Videos of all of the speakers at the Institute’s Liberty Lectures have been uploaded to our YouTube channel for anyone who could not attend. The annual event, which took place over the Summer, brought together the country’s top thinkers on liberty to provide thought-provoking talks on the libertarian approach to economic, philosophical and political concepts for students.
Dr Tim Evans, President of the Libertarian Alliance, kicked off the afternoon’s lectures with ‘The Importance of Liberty’. He explained the underlying principles of Libertarianism: life, liberty and property and the link between liberty and capitalism. Dr Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute, then talked on how markets work. He argued that the free market works in mysterious ways and caters to our wants and desires. In contrast to this government is inefficient and the services it offers give little choice and are expensive for the public.
Dr John Meadowcroft then gave a talk on the rather excitingly titled topic of ‘Sex, Drugs and Liberty’. He gave a strong criticism of prohibition and why it is morally wrong as it undermines our individual right to self-ownership. Next, Dr Mark Pennington gave a talk on public choice theory. Mark highlighted how government intervention is more damaging than an imperfect market, especially as government is controlled by special interest groups. Professor Anthony Evans, from the European Business School, showed how the Austrian school predicted the crash and explained the Austrian theory on the causes of the cycles of booms and busts. Finally, Dr Richard Wellings, from the Institute of Economic Affairs, gave a convincing talk on the role of government, arguing for a limited government whilst highlighting the dangers of big government.
It was a fascinating afternoon of top class speakers and definitely worth a watch.