Lectures
Next RSA talk: Watch this space.
Previous RSA Lectures:
November, 2007.
"What (if any) is the proper role of religion in liberal democracies?"
Raphael de Vietri
an honours student in the philosophy program at UWA looked at the work by
political theorists Rawls and Audi. Using Audi's argument for secular public
debate as a starting point, which argues for the exclusion of religion
from public political discourse, Raphael argued that it is a fundamental
obligation of all citizens in a pluralistic liberal democracy to adhere to a
notion of 'public reason'.
November, 2007.
"Secularism in State schools: The influence Steiner and Anthroposophy". (AR issue 78)
Jacinta Cashen
is the president of the Victorian Council of School Organisations, a not for
profit organization whose members are school councils in public schools. VICCSO
advocates a free, secular and universal public education system and is deeply
concerned about the apparent lack of commitment to a secular education system.
October 2007
"The 'New Atheism". (AR issue 77)
Russell Blackford
examined the recent torrent of bestselling books by Sam Harris, Richard
Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens, and others. These are
forthright, sometimes passionate, in putting the case against religious belief.
They have also provoked fierce criticism, including charges of atheistic
"fundamentalism". Russell Blackford is philosopher currently lecturing in the
School of Philosophy and Bioethics, Monash University.
August 2007
"Multicultural Citizenship and the "War on Terror": Temporary Protection Visas
and the Cultural Rights of Iraqi Refugees"
Michael McCann
is a post graduate student in the Monash University School of Philosophy and
Bioethics.
July 2007
Convincing Ground
Bruce Pascoe
discussed his new book CONVINCING GROUND a seminal new book from the
perspective of an Aboriginal Australian. Bruce Pascoe's challenges all
Australians to embrace a new kind of Australian identity and nationalism.
June 2007
Does terror justify torture? Disarming the 'ticking bomb' argument
(AR issue 75/76)
Catherine McDonald,
a Melbourne philosopher and co-founder & convener of Melbourne's first Philosophy Cafe
discussed the question of whether torture is ever
morally justified,
in the context of arguments promoting torture which have appeared in recent
years in
philosophical literature and, most disturbingly, the public media.
March 2007
For more information on Catherine, see
http://web.aanet.com.au/cmcdonald/
Is Australia ready for a female prime minister?
Anne Summers, best-selling author and journalist
On Wednesday 21 February 2007, Anne Summers, who has had a long career in
politics and the media,
discussed whether Australia is ready for a female
prime minister. Anne is author of several books, including
Damned Whores and God's Police
. She was a political adviser to prime minister Paul Keating, and
she ran
the Office of the Status of Women for prime minister Bob Hawke from 1983 to
1986.
Water supply in south-east Queensland - how real is the water crisis?
Prof Jurg Kelly, Director, Advanced Water Management Centre, University of
Queensland (UQ)
On Wednesday 13 June 2007, Prof Jurg Kelly discussed Queensland's water
crisis. Professor Kelly
is Director of the Advanced Water Management Centre,
UQ, Professor in the School of Engineering, and has
an Australian
Professorial Fellowship from the Australian Research Council, plus over 16
years’ experience
in water industry research.
More ecologically sustainable living - the autonomous house
Chris Palmer, Director of Envirotech Treatment Systems
On Wednesday 9 May 2007, Chris Palmer discussed sustainable living. Chris is
a civil engineer, with
post-graduate qualifications in environmental
engineering, and over the last 14 years has run his own
business
specialising in the design and installation of small wastewater treatment
plants for unsewered
developments.
Sustainable water resource management
Professor Chris Moran, Director of the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry
On Wednesday 18 April 2007, Professor Chris Moran, Director of the Centre for
Water in the Minerals
Industry, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University
of Queensland, discussed sustainable water
resource management, which is his
particular area of expertise, and an especially salient topic today.
Double bill on donor conception - 'Donor conception and the negation of
fatherhood' and 'Misconceived'
(AR issue 75/76)
Michael Linden & Myfanwy Walker
On Wednesday 6 December 2006, Michael Linden and Myfanwy Walker discussed
their personal experiences
of donor conception. Michael is a former sperm
donor and active campaigner now for donor conception's
global abolition.
Myfanwy was conceived via donor conception and is also strongly opposed to the
practice. She seeks acknowledgement of its lifelong personal and wider
social implications, in
particular the denial of the rights and best
interests of people thus conceived. Michael is her
biological father.
Funding chaplains in under-funded public schools: adding insult to injury
Ian Robinson, RSA President
On Wednesday 1 November 2006, Ian Robinson, President of the RSA, examined
the hypocrisy and futility
behind the recent proposal to use federal funds
to support chaplains
in public secondary schools, in the context of the
disastrous neglect of compulsory free and secular
education by successive
governments. Ian was for many years a senior educational theorist with the
Department of Education in Melbourne and the author, inter alia, of
The Primary School Curriculum
,
'Ivan Illich and Education' and 'Everything I'm Afraid You've Been
Teaching Children but Haven't Wanted
to Know About'.
From Pacific Solution to radical rejection of refugees: the federal
government's proposed offshore processing law
David Manne, Coordinator, Refugee & Immigration Legal Centre
On Wednesday 18 October 2006, David Manne, a lawyer who has worked in various
capacities assisting
refugees and asylum seekers for over ten years,
discussed this vital issue. David is a regular and
vigourous contributor to
the public debate on Australia’s refugee and immigration laws and policies.
The politics of abortion after the RU486 debate
(AR issue 75/76)
Senator Lyn Allison, Australian Democrats Leader
On Wednesday 30 August 2006, Lyn Allison analysed the significance of the
recent developments
in abortion, including the RU486 debate. Lyn recently
led the debate on RU486, and was one of the four
co-sponsors of a
groundbreaking, cross-party supported bill that successfully removed the Health
Minister’s veto and transferred approval to Therapeutic Goods
Administration. Lyn was filling in for
scheduled speaker Anne Summers, who
was unfortunately ill on the night.
Intelligent design
Robin Williams, ABC
Science Show
presenter
On Wednesday 9 August 2006, Robin Williams discussed the scientific, cultural
and political
implications of the new anti-Darwinism in light of his new
book on the topic,
Unintelligent
Design: Why god isn't as smart as she thinks she is
, published by Allen & Unwin in August.
Fundamentalism, vilification and the rights of women in the Australian
republic
Dr Jocelynne Scutt, lawyer & feminist
On Wednesday 12 July 2006, Dr Jocelynne Scutt, prominent lawyer, feminist and
former Tasmanian sex
discrimination commissioner and associate to Lionel
Murphy, took up the unfinished agenda of feminist
reform.
Dying with dignity: what next?
Dr Philip Nitschke, voluntary euthanasia campaigner
On Wednesday 14 June 2006, Dr Philip Nitschke reflected on the evolving
voluntary euthanasia debate and
its implications for public policy.
Life and death decision-making
(AR issue 73)
Julian Gardner, Public Advocate
On 30 November 2005, Julian, Victoria’s Public Advocate since 2000 and
formerly Legal Aid Commission director, used the Maria Corp case to raise
important issues about his role.
Artificial reproductive technology: legal and ethical issues
Professor Marcia Neave, Victorian Law Reform Chair
On 16 November 2005, Marcia discussed the recent recommendations in this area
from the VLRC and their implications for parenthood and gay relationships.