The Ramsay Centre Podcast

The “rules-based” international system is under threat, both from within and without. However, this is not the first time it has faced challenges, or challengers. Imperial Germany, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Fascist Italy and the Soviet Union ‒ great powers or would-be powers ‒ as well as others, have sought to disrupt or overthrow the world order based on free trade and, to some extent at leas...

Science is power. So is the ability to persuade people that something is scientific or supported by science, i.e. that science is “on your side”. In a scientific civilisation, when our world is increasingly shaped by, and dependent on, the achievements of science, and the word “science” is often wielded as a weapon, what are the challenges facing scientists and non-scientists in distinguishing goo...

From the scientific method, to the post-industrial economy, to new digital technologies, the West has played a pivotal role in many of the most transformative developments of the modern era. Now with the age of AI and robotics before us, how can we actively shape the future in an age of accelerating change? And how do we harness the power of technology in higher education, to ensure it advances le...

In the age of AI and the smartphone is history a vital form of knowledge? How can the treasures of the past enrich our minds and help us to live more fully today? For our second Ramsay Event for 2025, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present an in-person lecture by Bettany Hughes OBE titled: Digging Up History: What the Treasures of the Past Can Teach Us Today.  Drawing on her field research, inclu...

Today some 30 per cent of Australia’s population was born overseas, double the proportion in the US and the UK. How has Australia managed to add so many people so quickly and still maintain social cohesion? And how might our immigration mix change in the decades ahead? For our first Ramsay Event for 2025, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present an in-person lecture by Bernard Salt AM together with...

Trying to make sense of a world where great power rivalry, war and competition for resources are not ghosts of history but present realities? From the Middle East to Ukraine to the South China Sea, world leaders are confronted by complex crises with no easy solution in sight. US journalist, author and foreign policy advisor Robert D. Kaplan thinks that we must learn to think tragically if we are t...

What is the key to ‘well-tempered power’? Can the rule of law be sustained by the law alone, or does it need to be blended with distinct cultural, political, social and economic forces? The Western concept of the ‘rule of law’ has not been applied with equal success in countries globally, many of whom have all the dressings of a legal system including courts, judges and lawyers, but still experien...

What is Russian exceptionalism? How can we best understand the mindset of Russians and Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure the most effective response to the war on Ukraine? Is there a path forward to ‘getting Russia right’? For our fourth Ramsay Lecture for 2024, the Centre is pleased to present an exploration of this topic – a recorded conversation between former Centre CEO Professor Simo...

What is ‘liberal education’? What distinguishes it from vocational education, and even programs of study adopted in many modern liberal arts programs? Can an education focused on ‘knowledge for its own sake’ rather than for professional pursuits and industry careers, hold appeal among current and future generations of scholars? And why is there a resurgence in liberal education movements in the We...

 What does it mean for Australia that it is part of the West, but geographically remote from it? Must we choose between our geography and our traditional alliances in this multipolar age? For our second Ramsay Lecture for 2024, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present an in-person lecture by leading strategic analyst and University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, Culture and Engagemen...

Australia’s complex strategic landscape is situated at the crossroads between two global giants – China and the United States. To help explore the geopolitical challenges, economic considerations, and diplomatic nuances that shape Australia’s role in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, our expert panellists dissect the evolving dynamics, assess potential scenarios, and offer insights into how Austral...

For our ninth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, the Centre is delighted to present an exploration of the topic Is the West eccentric? in a recorded conversation between Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines and esteemed French philosopher Rémi Brague, best-selling author and Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Religious Philosophy at the University of Paris, the Sorbonne. In their discussion, the pair explore Pro...

Is our past being misrepresented in our schools, cultural institutions, and the broader society; leading to the history of the West being presented as one only worthy of shame, apology, and reparations? Or are the ‘history wars’ merely an invention of the paranoid, to stir up synthetic controversy and prevent belated recognition of dark sides of our past? To help explore this vital topic, the Rams...

If the modern West is both statistically and culturally no longer Christian, who will save us now? What remains? Are we still searching for meaning in an age of unbelief? To help explore the psyche of the post-Christian West, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present our sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, Professor John Carroll on Who Will Save Us Now? Searching for Meaning in an Age of Unbelief . Accor...

What is liberal education? How is it different from professional or practical education? What does it set out to do and how does it form us?  To help uncover some of the distinctive features of liberal arts and great books programs, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present our seventh Ramsay lecture event for 2023: a panel discussion comprising leading experts on approaches to delivering successf...

Is our secondary education at risk of becoming second-rate? Is the curriculum too fragmented and lacking in rigour? Have we focused too much on new trends in education while neglecting a knowledge-rich approach? Can we reverse the trajectory in international rankings by returning to fundamentals and laying better foundations? To help uncover some of the challenges and opportunities in Australia’s...

Do people in the West think differently to other populations across the globe? Are they psychologically peculiar? If so, why: and what role has this point of difference played in the rise of the industrialised world, and the recent dominance and prosperity of the West? In order to explore the WEIRD nature of the West and how it was created, the Ramsay Centre presents our fourth Ramsay Lecture for...

How do we have “impossible conversations”? What is the basis of belief? How do we disagree fruitfully across philosophical, ideological, and religious divides? In an age of mass education, social media, and polarisation, it is more important than ever to cultivate the art of conversation and debate. But where do we begin? In order to unravel some of the complexities of modern discourse and suggest...

What form does Western civilisation take in modern Australia? What are our unique considerations on being part of the West? How has Western civilisation shaped our past and present, and how will it influence our future?  Listen to three accomplished Australians in this Ramsay Lecture panel discussion, as they explore Western civilisation from an Australian perspective: * The Australian newspaper’s...

In this lecture, the world’s foremost living translator of Chinese literature, Emeritus Professor John Minford, explores four great works in the Chinese tradition that he believes best reveal the ancient lineaments and undercurrents still running through the hearts and spirits of Chinese people today. Professor Minford examines: ·         The I Ching c. 700 BC; ·         The Tao Te Ching c. 300 BC...

What must Australia do to counter the rising military presence of China on Australia’s doorstep? How can it best position itself to meet its security challenges through to 2033 and beyond? In August 2022, Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, and Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, announced a major review into Australia’s Defence Force capabilities and st...

In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022 US author and cultural critic Mary Eberstadt expands on the central thesis of her 2013 title, How the West Really Lost God , arguing that the decline in Western churchgoing is more attributable to the collapse of the Western family, especially since the 1960s, than any other commonly touted cause. In pressing her case, she disputes prevailing arguments about wh...

What is the effect of reading a whole curriculum of ‘Great Books’? Can prolonged exposure to such texts radically alter the course of a life? Can they speak to people from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds? In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, Columbia University academic, Dr Roosevelt Montás speaks with Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines and evidences, from his own life-story, ho...

In the fifth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister, and one of Australia’s most well-read public figures, and an author himself, Professor the Hon Bob Carr delivers a cogent and illuminating lecture on how politics and books have influenced and shaped his life. In this wide-ranging address, Professor Carr, who is also the longest continuously serving Premier in NSW histo...

 In the first in-person Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the Hon Dr Gary Johns, grants us an in-depth view into the current state of the Australian charity sector.   As Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission since 2017, former ALP Minister, the Hon Dr Gary Johns has gained unique insights into...