What’s the ‘good’ in the good fight? Questions for ethical thinking in strange times
If we peel back religion, politics, economics and other big players in our collective pursuit of the ‘common good’ … what do we end up with? How are our ideas of goodness formed – and can they ever be agreed upon?
As globalisation and technology draw the world closer together, they’ve also revealed chasms in how we relate to each other as nations, cultures and individuals – and how we resolve conflicts. What happens when good intentions are incompatible?
We’ve assembled a diverse and insightful group of thinkers to thrash out the practical questions of ethics. Raimond Gaita, Anne Summers, Gregory Phillips and Alan Duffy come together to seek out and dissect: are there basic values or ideas of goodness or fairness that we can all share? What, specifically, are they? What even is ‘ethical’, should we strive for it – and can there be a middle ground? Hosted by Mark Colvin.
Who?
Raimond Gaita
Raimond Gaita has published widely to academic and non- academic audiences. In 2009, the University of Antwerp awarded Gaita the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa ‘for his exceptional contribution to contemporary moral philosophy and for his singular contribution to the role of the intellectual in today’s academic world’.
Alan Duffy
Alan is a research fellow at Swinburne University, creating model universes within supercomputers to study the growth of galaxies, from the Big Bang to the present day. As well as learning how galaxies form, these simulations let him uncover the nature of the invisible Universe; made up of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. He then tries to explain these discoveries and more on TV with ABC Breakfast News and Ten's The Project as well as live to all ages from year 2 primary school classes all the way to general audiences.
Gregory Phillips
Gregory Phillips is from the Waanyi and Jaru peoples, and comes from Cloncurry and Mount Isa. He is a medical anthropologist, has a PhD in psychology and a research master’s degree in medical science, and his thesis, Addictions and Healing in Aboriginal Country, was published as a book in 2003.
Anne Summers
Dr Anne Summers AO is a bestselling author, journalist and thought-leader with a long career in politics, the media, business and the non-government sector in Australia, Europe and the United States. Her latest book is The Misogyny Factor (New South).
Mark Colvin
Mark Colvin is an Australian journalist, filmmaker and broadcaster. He has been the presenter of PM, one of the flagship Australian radio current affairs programs on the ABC Radio network, since 1997.
Discussion
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