businesses should be emphasizing, he said, and it's inspiring enough.Fri, 05 Mar 2021 - 1h 27min - 50 - Should the U.S. Government Adopt an Industrial Policy? A Soho Forum Debate
American Compass Executive Director Oren Cass vs. the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome on whether the U.S. should increase its intervention in the manufacturing industry.
Fri, 22 Jan 2021 - 1h 38min - 49 - End the COVID-19 Lockdowns? Two Epidemiologists Debate
Should the COVID-19 lockdowns be replaced with a more targeted strategy? In an online Soho Forum debate on December 13, 2020, Martin Kulldorff, a Harvard biostatistician and epidemiologist and coauthor of the Great Barrington Declaration, debated Andrew Noymer, an associate professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine, who signed the John Snow Memorandum. Soho Forum director Gene Epstein moderated.
Fri, 18 Dec 2020 - 1h 28min - 48 - The Electoral College: Keep or Replace? A Soho Forum Debate
Is the electoral college the best system for electing a president? That was the subject of an online Soho Forum debate held on Wednesday, November 11, 2020. Richard Epstein, a law professor at New York University, defended the system against Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Harvard. Soho Forum director Gene Epstein moderated.
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 - 47 - Completely Replace Fossil Fuels Within 20 Years? A Soho Forum Debate
Are fossil fuels an imminent threat to human life, or are attempts to eliminate them more destructive? That was the subject of an Oxford-style online Soho Forum debate hosted on Sunday, October 18th, 2020.
Arguing in favor of the complete elimination of fossil fuels over 20 years was Nesbit, the executive director of Climate Nexus. He went up against Lomborg, the president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center. The debate was moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein.Mon, 02 Nov 2020 - 1h 35min - 46 - Who Should Libertarians Vote for in 2020? A Soho Forum Update
In July, the Soho Forum hosted a three-way debate asking the question "Who should Libertarians Vote For in 2020?" George Mason Law Professor Ilya Somin made the case for Joe Biden, chair of the Libertarian Party in Los Angeles Angela McArdle argued for Jo Jorgensen, and attorney and Manhattan Contrarian blogger Francis Menton defended Donald Trump.
A lot has changed since July, and with the election now less than three weeks away, the Soho Forum hosted another event in which those same three libertarians updated their arguments for their preferred candidates.Mon, 19 Oct 2020 - 24min - 45 - Could All Parents Have 'Pandemic Pods' If There Were More School Choice? A Soho Forum Debate
"The latest in school segregation." That's how the headline of a recent New York Times op-ed described private "pandemic pods,"…
Fri, 18 Sep 2020 - 1h 34min - 44 - Does COVID-19 Strengthen the Case for Medicare for All? A Soho Forum Debate
The COVID-19 pandemic makes it all the more urgent for the U.S. to install a system of Medicare for All.
That was the topic of an online Soho Forum debate held on August 19, 2020. Arguing in favor of the proposition was Gerald Friedman, a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts and the author of the book, The Case for Medicare for All. He went up against Sally Pipes, president of the Pacific Research Institute and author of False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All. Soho Forum director Gene Epstein moderated.Fri, 21 Aug 2020 - 1h 32min - 43 - Who Should Libertarians Vote For in 2020? A Soho Forum Debate
Should libertarians vote for Biden, Jorgensen, or Trump in the next presidential election? That was the topic of an online…
Fri, 24 Jul 2020 - 1h 46min - 42 - Radley Balko and Rafael Mangual Debate Systemic Racism
There is overwhelming evidence that the criminal justice system is racist. That was the resolution of an online Soho Forum…
Fri, 26 Jun 2020 - 1h 31min - 41 - Were the Lockdowns a Mistake? A Soho Forum Debate
"The lockdown has saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives and spared American hospitals the horrors of rationing…
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 - 1h 25min - 40 - Does COVID-19 Make Immigration Restrictions Necessary? A Soho Forum Debate
"The current pandemic makes it all the more necessary for the federal government to tighten restrictions on immigration." That was…
Fri, 08 May 2020 - 1h 26min - 39 - Is It Time to End the Coronavirus Lockdowns? A Soho Forum Debate
The US economy should be liberated from the governments' lockdowns right away. That was the resolution of a virtual debate…
Fri, 24 Apr 2020 - 1h 26min
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