Episode 29. The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - A Free Market Odyssey

Episode 29. The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - A Free Market Odyssey with Ken Schoolland and Aaron Spurling

In this episode, Alex Ooley is joined by co-host, Aaron Spurling, as well as a special guest, Ken Schoolland, the author of The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey, a book that tells the story of a boy who becomes shipwrecked on an unfamiliar island after being swept out to sea in a storm. Having previously lived in a relatively free society, in this new strange land he experiences culture shock as he learns of bewildering laws and traditions of the islands inhabitants. The story highlights the absurdities of the laws, the controls imposed on people's lives, and the economic drawbacks of these laws. The laws highlighted are recognizable as common to many countries throughout the world.

As the story unfolds, the part individuals in society play in political decision-making and personal responsibility is introduced for discussion. As Jonathan meanders on his way around the Isle of Corrumpo, he meets the Food Police, Uncle Samta, the True Believers, the Grand Inquirer and the Democracy Gang along the way - along with many more wacky inhabitants whose strange ideas and even stranger ways Jonathan is challenged to understand and straighten out.

Translated into over 40 languages and 44 published editions, The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible has won numerous awards and has been endorsed by Steve Forbes, Walter Williams, John Stossel, Mark Skousen, and Austrian-School economists and educators throughout the world. The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible has become the classic free-market mix of Frederic Bastiat, Adam Smith, von Mises, and Pat Paulsen.

Milton Friedman, a Nobel Laureate Economist said, “It certainly presents basic economic principles in a very simple and intelligent form. It is an imaginative and very useful (book)!"