Episode
Discussing the Great and Neglected Economist, Richard Cantillon-with Gene Epstein
- Podcast
- The Rational Egoist
- Published
- Apr 30, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3907
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rational-egoist-6169218/episodes/discussing-the-great-and-neglected-economist-richard-cantillon-with-gene-epstein/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rational-egoist-6169218/discussing-the-great-and-neglected-economist-richard-cantillon-with-gene-epstein.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Gene Epstein served as economics editor of Barron's from 1993 to 2018, where his long-running Economic Beat column became required reading for anyone serious about understanding macroeconomics beyond slogans and political talking points. Throughout his career, Epstein challenged the assumptions behind monetary manipulation, deficit spending, regulation, and state “management” of markets, insisting that economic outcomes must be understood as the result of individual choice, incentives, and real-world constraints—not good intentions or bureaucratic planning.The conversation also explores Epstein’s role as founder and director of The Soho Forum, a debate platform that has become one of the few remaining venues for rigorous, civil, high-level disagreement on economics, liberty, and social policy. Epstein discusses why open debate matters, why bad ideas survive when they are not challenged, and how intellectual honesty—not consensus—is the engine of progress.This episode is a clear-eyed discussion about why markets work, why government intervention repeatedly fails, and why economic freedom is not merely efficient, but necessary for human flourishing.About Gene EpsteinGene Epstein (born 1944) is an American economist, writer, and public intellectual. He served as economics editor of Barron’s for 25 years and authored the influential Economic Beat column, where he analysed macroeconomic trends and exposed the unintended consequences of government intervention. He is the founder and director of The Soho Forum, a New York–based debate series dedicated to serious discussion of libertarian ideas in economics and social policy. Link to our interview about Adam Smith https://open.spotify.com/episode/21QPTA325zJhFsvlqQOuZn?si=TAg--NKoR6-8WLxPRU6eHg About Michael Liebowitz – Host o…