113 — Liberty in Our Lifetime 1: Conversations with Massimo Mazzone, Vera Kichanova and Tatiana Butanka

This episode is a special one as it brings you my impressions from the Liberty in Our Lifetime Conference held in Prague from November 1 to 3. Unlike my usual format of monologues or single guest interviews, this episode features brief conversations with six presenters from the conference, split into two parts. In this first part, I speak with Massimo Mazzone about building a blue-collar Free City in Honduras, followed by discussions with urban economist Vera Kichanova, and Tatiana Butanka, who shares insights on the Free Community of Montelibero. The conference, which generally leans towards libertarian ideas, showcases an astounding range of initiatives aimed at enhancing liberty in society. I explore why successful societies should embrace explorers and risk-takers, questioning whether today's fear of challenging the status quo contradicts a progressive mindset. This aligns with Tatiana Butanka's appreciation for the variety of projects that are present at this conference and Lauren Razavi's call for the need of "revolutionary thinking with evolutionary approaches." Part two (Episode #114) will continue with conversations with Lauren Razavi, who is building an online country for digital nomads, Grant Romundt, discussing his project on floating homes, and Peter Young from the Free Cities Foundation, reflecting on free cities and the conference's outcomes. I emphasize the importance of experimentation in dynamic societies, suggesting that progress relies on educated experiments and unique ideas, some of which will succeed, fail, or at least inspire. The discussions explore the balance between collective action and individual liberty, questioning if modern democracies have swung too far towards government control. Two additional remarks:   No financial advice is given, despite mentions of new financial instruments in some conversations. For full disclosure: I received a free ticket for the conference. Other Episodes Episode 108: Freie Privatstädte Teil 2, ein Gespräch mit Titus Gebel Episode 107: How to Organise Complex Societies? A Conversation with Johan Norberg Episode 88: Liberalismus und Freiheitsgrade, ein Gespräch mit Prof. Christoph Möllers Episode 58: Verwaltung und staatliche Strukturen — ein Gespräch mit Veronika Lévesque Episode 77: Freie Privatstädte, ein Gespräch mit Dr. Titus Gebel Episode 44: Was ist Fortschritt? Ein Gespräch mit Philipp Blom References Liberty in Our Lifetime Conference Massimo Mazzone Massimo on X Ciudad Morazan Tatiana Butanka Montelibero Wiki Montelibero Vera Kichanova Vera's Homepage Vera on LinkedIn Vera on Facebook Vera on X Lauren Razavi Lauren Razavi, Global Natives Plumia Lauren on X Grant Romundt Grant on X Oceanbuilders Peter Young Peter on LinkedIn Peter on X Free Cities Foundation