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Keywords: Disagreement

  • AUSTRALIA

    Want better arguments? Make it personal

    • Max Jeganathan
    • 17 October 2024

    Personalisation isn’t some idealistic attempt at bothsideism, but a pathway to restoring a measure of humanity to our public discourse. In a free society, what matters is not the disagreement itself but the way we treat those with whom we disagree.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    In search of lost liberalism

    • Russell Blackford
    • 09 August 2024

    Once the backbone of Western democracy, the philosophy championing free speech, tolerance, and civil political discourse is often reviled by those on both the Left and Right. In our desire for justice and meaning, is there a need to rediscover the principles that have long fostered human flourishing? 

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    The perils of being a civilian

    • Tony Smith
    • 22 February 2024
    1 Comment

      The illusion of warfare as a contest between professionals should have disappeared forever as the twentieth century brought numerous examples of barbarous armies butchering civilians. And unfortunately, the pattern now is that some 90 per cent war casualties are civilians. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Lessons from the referendum

    • Frank Brennan
    • 07 February 2024
    12 Comments

    The referendum result was a disaster for the country and a tragedy for First Australians and there has been little appetite for public discussion about lessons to be learnt from this abject failure. If we are to move forward, it’s time to begin the conversation about past mistakes.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Projections and predictions for the year ahead

    • Barry Gittins
    • 18 January 2024
    1 Comment

    It’s that time of year when futurists and prophets play fast and loose, projecting visions rife with both promise and peril, weighing the possible against the improbable. As we contemplate competing pictures of the future, although every forecast risks missing the mark, one thing is certain: 2024 won’t be a year for the faint-hearted.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Can society function in an epistemic crisis?

    • Bill Calcutt
    • 10 November 2023
    1 Comment

    As demonstrated in debates around the Voice, increasingly divergent perceptions of reality affect our dedication to our societal obligations and the upkeep of our shared core values. If left unchecked, this drift away from a shared understanding of the common good will further undermine trust and mutual respect that bind us, challenging the very foundations of a humane, civilised and inclusive society.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Truth or dare: Australia's misinformation challenge

    • Julian Butler
    • 02 November 2023
    1 Comment

    The proposed Misinformation Bill straddles the delicate balance between freedom of speech and the rising threat of misinformation, posing a challenge that could redefine the landscape of media and public conversation. The problem goes beyond discerning the truth, but determining how a democratic society identifies it amid a sea of conflicting voices.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    A Voice divided

    • David Halliday
    • 26 September 2023

    In the lead up to the Voice referendum, there's a subtle yet seismic undercurrent at play: How do we sustain a meaningful democratic conversation when the foundational truths seem so fragmented? Our ability to connect, converse, and find consensus could be the real referendum of our times.

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  • RELIGION

    Synod working document encourages cautious optimism

    • John Warhurst
    • 05 July 2023
    11 Comments

    As the Vatican releases the working document for the first Synod on Synodality, reactions within the Catholic community are mixed. While many applaud its open approach to divisive issues, others deem it too progressive or insufficiently thorough. Australian bishops encourage engagement, but the road ahead poses significant challenges.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Lessons in disagreement

    • Sam Kiss
    • 12 April 2023
    7 Comments

    With the Let Women Speak rallies over gender identity sparking violence in Australia and New Zealand, there have been renewed calls for tolerance and respectful discussion. Drawing on examples of how religious disagreements have been managed in the past, there is hope for peaceful cooperation in the face of fundamental differences.

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  • RELIGION

    When two popes become one

    • Miles Pattenden
    • 28 February 2023
    4 Comments

    Following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, some believe Pope Francis is now free to advance a progressive agenda, while there’s good reason to doubt Francis will be willing or able to forward any meaningful change beyond that already achieved.

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  • RELIGION

    Best of 2022: What did the Plenary Council achieve?

    • Paul Collins
    • 05 January 2023

    The Plenary Council (PC) is over and the time has come for assessments. What did it achieve? In positive terms it brought together an enormously generous group of people whose dedication to Catholicism is extraordinary. It also demonstrated the diverse complexity of the community. 

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