Big Ideas

The Covid pandemic has been a lonely time for many people. Physically distanced we’ve reached out to each other online but it’s not the same as being together in the same space. The Night of Ideas is a global conversation where speakers on arts, science and culture propose ways to bring us closer together.

What makes a city great, and how do we conserve it? Paul Barclay asks architect and writer, Elizabeth Farrelly, what it was she fell in love with, when she first arrived in Sydney in the late 1970s, and what concerns she has about the city's future. They are in conversation about Elizabeth's book, Killing Sydney

Recent events in Hong Kong, the Philippines and also Australia suggest media freedom in the Asia-Pacific region is declining. Despite intimidation, trolling on social media, detention and even death, journalists and publishers continue to report stories and publish news. On Big Ideas a panel of prominent journalists and academics analyse the crisis of journalism in the Asia-Pacific region, ask why it matters and what might be done to try and safeguard it.

Are you able to forgive and forget or are there some things that are simply unforgiveable? Almost all religious teachings preach the power of forgiveness and Mahatma Gandhi said that the strong person is the one able to forgive. So should the law be more forgiving? Two eminent lawyers discuss the law, justice and forgiveness in the annual Gandhi Lecture.

The 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for research into black holes and divided between Roger Penrose for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity and Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy. So what does this reveal about our universe? And the story of our solar system contained within the Murchison meteorite.

UK Neurosurgeon, Henry Marsh, talks to Paul Barclay about the wonder and mystery of the human brain - and how, as brain surgeon, you are one tiny mistake away from complete catastrophe.

Is there a fair way to pass on assets from one generation to the next? Some think the inheritor has done nothing to earn the wealth - and therefore the state should get a portion for the good of society. For others, any inheritance tax should be abolished as theft. How we think about inheriting goes back to many centuries and is based in different legal cultures. Why are there such differences, and what impact do they have on social mobility and inequality?

Numeracy and literacy are the core business of Australian schools. But should we add music to that list? Too often in schools music is seen as an optional extra yet research shows that learning to play a musical instrument boosts cognitive development and gives children the edge at school. Music is also a tonic for emotional well being.

Meritocracy is a nice theory, but research shows that chance plays a big part in how your life plays out. Poverty and disadvantage are being passed on from parents to children. What does that mean for the moral obligations of society? What do you owe your fellow citizens if you have the luck of a good start to life? Glyn Davis discusses policies and practices to end entrenched poverty.

Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has had the support of both Coalition and Labor governments. Yet still, we wait for a referendum. If not now, then when, asks Indigenous leader, Noel Pearson. Recognition is not, Pearson says, a project of woke identity politics, but our longest standing and unresolved project for justice and inclusion.