Big Ideas

Ready or not Britain is on track to leave the European Union in a month. But what happens next? There's no clear exit strategy or common vision for the future of trade and foreign policy. What lies ahead for a post-Brexit Britain?

New research shows that Homo Sapiens is a domesticated form of our species. And that’s the result of the invention of capital punishment. But how could our low aggressiveness evolve from repeated acts of violence?

Jane Caro talks to Paul Barclay about the generation of women who, like her, were born in the 50s and 60s, and were quiet revolutionaries who altered the fabric of Australian society.

The prevailing view is that the state should stop interfering in the economy and let the market decide. Economist Mariana Mazzucato takes the opposite approach. She says we need an entrepreneurial state with ambitious goals to shape the economy and solve wicked problems like climate change.

Experts in Australia and the UK worry about a crisis of well-being and mental health among children and teenager. What’s needed if we want our kids to be happier? What can teachers, parents and policy makers to about it?

Artificial intelligence will shape the future of work, the way we live and how we relate to one another. Three computer experts discuss the design of user-friendly robots and apps. Who will have the power to decide what is created and where your data will go?

Which prospect scares you most: undergoing surgery with a general anaesthetic that isn’t working? Or a global pandemic that wipes out hundreds of millions of people?

Indigenous recognition, constitutional reform and a future Australian republic. For Megan Davis it’s all connected. Australia can’t move to a republic before we’ve addressed the issue of Indigenous sovereignty and we’ve dealt with the unfinished business of the past.

Does the conservative side of politics have a problem with women? That's been the argument since the recent resignation of several high profile Liberal politicians. The Labor Party's affirmative action quota system has enabled many more women to enter parliament. Would this work for the Liberals?

Could the digital money Bitcoin become the world’s primary currency – pushing out paper money and hard coins? Tone Vays believes that Bitcoin can solve the issues faced by traditional finance institutions.