The Hayek Lecture Series brings leading scholars and writers to Duke University to talk about compelling issues related to the economy and society.
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Videos
Jason Brennan, Sept. 19, 2016
On September 19, 2016 Professor Jason Brennan of Georgetown University visited Duke University to give a Hayek Lecture. Professor Brennan began with an overview of “anti-commodification” arguments from philosophers like Michael Sandel and Elizabeth Anderson. He distinguished several different ways they criticize markets, include market exchange leading to a misallocation of resources, harm to others, or harm to the participants themselves. He put aside these arguments as legitimate worries, and focused on symbolic objections to markets, which argue that the exchange of some things – like money for sex – is wrong because it signals disrespect to some of the participants, or because it changes the meaning of the same action when money is not involved. Brennan disagrees, arguing that the meaning of any exchange is a socially constructed fact, so that there’s nothing timelessly true about an exchange sending bad signals rather than good signals. If the norms that create the meaning of an exchange produce net harms rather than net benefits, Brennan argues, we have reasons to try to change the norms rather than submit to them. A case in point is kidneys. Many people in the world die waiting for kidney donations that never come. Brennan concludes that rather than deferring to the common view that it’s wrong to exchange money for kidneys, we should criticize the norms that suggest there is something inherently wrong with trading kidneys for cash.
On September 19, 2016 Professor Jason Brennan of Georgetown University visited Duke University to give a Hayek Lecture. Professor Brennan began with an overview of “anti-commodification” arguments from philosophers like Michael Sandel and Elizabeth Anderson. He distinguished several different ways they criticize markets, include market exchange leading to a misallocation of resources, harm to others, or harm to the participants themselves. He put aside these arguments as legitimate worries, and focused on symbolic objections to markets, which argue that the exchange of some things – like money for sex – is wrong because it signals disrespect to some of the participants, or because it changes the meaning of the same action when money is not involved. Brennan disagrees, arguing that the meaning of any exchange is a socially constructed fact, so that there’s nothing timelessly true about an exchange sending bad signals rather than good signals. If the norms that create the meaning of an exchange produce net harms rather than net benefits, Brennan argues, we have reasons to try to change the norms rather than submit to them. A case in point is kidneys. Many people in the world die waiting for kidney donations that never come. Brennan concludes that rather than deferring to the common view that it’s wrong to exchange money for kidneys, we should criticize the norms that suggest there is something inherently wrong with trading kidneys for cash.
Tyler Cowen, March 21, 2016
On March 21, Tyler Cowen visited Duke to give a Hayek Lecture on why economic growth hasn't reduced the average number of hours Americans work. Professor Cowen's talk was prompted by an essay by John Maynard Keynes, who predicted in 1930 that in about a century steady economic growth would lead people to work less and spend more time on personal projects. According to Keynes, "the economic problem may be solved, or be at least within sight of solution, within a hundred years. This means that...for the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem--how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well." Cowen argues that although work hours have remained fairly constant, there has been real progress, especially for women and the elderly, and that working more is not necessarily a sign that we are running on a treadmill without going anywhere. Sometimes work, he argues, can give our lives meaning, and can help us enjoy more of the activities and technologies that economic growth makes available
On March 21, Tyler Cowen visited Duke to give a Hayek Lecture on why economic growth hasn't reduced the average number of hours Americans work. Professor Cowen's talk was prompted by an essay by John Maynard Keynes, who predicted in 1930 that in about a century steady economic growth would lead people to work less and spend more time on personal projects. According to Keynes, "the economic problem may be solved, or be at least within sight of solution, within a hundred years. This means that...for the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem--how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well." Cowen argues that although work hours have remained fairly constant, there has been real progress, especially for women and the elderly, and that working more is not necessarily a sign that we are running on a treadmill without going anywhere. Sometimes work, he argues, can give our lives meaning, and can help us enjoy more of the activities and technologies that economic growth makes available
Matt Zwolinski, Feb. 22, 2016
In this lecture, Professor Matt Zwolinski discusses how price-gougers and sweatshop owners may benefit consumers and workers, even when the benefits they bestow would be described as "exploitation" by some observers. Zwolinski briefly discusses how and under what conditions these relationships can be mutually beneficial, and then asks why so many people think that price-gougers and sweatshop owners who provide opportunities to the poor that would otherwise be unavailable are worse than people who do nothing at all to help the poor. Zwolinski argues that our intuitions about these cases are misleading, and that we should revise them if we discover that people who protest sweatshops and price-gouging make the poor worse off than they would be without them.
In this lecture, Professor Matt Zwolinski discusses how price-gougers and sweatshop owners may benefit consumers and workers, even when the benefits they bestow would be described as "exploitation" by some observers. Zwolinski briefly discusses how and under what conditions these relationships can be mutually beneficial, and then asks why so many people think that price-gougers and sweatshop owners who provide opportunities to the poor that would otherwise be unavailable are worse than people who do nothing at all to help the poor. Zwolinski argues that our intuitions about these cases are misleading, and that we should revise them if we discover that people who protest sweatshops and price-gouging make the poor worse off than they would be without them.
James Otteson, Nov. 12, 2015
James Otteson (Wake Forest) delivers a Hayek Lecture titled "The End of Socialism," which is also the title of his 2014 book published by Cambridge University Press. The Hayek Lecture Series is supported by the Thomas W. Smith Foundation and sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Duke University, and the American Values and Institutions program at Duke University
James Otteson (Wake Forest) delivers a Hayek Lecture titled "The End of Socialism," which is also the title of his 2014 book published by Cambridge University Press. The Hayek Lecture Series is supported by the Thomas W. Smith Foundation and sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Duke University, and the American Values and Institutions program at Duke University
Gerald Gaus, Oct. 19, 2015
Gerald Gaus of the University of Arizona delivers a lecture titled "Moral Learning in the Open Society: The Theory and Practice of Natural Liberty," October 19, 2015.
Gerald Gaus of the University of Arizona delivers a lecture titled "Moral Learning in the Open Society: The Theory and Practice of Natural Liberty," October 19, 2015.
Peter Boettke, March 30, 2015
Peter Boettke of George Mason University talks about "taming Leviathan." As Professor Boettke points out, to say that Leviathan represents a puzzle is a normative position, but the analytics of trying to fix that puzzle is a positive endeavor. The talk stems from an observation by James Buchanan: when engaging in any theory of public economics, a political philosophy underlies it, even if it is only implicit. The lecture was given on March 30, 2015. The Hayek Lecture Series is supported by the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
Peter Boettke of George Mason University talks about "taming Leviathan." As Professor Boettke points out, to say that Leviathan represents a puzzle is a normative position, but the analytics of trying to fix that puzzle is a positive endeavor. The talk stems from an observation by James Buchanan: when engaging in any theory of public economics, a political philosophy underlies it, even if it is only implicit. The lecture was given on March 30, 2015. The Hayek Lecture Series is supported by the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
Russ Roberts, March 2, 2015
Russ Robert delivers a lecture titled "The Real Invisible Hand: Hayek, Smith, and Emergent Order," March 2, 2015, at Duke University. Professor Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He is the host of the award-winning podcast EconTalk, and the co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap videos. His latest book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
Russ Robert delivers a lecture titled "The Real Invisible Hand: Hayek, Smith, and Emergent Order," March 2, 2015, at Duke University. Professor Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He is the host of the award-winning podcast EconTalk, and the co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap videos. His latest book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
Richard Epstein, Feb. 10, 2015
Richard Epstein delivers a lecture titled "Can a Hayekian Do without Central Planning?," February 10, 2015, at Duke University. Professor Epstein is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at the NYU School of Law, the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law (Emeritus) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
Richard Epstein delivers a lecture titled "Can a Hayekian Do without Central Planning?," February 10, 2015, at Duke University. Professor Epstein is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at the NYU School of Law, the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law (Emeritus) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
James Piereson, Sept. 30, 2014
James Piereson, president of the William E. Simon Foundation, talks about inequality, September 30, 2014, at Duke University. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
James Piereson, president of the William E. Simon Foundation, talks about inequality, September 30, 2014, at Duke University. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
David Schmidtz, April 10, 2014
David Schmidtz talks about corruption, April 10, 2014. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation. The lecture was given at Duke University. David Schmidtz is Kendrick Professor at the University of Arizona. He teaches in Philosophy and in Economics and holds a courtesy appointment in the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at Eller College of Management. He is editor of Social Philosophy & Policy and is the Freedom Center's founding director.
David Schmidtz talks about corruption, April 10, 2014. This was a lecture in the Hayek Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University, the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (at Duke University), and the program in American Values and Institutions at Duke University. The series is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation. The lecture was given at Duke University. David Schmidtz is Kendrick Professor at the University of Arizona. He teaches in Philosophy and in Economics and holds a courtesy appointment in the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at Eller College of Management. He is editor of Social Philosophy & Policy and is the Freedom Center's founding director.