Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Listen to over 10 years of talks presented at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas – Australia's original disruptive ideas festival. FODI brings to light important conversations that push the boundaries of conventional thought, challenging thinking on some of the most persevering and difficult issues of our time. Hear from our festival alumni – the world's best experts, innovative thinkers and mischief makers – as they share provocative ideas and conversations that encourage debate and critical thinking.
It's time to get uncomfortable…
It's time to get uncomfortable…
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 29, 2018 • 59min
Privacy is Selfish (2018) | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz & Zeynep Tufekci
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.
Nov 29, 2018 • 55min
Angela Nagle (2018) | Kill All Normies
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.
Nov 29, 2018 • 54min
Cancer on Democracy (2018) | John Hewson, Rebecca Huntley & Dee Madigan
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.
Nov 29, 2018 • 58min
Choose China (2018) | Zhao Hai, Linda Jakobson & Adam Ni
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.
Nov 28, 2018 • 58min
Zeynep Tufekci (2018) | Our Attention Has Been Stolen
Addictive technology is on the march – from poker machines to smartphones. And it is stealing something even more valuable – our attention – in order to sell it to the highest bidder. Is it too late to get it back? Techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci presents a keynote at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The talk is chaired by Ann Mossop.
Nov 28, 2018 • 50min
Too Dangerous (2018) | Germaine Greer, Megan Phelps-Roper & Ayelet Waldman
Controversial feminist Germaine Greer, LSD advocate Ayelet Waldman and ex-Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper discuss the ethics of free speech in the age of growing intolerance. Their talk was recorded on Cockatoo Island at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The panel was chaired by Hamish Macdonald.
Nov 28, 2018 • 54min
Toby Walsh (2018) | The End of the World (As We Know It)
AI will bring about a seismic shift in politics, equality, work and the psyche of mankind. How brave is our new world going to be? Australian AI expert Toby Walsh presents a keynote at the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Cockatoo Island. The talk was chaired by Lyria Bennett Moses.
Nov 26, 2018 • 51min
Stephen Fry (2018) | The Hitch
Stephen Fry conjures the lost art of fabulous disagreement at a special Sydney Town Hall event. Presented as part of the 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas, the keynote talk was given in honour of the first ever FODI speaker and Fry's late friend, Christopher Hitchens. The event was welcomed by Uncle Allen Madden.
11 snips
Nov 25, 2018 • 59min
Chuck Klosterman (2018) | What If We're Wrong?
Chuck Klosterman, a renowned author and pop culture expert, dives into the uncertainties of our beliefs and the evolving nature of truth. He humorously contrasts historical understandings, like the shift from miasma to germ theory, with today’s fleeting convictions. Klosterman also explores the legacies of rock legends and how our access to information reshapes memory. He challenges listeners to reconsider the future perception of sports and societal norms, ultimately questioning the value of truth in a media-saturated age.
