The Ramsay Centre Podcast The Ramsay Centre

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 West, in an era where STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) reigns supreme and ar...

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 Engagement Professor Michael Wesley titled: Living with Leviathans: Australia in a Multipolar Age.&nb...

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 Australia might navigate this intricate balance in Asia in order to secure its interests and contribute ...

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 Professor Brague’s theory that the West is an outlier civilisation that uniquely acknowledges the sup...

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 Ramsay Centre is pleased to present our eighth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, eminent UK historian Professor ...

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.According to Professor Carroll, people in the Western tradition are, by their nature, saviour seeking and...