Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

Throughout 2025, ethicist Patrick Stokes has been unpacking the thorny topics for us. "Is it ok to lie in a memoir?", "Am I evil for not wanting to be around children?", "Is it ethical to create AI clones of people who've died?"We've named the segment Ask Aristotle, but we want to use this week as an opportunity to get back to basics. What sort of lessons did Aristotle actually espouse? What are some golden rules of philosophy we can apply to our lives in 2025?

The federal government is pushing local content quotas, forcing big streaming platforms to invest in Australian-made shows. Yet fewer Year 12 students are choosing creative arts subjects like drama, music, dance and visual arts.Can you blame them? For years, it’s been all about STEM, with arts degrees now costing nearly $55,000 and many universities making cuts to creative programs.So, are we doing enough to support the next wave of artists and performers? And what do we lose — as a country and a culture — if we don’t?

Would you give up Christmas presents?Or are you like many of us and associate what you spend, with how much you care?There's been a backlash against over-consumption, so why do we still go wild at Christmas? And how can we untangle ourselves from the cycle of holiday spending?

New research shows lifestyle sports like BMX riding can be really beneficial for teenagers, providing positives they don't get from organised sport.Navigating new BMX jumps is a key drawcard of the sport, but these jumps are falling foul of local councils across the country, being demolished for safety and resident concerns. But if we're about to kick teens out of their online world, do we have a duty to make sure they can build communities in real life?

The classic image of the Australian coast is in trouble. Eroding dunes. Crumbling cliffs. Clubhouses teetering on the edge.Coastal erosion is quickly reshaping Australia's iconic coastline.It's a problem that's not just affecting us as beach-goers and taxpayers... it's potentially going to make the job of life savers harder in the future.

What could you buy with a trillion dollars? That's $1,000,000,000,000.It's hard enough to grasp just how much money that is, let alone how a single person could ever accumulate that kind of wealth.But with Tesla shareholders approving a record-breaking pay package for Elon Musk, the deal could make the world's richest man the first person in history to become a trillionaire.So how did we get to a place where one person can accumulate so much wealth? And why is the gap widening between the world's richest and the rest of us? 

When you're stuck in a lift ... or waiting for a meeting to start, what's your go-to "small talk" opener?"Wow, it's hot today""How was the traffic on the way here?""Did you find somewhere to park?"Why do we even make small talk? And what happens if you just ... stop?

Last week authorities shut down two illicit tobacco stores in Sydney... the first to be closed under new state laws targeting the illegal tobacco trade.It's a $10 billion trade that has flourished in Australia in recent years... with illicit cigarettes now comprising half of the products sold to the country's 2.7 million smokers. And the related underworld conflict is resulting in violent turf-wars.Meanwhile, the legal sale of cigarettes has slowed.So what impact is this having on Australia's smoking rates... and your local community?And what needs to be done if the goal is fewer smokers and a healthier population?

What would it take for home owners to let go of the idea of their house as a financial asset, and to re-think what owning a home means?One Australian capital city is bucking the trend of skyrocketing house prices. While investors groan, should we actually be celebrating this? How can we share the wealth around? 

Keeping track of your subscriptions can feel like a full-time job.From streaming services to gym memberships, toilet paper deliveries and even cars that come with in-app purchases just to turn on heated seats — it's starting to feel like we're subscribed to everything, but actually own nothing.Last week, Microsoft apologised and agreed to refund around 2.7 million Australians, after the consumer watchdog accused the company of misleading customers into staying on more costly subscription plans.So how do we steer clear of subscription traps? Are consumer protections keeping up? And are we heading towards a future where ownership is a thing of the past?