Big Ideas

A diagnosis of dementia can send you into a tailspin, imagining the worst, and it can lead to the tyranny of low expectations. Negative beliefs exclude and isolate someone living with dementia. With 1.1 million people predicted to be diagnosed with dementia by the middle of the century how can we improve the quality of care and community attitudes?

Strong whistleblower protection laws are vital to safeguarding the future of Australian democracy. AJ Brown says Australia is already caught in a confidence crisis with employees and in particular public servants being too afraid to speak out against wrongdoing.

The internet is awash with pseudo-science, often spread by people with little, or no, knowledge of science. Can improved science communication help to debunk bogus science?

William Bligh faced mutiny as captain of The Bounty and later, as NSW Governor, with the Rum Rebellion. But even his critics concede Bligh was a master mariner. How do modern sailors stack up against Captain Bligh?

The pros and cons of digital technology and William Bligh sets the bar high for modern sailors

Ever thought about a digital detox? While digital technology has transformed the way we live and work it's thrown up a raft of new issues. There's phone separation anxiety, social media addiction and worry about who's making use of your personal data.

Some of the world's most celebrated works of art are explicitly political. Like Picasso's Guernica, for example. But does art still matter when it comes to contemporary political issues? What relationship does art have with law?

You think you have a rock-solid recollection of events but science says your memory is unreliable and malleable. Over time it’s shaped and altered by subsequent events and conversations. So where does the truth lie?

Writing the history of wars is a complex process.

A panel of historians explores the role of memory, private documents and official archives in shaping the narratives of the past.

It’s not only important for the public understanding of what’s happened – it also informs strategies for future wars.

Twenty years of climate change campaigning has been a failure. Extinction Rebellion says civil disobedience is the answer. So is it time to take to the streets?