Festival of Dangerous Ideas

Around the world, we are seeing the rise of nationalism, racism and authoritarian regimes. Will democracy survive the century? Or has freedom has become too heavy a burden to bear in our uncertain world? Pankaj Mishra, Angela Nagle and Tim Soutphommasane discuss the future of our political societies at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The panel is chaired by Fauziah Ibrahim.

Populist tribes around the world have increasing political sway. Can this movement sustain itself? What comes next? Award-winning author and conservative historian Niall Ferguson presents a keynote at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The session is chaired by Ann Mossop.

Does the arrival of sex robots mean the end of intimacy or the next sex revolution? Will humanoid dolls regulate sexual perversity or provoke greater harm? Rob Brooks, Dr Nikki Goldstein and Xanthe Mallett give their independent take on the issue at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The panel is chaired by Natasha Mitchell.

What we don’t understand often looks dangerous. But if we're going to be able to cope with inevitable and accelerating change, we need to go beyond technophobia and moral panic. Haris Aziz, Khandis Blake, Lee Rollins and Martina Stenzel present a series of short talks at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island, covering specialist topics from nanoparticles to genome manipulation. The session is hosted by Rob Brooks.

Big data reveals the sad truth that we all lie, almost all of the time. Except, that is, when we're online. Why do we treat the internet like a confessional box? What secrets do our searches contain? 'Data whisperer' Seth Stephens-Davidowitz reveals the vulnerabilities and insecurities, the patterns and potential, and the ugly prejudices that our Google searches disclose. This keynote talk was presented at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2018. It is chaired by Ann Mossop.

Anarchy, resentment and an urge to smash the system are spreading. What caused this age of anger? How can we understand it? And what kind of transformative thinking will help us find our way out of it? Author and academic Pankaj Mishra presents a keynote at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The session is chaired by Simon Longstaff.

Insights from big data can cure diseases, control epidemics, end congestion in our cities and aid the just distribution of natural resources. If withholding access to personal data undermines these social goods, does that make privacy selfish? Zeynep Tufekci and Seth Stephens-Davidowitz hash it out at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2018 on Cockatoo Island. The panel is chaired by Marc Fennell. 

In the internet culture wars, the ascendant alt-right confronts a complacent left obsessed with identity politics. Has the worst of the internet become reality? Author and writer Angela Nagle presents a keynote at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The talk is chaired by Kym Middleton.

Australian politics is in a maelstrom, fake news has taken root and increasingly, democracy is looking decidedly unwell. Does this have anything to do with our highly concentrated media ownership and vigorous partisan players? What are the costs of a polarised, opinion-driven media and the 24-hour news cycle? Dee Madigan, John Hewson and Rebecca Huntley discuss at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The panel is chaired by Darren Goodsir.

As China’s rise continues and the US retreats, do our strategic interests lie in a positive alignment with our region’s traditional power? Could an alliance between Australia and China be founded on shared interests – despite underlying cultural and political differences? Zhao Hai, Linda Jakobson, Adam Ni put these questions to debate at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The panel was chaired by Jason Yat-sen Li.