Big Ideas

Anna Funder reflects on life in the former GDR under constant scrutiny of the secret police – the Stasi. Has the Stasi left a legacy that people still feel today?

Jonathan Sumption examines the implications of law filling the gap left by politics and how the growth of the law, driven by demand for greater security and less risk, means we have less liberty.

The link between climate change and health has many dimensions. Health professionals are being urged to take a political stand and call for climate change action.

Intelligent machines can perform tasks usually done by humans but should they make life and death decisions? Lethal autonomous weapons will be deployed on the battlefields of the future unless a campaign to ban them is successful. Should robots be asked to make moral decisions?

In business and government it's getting harder to speak to a human. Computer programs are being used to deliver all kinds of services. They can decide if you're eligible for a loan , a welfare benefit or even to judge if you're a good candidate for parole. Are these automated decision-makers fair and ethical?

The ethical design and application of artificial intelligence and autonomous military robots

Four different perspectives: Does racism in this country occur on the fringes of society or do we have a broader, structural problem? And how does an undercurrent of racism fit in with our supposedly successful multicultural society?

We’ve just had a long and exhausting election campaign. Regardless of who you voted for, the electoral system did its job. Australia was ahead of the pack with votes for women and compulsory voting. And where else can you vote and eat a sausage sandwich?

Companion animals are caught in the crossfire of domestic violence. Should we view them as victims, in their own right?

We have the technology but do we have the ability to manage it? Governments are struggling to keep up with digital technology and artificial intelligence which is remaking the world in its own image. Without active public policy, will the technology work for all of us or just benefit the chosen few?