Ep 420: Nick Gillespie on Culture, Choice, and the Pluralist Case for Liberty

Nick Gillespie joins Doug Stuart to trace his path from Catholic kid in an immigrant family to a postmodern libertarian—and why that journey made him bullish on freedom of movement and a more “mongrel” America. We talk through the Ellis Island frame for sane, humane immigration, why “build a wall around the welfare state” is the sharper rejoinder, and how Catholic parish life (and Roger Williams) shaped Nick’s instinct for pluralism and tolerance.

We also unpack what he means by “postmodern libertarianism” in plain terms: be humble about what we can know, be wary of top-down fixes, and trust bottom-up problem-solving. Hayek meets Foucault without the jargon. From there we hit the “paradox of choice” debate (yes, 45 deodorants can be a feature), how pop culture shapes the way people find meaning, and where the liberty movement is actually headed right now.

In this episode:

• Immigration as freedom to move and belong

• Ellis Island as a practical path to legal, open channels

• “Wall off the welfare state,” not the country

• Catholic roots, Roger Williams, and the case for pluralism

• Postmodern libertarianism without the buzzwords

• Choice vs. control, and learning to “satisfice”

• The current liberty landscape: what’s breaking, what’s building

Show Notes

• Find Nick on Reason