Sydney Ideas

Professor Amie Thomasson leads a discussion of the state of philosophy today, and asks the question: what can philosophy still do that is useful and relevant? A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 17 July 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/what-can-philosophy-do.html

Two distinguished speakers, Professor Tom Shakespeare and Sue Salthouse, address issues surrounding the National Disability Insurance Scheme and what it takes to achieve control and choice for people living with disabilities. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 11 July 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/choice-and-control-for-people-with-disabilities.html

Some studies show dog owners are happier. Could having a dog indeed help combat depression? Could bringing dogs to work help employees and businesses? Could therapy dogs speed up patient’s recovery? Could having a dog help college students during stressful times? In this talk, hear Dr Sandra Barker discuss how therapy dogs help people in a variety of settings. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Monday 2 July 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/dogs-helping-people.html

Case studies with a university student, a computer hacker, and a former drug dealer demonstrate different radicalisation experiences and suggest that radicalisation is not something done to people, but something produced by active participants. In this presentation Professor Kevin McDonald explores case studies of different radicalization experiences, based on interviews with members of banned organizations and the social media use of British and French young people who travelled to Syria. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 26 June 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/radicalisation.html

This roundtable discussion brings together experts from the University of Sydney and the Lowy Institute to explore the origins and implications of Kim Jong-un’s recent diplomatic activism from North Korean, US, and Chinese perspectives. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 19 June 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/peace-on-the-peninsula.html

The capacity to make precise genome edits is slowly changing our approach to medicine, agriculture and our planet. This panel discussion is the first in a series of Sydney Ideas events discussing the new possibilities of genome manipulation. This event discussed fundamental science and applications of genome editing. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Thursday 14 June 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/genome-editing.html

What does conflict in Syria mean for GDP, capital stock, fiscal and monitory dynamics, employment, poverty, education, health, human development index, and social capital? Zaki Mehchy, a co-founder and researcher of the Syrian Center for Policy Research, will present the latest findings on the socioeconomic impact of the conflict in Syria. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 12 June 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/the-syrian-conflict.html

In the 2018 Professor Walter Stibbs Lecture, Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt looks at the Universe's vital statistics and what we do (and don't) know about the past, present and future. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 5 June 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/the-state-of-the-universe.html

Are we eating ourselves sick? Join our panel of speakers to ask: could food really help us ward off diseases like diabetes, dementia, cancer and dental or cardiovascular disease? Hear from our panel of experts from across the University of Sydney’s health faculties. This event was held at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 23 May 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/food-as-medicine.html

This event, co-presented with the Department of Archaeology, brings together two archaeologists to discuss the status of Aboriginal archaeology, as well as where we should go from here into the future. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 22 May 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/an-ancient-and-dynamic-history-aboriginal-archaeology.html

Professor Jean Lau Chin from Adelphi University in New York examines what successful 21st century leadership should look like in our increasingly diverse and global society. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Thursday 17 May 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/global-and-diverse-leadership.html

Australia poet Mark Tredinnick discusses the landscape in and of contemporary poetry, the role of the lyric in a time of spiritual and ecological crisis, and the importance of writing across the disciplines and embedding creativity in education at all points of life and learning. A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 15 May 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/landscape-of-poetry-mark-tredinnick-in-conversation-robyn-ewing.html

This event brings together a panel of experts to discuss how the Australian healthcare system is a major contributor to the nation's carbon footprint. Held as part of Sydney Ideas on 1 May 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/is-the-health-sector-key-to-a-low-carbon-world.html

Professor Mary Kaldor will introduce the concept of global security cultures in order to explain why we get stuck in certain ways of doing security. She argues that, in contrast to the Cold War period when there was one dominant security culture based on military forces and states, nowadays there are several competing cultures including Geopolitics, New Wars, the Liberal Peace and the War on Terror. She will discuss the contradictions, dilemmas and experiments that might open up alternative pathways.

Nadia Urbinati, one of Italy's most distinguished scholars, analyses the main forces that are nowadays tearing apart more than a few democracies around the world, Italy included. In an unusual twist, she concentrates less on the overt enemies of democracy than on those who pose as its friends: for instance, technocrats wedded to expert procedures; demagogues who make glib appeals to 'the people', and media platforms bent on turning politics into a sensational spectator sport and citizens into fans of opposing teams. Presented as part of Sydney Ideas with Sydney Democracy Network (SDN) and Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC)on 17 April 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/the-false-friends-of-democracy-power-opinion-truth-people.html

A panel of distinguished international visitors and Australia-based experts discuss and debate the ‘hot button’ issues being raised by Asian digital transformations. Held as part of Sydney Ideas on 12 April 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/digital-rights-and-governance-in-asia-the-state-of-the-arts.html

Australia is widely celebrated as a multicultural triumph, but any such success remains incomplete. The findings of a new report, produced by the Australian Human Rights Commission in partnership with the University of Sydney Business School, the Committee for Sydney and Asia Society Australia, suggest we have a long way to go before realising the full potential of our multicultural population. In this Sydney Ideas event, held on 11 April 2018, Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Tim Soutphommasane and University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence AC launch the new research on cultural diversity and Australian leadership, and discuss opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Can we make objects invisible? Professor Gunther Uhlmann explores inverse problems, and the progress scientists are making to achieve invisibility.

Authoritarian populists have disrupted politics in many societies, as seen in the U.S. and the UK. This event brings two leading scholars to discuss their new books and the power of populist authoritarianism. Prof Pippa Norris discusses her new book Cultural Backlash: The Rise of Populist Authoritarianism. Prof John Keane discusses his new book When Trees Fall, Monkeys Scatter: rethinking democracy in China.

From the atom bomb to the microprocessor, physics produced many of the great transformations of the 20th century. In the 21st, a convergence of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and quantum computing will yield even more profound changes. Professor Michael Biercuk, Professor Allison Macfarlane, Professor Hugh Gusterson, Professor Toby Walsh and Professor James Der Derian investigate the implications of quantum innovation for peace and security in the 21st century. Held as part of Sydney Ideas on 15 February 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/strange-physics--drones--artificial-intelligence-and-quantum-com.html