How do philosophers contribute to important debates in the media?
Australasian philosophers share insights and encourage debate on all aspects of human life. We provide a few examples here.
Thought Provoking
RNZ, Sondra Bacharach, Published December 17, 2017.
ABC, Taylor-Jai McAlister, Published Nov 3, 2023.
The Conversation, Nick Munn, Published Nov 22, 2022.
Despite all the digital gadgets around, Lego is a toy children still love. Lego isn’t simply child’s play, it’s shaping the way that people think.
The legal definition of Aboriginality is a complex issue, raising questions that have to do with identity, epistemology and politics.
This week’s Supreme Court judgement on lowering New Zealand’s legal voting age has, at times, been interpreted as some kind of mandate for change.
Our Communities
Newsroom, Tim Mulgan, Published May 1, 2020.
The Conversation, Stan Van Hooft, Published April 18, 2023.
The Guardian, Kate Manne, Published Jan 12, 2024.
New Zealand’s response to Covid-19 has seen younger Kiwis make sacrifices. Now it’s time to look at the sacrifices older generations can make.
Debates around transgender people and sexual diversity have been marked by essentialism, a profoundly conservative mindset with links to religious and metaphysical dogmatism.
It shouldn’t be controversial to expect equal treatment in education, employment and healthcare, whatever the size of your body.
Science and Technology
ABC, David Chalmers, Published July 31, 2016.
The Conversation, Julian Koplin, Published Sept 18, 2023.
The Conversation, Sam Baron, Published Jan 27, 2023.
A cute pocket monster has set off a cascading set of age old puzzles: what is reality, how do we know, and are we being deceived?
How lab-grown hybrid lifeforms bamboozle scientific ethics. On breakthroughs in genetically altered embryos in pigs.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being rolled out all around the world to help make decisions in our lives. There is an increasing demand for explainable AI.
Wicked Problems
ABC, Jeanette Kennet, Published Oct 5, 2023.
YouTube UNSW, Jeremy Moss, Published Sept 2, 2022.
The Conversation, Colin Kelin, Published Nov 19, 2019.
This year’s Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme exposed a system that unfairly (and illegally) subjected vulnerable people to stress and trauma.
The climate crisis is a global issue not a domestic one. We need our politicians to treat it that way. Jeremy Moss demonstrates what a just transition looks like.
People who eventually engage with conspiracy forums differ from those who don’t in both where and what they post. Patterns show they actively seek out sympathy.