UNSW Centre for Ideas

Dec 11 2024 100 ep. 47 mins 1k

UNSW Centre for Ideas Podcast artwork

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

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Democracy Reimagined: New Thinking for the 21st Century

Dec 11 2024 42 mins

Cooperation is our superpower, and democracy is a foundation of human progress. But we take them for granted at our peril. In some of the strongest democracies, democratic principles are being undermined while many voices are ignored. In this conversation Nobel Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman tells her story of her determination to bring peace and democracy in the Middle East. Tawak

Facts, Fictions and Critical Thinking

Dec 04 2024 41 mins

Facts matter. The scientific process matters. The ability to think critically is essential to navigate our world, to make good decisions and to solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. Nobel Prize laureate Saul Perlmutter believes everyone can learn the skills scientists use to think critically so that they don’t fool themselves. Saul is joined by Tim Minchin, a wri

The Generation Gulf

Dec 02 2024 60 mins

Breakneck cultural change means growing up today is a completely different experience from growing up in the 1950s, or the 1980s, or even the 2000s. Psychologist and author of Generations and iGen Jean Twenge, researcher and geriatrician expert on ABC’s Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds and Teenagers Stephanie Ward, and co-founder of youth media platform The Daily Aus Sam Koslows

Fragile Democracy

Nov 27 2024 49 mins

Australia has been a close ally of the United States since 1940, but what does this mean for contemporary politics when democracy is more fragile than ever?Chaired by Festival favourite Barrie Cassidy, one of Australia’s most experienced political correspondents and analysts, this expert panel features former BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant (The Forever War: America’s Une

Toby Walsh | Ministry of AI

Nov 20 2024 11 mins

What can we expect from a world of deepfakes where anything you see or hear might be synthetic and the output of AI? Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW, Toby Walsh unpacks untruths and warns of a future inundated with machine-generated content, predicting that soon, 99% of what we read, see, and hear will be created by AI. Listen as Toby discusses the urgent need

Megan Evans | (Don’t) Question the Fake Carbon Forests

Nov 18 2024 13 mins

Carbon markets have been hailed as key pillars in our climate response but in actuality, have turned out to be largely greenwash. Megan Evans, Senior Lecturer at UNSW’s School of Business highlights the flaws in carbon offsetting and questions the effectiveness of emission offsets, revealing that many projects fail to sequester the promised carbon. She emphasises the importance o

Michael Richardson | Military AI is Even Worse Than You Think

Nov 13 2024 15 mins

Associate Professor of Media at UNSW, Michael Richardson examines how technology, culture, and power shape knowledge in war, security and surveillance. He warns that AI’s rapid deployment can lead to catastrophic outcomes in warfare, where algorithms determine lethal targets based on biased data and predictive analytics. Listen as Michael calls for a global resistance against mil

Bronwyn Graham | Women, Your Healthcare is Based on a Man’s Body

Nov 11 2024 14 mins

In a witty and provocative talk, Professor of Psychology at UNSW, Brownyn Graham addresses the longstanding neglect of the female anatomy in medical research, exemplified by the late mapping of the clitoris. She highlights how centuries of male-centric studies have led to a healthcare system that inadequately services women and overlooks the critical role sex hormones play in our e

Writing Letters with Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham

Nov 06 2024 31 mins

Biographer Brigitta Olubas and journalist Susan Wyndham have edited a collection of the letters of eminent novelists Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower.Reflecting on the correspondence of two important writers, they’ll share what they have learned about the art of writing letters and the relationships that they can sustain, and destroy. Presented by Sydney Writers' Festival a

Michael Muthukrishna : A Theory of Everyone

Oct 30 2024 61 mins

Ever wondered what makes us tick as individuals, or why societies thrive or fall apart? Michael Muthukrishna, the mind behind the groundbreaking A Theory of Everyone has the answers. By blending psychology, anthropology, and economics into a revolutionary framework Muthukrishna dives into how cultural evolution and social learning shape everything from our daily decisions to the fa