Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2016-06-22
Books mentioned on Cass Sunstein on Judicial Minimalism, the Supreme Court, and Star Wars (Live at Mason)
Cass Sunstein joins Tyler Cowen for a conversation on judicial minimalism, Bob Dylan's best album, the metaphysics of nudging, Byatt's Possession, the ideal size of the Supreme Court, Hayek, why people should choose their own path, the benefits of a banned products store, James Joyce, and, oh yeah, Star Wars.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Nudge
Nudge by Richard H.
Discussed“I mean, not in a way that’s fundamentally different from how I’ve been. And so, Nudge — the title for Nudge — we were committed to calling it Libertarian Paternalism.”
Where to get it
-
Star Wars
Discussed“Your book is now number one on the Washington Post best-seller list. It’s on other best-seller lists.”
Where to get it
-
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost by John Milton is an epic seventeenth-century blank-verse poem detailing the biblical fall of man, including the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and the fallen angel's rebellion against God.
Discussed“William Blake said of the greatest religious poem, I think, in the English language, Paradise Lost — said of John Milton roughly this.”
Where to get it
-
The Road to Serfdom
F.A.
Discussed“Hayek, though, famously wrote in his Road to Serfdom that the worst rise to the top.”
Where to get it
-
Ulysses
Ulysses by James Joyce is a monumental modernist novel chronicling a single day in the life of Leopold Bloom in Dublin, celebrated for its stylistic experimentation and intricate parallels to Homer's Odyssey.
Discussed“I can’t say it’s as rich as Ulysses, but I like it even better, and in terms of greatness I would rank it with Joyce.”
Where to get it
-
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Discussed“What’s the most underrated Bob Dylan album? SUNSTEIN: That’s a great question. I’m going to say The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. And it’s a bit of a risky choice because people don’t think it’s bad. It’s in the top seven, probably, and some people would put it in the top five.”
Where to get it
-
Possession
Discussed“Now, you’re intrigued by the John Stuart Mill–Harriet Taylor correspondence and also by Byatt’s novel Possession from the early ’90s. I think you once said it was your favorite novel.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“His older book, Nudge, and his new book on Star Wars are both best sellers, and he was head of OIRA”
“His older book, Nudge, and his new book on Star Wars are both best sellers, and he was head of OIRA”