Big Ideas brings you the best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world, casting light on the major social, cultural, scientific and political issues
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2024-09-12 | What is the true meaning of Orwellian and what can George Orwell's writings teach us about navigating the 21st century? Since his book 1984 was published 75 years ago, there have always been comparisons drawn between the dystopian themes of the novel a... |
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2024-09-11 | It's the living force of the nation, but how much do we understand our Constitution? Twenty five pages sets out our laws, roles of government and political structure. Enacted by a people's vote of white men over 120 years ago it does not include right... |
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2024-09-10 |
Gas, tax and the free market — with Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz The idea of "freedom" is one that's often used in relation to the economy: we have "the free market" and "free trade agreements", freedom from regulation, from government intervention, and so on. But whose freedom are we talking about, and at whose exp... |
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2024-09-09 |
A maze with no exits — Ma Thida on Myanmar’s struggle for democracy Just over a decade ago democracy was within reach in Myanmar, but now the country is in danger of becoming a failed state. So what happened, and what keeps hope for the country alive?This event was recorded on 18 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre, in par... |
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2024-09-05 |
So you want to know what’s good for your kids?— with Norman Swan It's a tough time to be a parent. From screens, to mental health, neurodiversity, gender, diet and schooling, this generation is in unchartered territory in many ways. So what does the evidence tell us that will give parents the best chance to raise ha... |
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2024-09-04 | From soy to oat to almond, plant mylks are all the rage. But is it possible that we've misunderstood and unfairly maligned old fashioned cow's milk?SpeakersMatthew Evans Farmer, Fat Pig FarmsAuthor, Milk: the truth, the lies and the unbelievable story ... |
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2024-09-03 |
From landmines to killer robots — inside the campaigns to ban weapons of war It was the stuff of scifi blockbuster movie The Terminator in the early 1980s, but now lethal autonomous weapons systems are actually being used in conflict zones around the world. And the arms race is on to develop more effective, more deadly killing ... |
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2024-09-02 |
Richard Flanagan, Michael Robotham on the hidden costs of cheap books We all love a bargain, but what is the real cost of those books we buy online or in a supermarket for 12 dollars or less? Should Australia adopt a fixed book price common in Europe? How can we support and grow an industry that nourishes our minds and s... |
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2024-08-29 |
Caribbean identity in Australia — with Maxine Beneba Clarke and Sienna Brown The connections between the Caribbean and Australia go back to white settlement, with deep links to the slave trade and British colonialism. What does it mean to be a writer of Caribbean descent in modern Australia? And how can the act of writing and s... |
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2024-08-28 |
Tim Flannery and the mystery of Big Meg — why did the world's largest predator disappear? 10 humans in length, weighing 50 small cars, and with a bite that could take out two of you in one bite. This beast was BIG. But if Megalodon was so mighty, why did it disappear? Tim Flannery and his daughter Emma have written a book about the mystery ... |
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