http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/ en celeste.ecuyer@anu.edu.au Copyright 2009 2009-11-05T03:40:10+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/iran_an_islamic_government_in_crisis/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/iran_an_islamic_government_in_crisis/#When:00:03:54Z The Islamic government of oil-rich Iran is faced with its worst legitimacy crisis since the Iranian revolution that toppled the Shah's pro-Western monarchy and replaced it with an Islamic regime thirty years ago. While it has the capacity to survive the crisis, it may find itself weakened to the extent that it may not be able to cope effectively with mounting domestic problems and foreign policy pressures. Not only is the Iranian population bitterly polarised for and against it, but a serious split has also developed within the ruling clerical elite. If the Iranian leadership fails to accommodate a liberalist Islamist path of reform and inclusion, it could seriously imperil the survival of the Islamic regime in the long run. This lecture sought to discuss the roots of the political upheaval confronting the Iranian government and to assess its future direction. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, Policy & Political Science, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2009-09-01T00:03:54+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/antisemitism_medieval_and_modern/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/antisemitism_medieval_and_modern/#When:23:45:13Z This lecture covered the essential features of medieval Christian antisemitism and the very different features of modern racial antisemitism, culminating in Nazi antisemitism.  It concluded with an assessment on the connection between historical antisemitism and the antisemitism of today. This was the Herbert and Valmae Freilich Foundation Annual Lecture in Bigotry and Tolerance 2009. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2009-08-31T23:45:13+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/sentiments_spectators_adam_smiths_moral_psychology/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/sentiments_spectators_adam_smiths_moral_psychology/#When:04:48:56Z Adam Smith offers a wonderfully lucid argument for thinking that people can legitimately be praised or blamed only on the basis of the agent's "intention or affection of the heart" and not on the actual effects of the action, over which fortune, rather than the agent, has control.  He then notes that our judgments of people do not respect the force of this argument.  Our judgments of merit and demerit are regularly, and systematically, influenced by circumstances over which the agent has no control.  He argues this is a good thing.  Strikingly, Smith never goes back to the original argument to explain where it has gone wrong.  He simply moves on.  Similarly, when Smith acknowledges that the considerations that recommend regulating our own sentiments of morality by those of the impartial spectator seem to demand appeal to an ideal observer, who is fully informed and equi-sympathetically involved with all concerned, while he argues that the impartial spectator we rely on is predictably less than ideal.  Again, Smith never goes back to reconcile the tension.In both cases, principled argument recommends a conclusion belied by practice.  And practice is vindicated, Smith argues, by appeal to its contribution to "the happiness and perfection of the species."  In both cases too it is plausible to see his defence of actual (unprincipled) practice as grounding out in a familiar version of utilitarianism.   On this view, morality, no less than the market, works as if an invisible hand is guiding us towards the very outcomes utilitarianism vindicates.  Yet, Sayre-McCord argued, reading Smith in this way fails to capture the subtlety and complexity of his view and saddles him with an overarching theory of value he has no reason to accept. This was the 2009 John Passmore Lecture presented by the ANU Philosophy Program. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2009-08-13T04:48:56+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/why_consciousness_does_not_extend_outside_brain/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/why_consciousness_does_not_extend_outside_brain/#When:02:25:24Z There are good reasons for thinking that the physical basis of cognition can be reasonably taken to extend outside the brain to the body and the world.    But not so for consciousness.  This lecture goes into the logic of experiments that show that even if cognition is extended, consciousness is not.  Smart was right: if consciousness is physical, it is a brain process. JACK SMART LECTURE Professor J J C Smart was Professor and Head of Philosophy at the Research School of Social Sciences, ANU from 1979 until 1986. A Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, in 1990 he was made a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia for services to philosophy and education. The Jack Smart Lecture is held annually in his honour. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2009-07-20T02:25:24+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/should_we_ban_the_burka/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/should_we_ban_the_burka/#When:03:14:13Z A public debate hosted by The Australian National University and The Canberra Times.Muslim women's dress codes have come into the political spotlight in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim societies. At one end of the spectrum the state has sought to enforce Islamic dress codes while at the opposite end the state has sought to ban certain items of women's religious dress.Under the Taliban, Afghan women were forbidden to appear in public unless they were wearing the all-enveloping burka. Now, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proclaimed that the burka and other forms of face-covering are not welcome in France.In Australia, too, Muslim women's dress has been at the centre of a heated political and social debate.This public debate brought together three leading figures to discuss questions such as whether we should ban the burka or respect the right to wear it, if the burka is a form of male oppression, what would be the effect of banning a piece of women's clothing and does the state have a place in a woman's wardrobe? Moderated by Professor Hilary Charlesworth. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, Society & Culture, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Arts and Social Sciences, Asia and the Pacific 2009-07-16T03:14:13+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/kingdom_of_saudi_arabia_today/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/kingdom_of_saudi_arabia_today/#When:02:34:05Z HRH Prince Turki AlFaisal is Chairman of the Board of the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. He is one of Saudi Arabia's leading intellectuals, with a very rich record of public service.  A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington DC, Prince Turki was appointed as an Advisor to the Royal Court in 1973 and subsequently served as the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) from 1977 to 2001.  In 2002, Prince Turki was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, and from 2005 until 2007 served as Ambassador to the United States. Prince Turki currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the International Crisis Group, and the Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University.   He is also a Commissioner at the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. Public Lecture, Law, Justice & Law Enforcement, Philosophy & Religion, Policy & Political Science, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2009-06-05T02:34:05+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/the_atheology/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/the_atheology/#When:03:03:00Z If Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God, French philosopher Michel Onfray starts from the premise that not only is God still very much alive but increasingly controlled by fundamentalists who pose a danger to the human race. The Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism and Islam is a tightly argued work that is sure to stir heated debate on the role of religion in Australian society. This ANU Public Lecture was delivered by Michel Onfray in French with a direct translation into English. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2007-06-18T03:03:00+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama/#When:02:03:01Z On Tuesday 12 June 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths met in a symposium exploring the role of religion in war and conflict. Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black, Most Reverend Bishop Christopher Prowse and Professor Abdullah Saeed joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a dialogue that addressed the pervasive view that religion is necessarily a cause of violent dissention and conflict. This dialogue encompassed the fundamental messages of peace, compassion and wisdom at the heart of each of the world's great religious traditions. The podcasts for this event are in three parts Welcome by Professor Michael Coper Guest Speakers (Venerable Alex Bruce, Rabbi Jonathat Keren-Black, Most Reverend Bishop Christopher Prowse, Professor Abdullah Saeed) His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Moderated Dialogue and Concluding Remarks (this page) Symposium, Philosophy & Religion, Society & Culture, ANU College of Law, Arts and Social Sciences 2007-06-13T02:03:01+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama_guest_speakers/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama_guest_speakers/#When:01:53:00Z On Tuesday 12 June 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths met in a symposium exploring the role of religion in war and conflict. Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black, Most Reverend Bishop Christopher Prowse and Professor Abdullah Saeed joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a dialogue that addressed the pervasive view that religion is necessarily a cause of violent dissention and conflict. This dialogue encompassed the fundamental messages of peace, compassion and wisdom at the heart of each of the world's great religious traditions. The podcasts for this event are in three parts Welcome by Professor Michael Coper Guest Speakers (this page) His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Moderated Dialogue and Concluding Remarks Symposium, Philosophy & Religion, Society & Culture, ANU College of Law, Arts and Social Sciences 2007-06-13T01:53:00+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama_welcome/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/dalai_lama_welcome/#When:01:45:01Z On Tuesday 12 June 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths met in a symposium exploring the role of religion in war and conflict. Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black, Most Reverend Bishop Christopher Prowse and Professor Abdullah Saeed joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a dialogue that addressed the pervasive view that religion is necessarily a cause of violent dissention and conflict. This dialogue encompassed the fundamental messages of peace, compassion and wisdom at the heart of each of the world's great religious traditions. The podcasts for this event are in three parts Welcome by Professor Michael Coper (this page) Guest Speakers (Venerable Alex Bruce, Rabbi Jonathat Keren-Black, Most Reverend Bishop Christopher Prowse, Professor Abdullah Saeed) His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Moderated Dialogue and Concluding Remarks Symposium, Philosophy & Religion, Society & Culture, ANU College of Law, Arts and Social Sciences 2007-06-13T01:45:01+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/cowboy_cloners_the_ethics_morality_of_scientific_communities/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/cowboy_cloners_the_ethics_morality_of_scientific_communities/#When:03:44:00Z Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned, there has been much debate in the media and public spheres about the ethics and morality of genetic research. But little attention has been paid to how scientific communities accomplish this important area of 21st century research. In this lecture, Professor Peter Glasner considers some of the organisational and ethical issues that arise from debates about the selection, modification and engineering of human and other species, and their implications for improving health and extending human life. Examples range from the applications of stem cell technology in India and the UK, enabling the emergence of ‘cowboy cloners’, to analysis of proteomics and systems biology, and the issues surrounding the creation of ‘virtual’ life. Public Lecture, Medical & Health Science, Philosophy & Religion, Society & Culture, University, Arts and Social Sciences 2006-10-12T03:44:00+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/hobbess_leviathan/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/hobbess_leviathan/#When:05:45:00Z What is freedom? The philosopher Thomas Hobbes attempted to pin the concept down in his seminal work Leviathan, defining freedom as the absence of opposition, particularly the absence of external impediments to motion. In this talk, Professor Quentin Skinner argued that this ‘negative’ understanding of freedom as non-interference is now so widely accepted that it is easy to forget that Hobbes’ original argument was intensely polemical. Professor Skinner attempted to excavate the missing side of the dialogue, uncovering the polemical motivations underlying Hobbes’s revolutionary account. Public Lecture, Philosophy & Religion, University, Arts and Social Sciences 2006-08-16T05:45:00+10:00