Is our secondary education at risk of becoming second-rate? Is the curriculum too fragmented and lacking in rigour? Have we focused too much on new trends in education while neglecting a knowledge-rich approach? Can we reverse the trajectory in international rankings by returning to fundamentals and laying better foundations?To help uncover some of the challenges and opportunities in Australia’s secondary education sector and navigate the way forward, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present our fifth Ramsay lecture event for 2023: a panel discussion comprising some of Australia’s leading educational experts and educators.Please join our esteemed panellists as they share their expertise and experience, engage in a spirited and thought-provoking discussion, and propose practical solutionsfor moving forward.   

Do people in the West think differently to other populations across the globe? Are they psychologically peculiar? If so, why: and what role has this point of difference played in the rise of the industrialised world, and the recent dominance and prosperity of the West?In order to explore the WEIRD nature of the West and how it was created, the Ramsay Centre presents our fourth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, Dr Joseph Henrich on WEIRD Minds: How religion, marriage and the family made the West psychologically peculiar and particularly prosperous.According to Dr Henrich, an accumulating body of evidence reveals not only substantial global variation along several important psychological dimensions, including conformity, individualism, moral judgment, guilt, patience, trust and analytic thinking, but also that people from societies that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) are particularly unusual, often anchoring the ends of global psychological distributions. Drawing on the principal thesis of his 2020 best-seller, The WEIRDest People in the World, he shows how the most fundamental of human institutions—those governing marriage and family—influence motivations, perceptions, intuitions and emotions. He also explores how the Western Catholic Church systematically dismantled the intensive kin-based institutions in much of Latin Christendom, effectively altering people’s psychology and opening the door to new forms of voluntary organizations (charter towns, universities, guilds, monasteries), impersonal markets and eventually modern organizational competition. Please join us for this thought-provoking lecture with Dr Joseph Henrich. 

Philosopher Peter Boghossian discusses the art of conversation and debate in modern discourse. He outlines the Socratic Method as a core element in discourse, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and testing beliefs. Boghossian also introduces 'street epistemology' for promoting reflection and challenging faith-based beliefs. The podcast explores topics such as civil discourse, environmental engineering, challenging convictions, and the influence of woke ideology.

What form does Western civilisation take in modern Australia? What are our unique considerations on being part of the West? How has Western civilisation shaped our past and present, and how will it influence our future?  Listen to three accomplished Australians in this Ramsay Lecture panel discussion, as they explore Western civilisation from an Australian perspective: * The Australian newspaper’s Editor-at-Large Paul Kelly * Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Dr John Lee * Former Australian Ambassador to Israel and former federal MP, Dave Sharma.  These three esteemed panellists, citizens of a modern Australia that is both Western and multicultural, as well as home to an ancient indigenous culture, shed light on topics ranging from the decline of organised religion in the West to the enduring wisdom of the Greco-Roman Stoics, from the traces of the ancient world in modern Israel to the challenges posed by the rise of China. The discussion is guided by Ramsay Centre Academic Manager Jack Sexton.  

In this lecture, the world’s foremost living translator of Chinese literature, Emeritus Professor John Minford, explores four great works in the Chinese tradition that he believes best reveal the ancient lineaments and undercurrents still running through the hearts and spirits of Chinese people today.Professor Minford examines:·         The I Ching c. 700 BC;·         The Tao Te Ching c. 300 BC;·         A selection of the most famous Chinese poems; and·         The Story of the Stone c. 1750-90.Professor Minford then discusses:*The peculiarity, as he terms it, of the I Ching, the most ancient Chinese classic, which he says is ‘really a spirit’ and which the Chinese say ‘is not a book at all’.*The I Ching’s exploration of two polarities, yin and yang, and how they impact on all environments and situations.*Tao or Dao, the ultimate logos and goal of all virtue, the fundamental concept of Chinese philosophy.*The curious form of the Tao Te Ching, the ‘great mystical classic of Daoism’, which Prof. Minford reads as a composite of ‘ecstatic hymns’ and which teach that the Dao cannot be known intellectually but only through experience and embodiment.*The contrast between Chinese and Western poetry, with Chinese poetry ‘very much about being absorbed into the universe rather than standing apart and having wonderful, deep, emotional feelings’.*Why he believes the epic The Story of the Stone, a very long autobiographical novel by an 18th-century aristocrat, is the most influential work in Chinese civilisation, far surpassing any works relating to Confucianism, and equivalent in stature and influence to Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy and Homer all rolled into one.Like this video if you enjoyed it so we know you want to see more content like it. Subscribe to our channel and click the bell to watch our videos first. Missed our last lecture? To view other Ramsay Lectures go to: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/events/ About the Ramsay Centre: The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation is based in Sydney Australia. It was created with an endowment from the late Paul Ramsay AO, founder of Ramsay Health Care, to promote a deeper understanding of western civilisation, through scholarships, educational partnerships and events. The Ramsay Lecture series hosts speakers from all walks of life who have important and interesting perspectives relating to the world and our western heritage. Learn more about the Ramsay Centre at: ramsaycentre.org or follow us on:Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRamsayCentreLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-ramsay-centre-for-western-civilisation/Email to join our event/lecture notification list: ramsayevents@ramsaycentre.o

What must Australia do to counter the rising military presence of China on Australia’s doorstep? How can it best position itself to meet its security challenges through to 2033 and beyond?In August 2022, Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, and Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, announced a major review into Australia’s Defence Force capabilities and structure, to better understand where to prioritise investment.In this special Ramsay Lecture, the Hon Kim Beazley AC, a former Australian Ambassador to the United States and former Australian Defence Minister, outlines what he sees as the task for the defence review. With expert knowledge on past defence reviews, Australian military history and Australia’s strategic alliance with the US, Mr Beazley argues that in the face of increasing Chinese aggression, Australia is out of warning time. He argues that Australia needs to seriously reprioritise its defence needs to ensure it has sufficient capability to deter and defeat attacks with its own forces.

In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022 US author and cultural critic Mary Eberstadt expands on the central thesis of her 2013 title, How the West Really Lost God, arguing that the decline in Western churchgoing is more attributable to the collapse of the Western family, especially since the 1960s, than any other commonly touted cause.In pressing her case, she disputes prevailing arguments about why Christianity is in decline, including what she claims is the dominant theory, ‘that material prosperity drives out God.’ Citing an array of historical and statistical evidence, she shows that poorer and less educated Westerners are less likely to go to church, with greater religious devotion among the wealthy and middle class. She also examines the psychological impact of the two world wars of the 20th century, as well as the impact of industrialization and mass mobility. While conceding that these have had some impact on religious devotion, she argues that the biggest cause of religious decline is the breakdown of the family unit, flowing on from the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

What is the effect of reading a whole curriculum of ‘Great Books’? Can prolonged exposure to such texts radically alter the course of a life? Can they speak to people from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds? In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, Columbia University academic, Dr Roosevelt Montás speaks with Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines and evidences, from his own life-story, how the Great Books can lift people out of their circumstances and transform lives. The personal transformation of Dr Montás is detailed in hi,s 2021 volume, Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed my Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation. In his book, Dr Montás describes how, as a poor immigrant schoolboy from the Dominican Republic with limited English, he made a chance discovery of ‘beautiful editions’ of Socrates and Shakespeare in the neighbourhood trash in Queens, New York. His determination to read these books, to understand their ‘compelling narratives’, saw him begin a journey of discovery that took him from his lowly neighbourhood high school to study at the prestigious Ivy League Columbia University, where he rose to.direct the University’s world-famous Core Curriculum.In a wide-spanning conversation, Professor Haines and Dr Montás discuss:How four authors – Plato, Augustine, Freud, and Gandhi – had a profound impact on Montás’s life. The history of Columbia’s Core Curriculum as a democratising force, aimed at levelling the playing field between those who have access to cultural capital and those who do not.The peculiarity of a liberal arts education – the personal journey that differentiates it from a technical or professional education.The problematic absence of women writers in the Western canon, but why that should be a basis for learning and examination, not a reason to abandon the study of great works.How ancient texts should be read as contemporary works, relating to students’ current experiences.The intrinsic value of knowledge and the need for universities to offer students the opportunity to engage with their humanity, rather than simply be treated as customers, preparing for a vocation.Moral absolutism and the need for students to balance idealism with nuance and scepticism.Dr Montás’s mixed optimism for the future of the humanities.Please join us for this special and insightful recorded conversation between Dr Roosevelt Montás and Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines.

In the fifth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister, and one of Australia’s most well-read public figures, and an author himself, Professor the Hon Bob Carr delivers a cogent and illuminating lecture on how politics and books have influenced and shaped his life.In this wide-ranging address, Professor Carr, who is also the longest continuously serving Premier in NSW history, reveals his literary influences and outlines the case for ‘cultural literacy’. He discusses his favourite biographies, with special reference to US Presidents, as well as former NSW Premier William Arthur Holman and Australia’s 16th Prime Minister Ben Chifley. Professor Carr contemplates the Western canon and its relation to what is studied in schools and universities today and reflects on how we should approach figures from our past, ultimately confirming his steadfast belief that history is the most serious and urgent of the humanities. Please join us for this insightful lecture and discussion between Professor the Hon Bob Carr and Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines.

 In the first in-person Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the Hon Dr Gary Johns, grants us an in-depth view into the current state of the Australian charity sector.  As Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission since 2017, former ALP Minister, the Hon Dr Gary Johns has gained unique insights into the state of the Australian charity sector. As outgoing Commissioner, he offers his praise for the immense value and distinctive contribution that charities afford to Australian society, in addition to his parting thoughts on how Australia could enhance their contribution. In a show of support for the work of charities, Dr Johns argues that all charities should be granted the privilege of a tax deduction for the donor. However, he believes that charities ‘need to demonstrate added value in pursuit of their charitable purposes’. He expresses the view that a tax deduction should be granted if charities meet a number of conditions, including efforts to raise donations and recruit volunteers, thus satisfying a ‘clear means of delivering’ test, reporting the source of government funds, and not spending charity funds on political campaign advertising.  Please join us for this insightful lecture and discussion between the Hon Dr Gary Johns and Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines.