The Ramsay Centre Podcast

For our ninth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, the Centre is delighted to present an exploration of the topic Is the West eccentric? in a recorded conversation between Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines and esteemed French philosopher Rémi Brague, best-selling author and Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Religious Philosophy at the University of Paris, the Sorbonne.In their discussion, the pair explore Professor Brague’s theory that the West is an outlier civilisation that uniquely acknowledges the superiority of some elements of foreign culture, in particular Classical culture.Professor Brague traces this ability back to the essential role of Rome, claiming that it was the sense of inferiority that the ancient Romans felt towards the Greeks (culturally not militarily) that saw them develop an indispensable ability to draw together and assimilate cultural traditions.This psychology of “secondarité” or inferiority never left the West, Professor Brague claims, and consequently the West with roots in Athens and Jerusalem drew heavily from both and continues to be uniquely open to other cultures and influences. The West is also more accepting than other civilisations of transmitting other influences in their whole form into its own, he argues.Please join us for this captivating lecture with Professor Rémi Brague.

Is our past being misrepresented in our schools, cultural institutions, and the broader society; leading to the history of the West being presented as one only worthy of shame, apology, and reparations?Or are the ‘history wars’ merely an invention of the paranoid, to stir up synthetic controversy and prevent belated recognition of dark sides of our past?To help explore this vital topic, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present our eighth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, eminent UK historian Professor Robert Tombs on Are the History Wars Worth Fighting?Professor Tombs outlines the forces he says are driving this campaign, ranging from intellectual and ideological forces to the professional managerial class, technology, and geopolitics. He examines the cost to society from historical half-truths, whether in the form of violence, a loss of sense of community, or a belief that violence, racism and exploitation in the past is a permanent feature of the West in the present day.Professor Tombs argues that while we must recognise difficult aspects of our past, we need to “…urge society to remember accurately, fully and honestly, and to understand the vital differences between the past and the present, crucial to understanding both our forebears and ourselves.”Please join us for this thought-provoking lecture with Professor Robert Tombs.

If the modern West is both statistically and culturally no longer Christian, who will save us now? What remains? Are we still searching for meaning in an age of unbelief?To help explore the psyche of the post-Christian West, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present our sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, Professor John Carroll on Who Will Save Us Now? Searching for Meaning in an Age of Unbelief.According to Professor Carroll, people in the Western tradition are, by their nature, saviour seeking and this ‘saviour syndrome’ impels people to find someone, or some equivalent, to show the way to a better life, and counter the quintessentially modern ordeal of unbelief. Drawing on examples from literature, history and popular culture, Professor Carroll argues that people in the West are constantly investing those around them with exemplary or transcendent qualities, with some seeking a form of enchantment to bring grace into their lives. Although in the modern West the figure of Christ may appear to be obsolete for many (though of course far from it for many others), the archetype of Christ the Saviour continues to resonate and a yearning for a saviour continues to manifest itself.Please join us for this thought-provoking lecture with Professor John Carroll.

What is liberal education? How is it different from professional or practical education? What does it set out to do and how does it form us? To help uncover some of the distinctive features of liberal arts and great books programs, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present our seventh Ramsay lecture event for 2023: a panel discussion comprising leading experts on approaches to delivering successful liberal arts programs. The conversation provides a focus on the pedagogical model delivered at St John’s College, Annapolis, where fundamental texts and a core curriculum offer a unique model of self-formation.Please join our esteemed panellists as they share their expertise and experience, and engage in a stimulating discussion about the benefits of liberal education.   

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.