168 – The Perennial Burke with Daniel Klein

As Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is wont to do, here is yet another episode exploring the political and philosophical brilliance of Edmund Burke.  But this time he is aided by scholar and professor Daniel Klein to examine the late writings of Burke’s life as Europe was descending into revolutionary chaos.  What was Burke’s understanding of liberty and natural rights, and how did it differ from many of his more radical contemporaries?  How did Burke distinguish between reforms that were constructive or destructive, and why did he seem so reluctant to use them in some circumstances and so adamant they should be employed in others?  In what way did Burke inspire his audience to reinvigorate the “magic” of their world?  And how might all this be applied to the politics of today?   About Daniel Klein Daniel Klein is a Professor of Economics and JIN Chair at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University. He leads the Adam Smith Program at GMU Economics and is the chief editor of Econ Journal Watch. Dr. Klein holds degrees from George Mason University and New York University, where in both cases he studied the classical liberal traditions of economics. His teaching focuses on economic principles and public policy issues.   Professor Klein has published research on policy issues including toll roads, urban transit, auto emission, credit reporting, and the Food and Drug Administration. He has also written on spontaneous order, the discovery of opportunity, the demand and supply of assurance, why government officials believe in the goodness of bad policy, and the relationship between liberty, dignity, and responsibility.   Klein is the author of Smithian Morals, Central Notions of Smithian Liberalism, and Knowledge and Coordination: A Liberal Interpretation, as well as coauthor of Curb Rights: A Foundation for Free Enterprise in Urban Transit, editor of Reputation: Studies in the Voluntary Elicitation of Good Conduct, editor of What Do Economists Contribute?, and coeditor of Edmund Burke and the Perennial Battle, 1789–1797 and three volumes on Classical Liberalism by Country.