Democracy depends on sound public opinion about the major issues of the day. Today these issues are of unprecedented complexity and difficulty, requiring serious deliberation and decision making, and the need to move beyond the factional struggles and attempts to win over key parcels of votes we see dominating politics today. What we need is well considered public opinion to set the agenda for the politicians, and demarchy is a new proposal on how this can be done. Author of The Demarchy Manifesto former University of Sydney Professor of Philosophy, John Burnheim joins us for a special conversation about the ideas behind demarchy, with Associate Professor Carolyn Hendriks from the Australian National University Crawford School, and Dr Nicholas Gruen from Lateral Economics. Hosted by Professor Geoff Gallop. A Sydney Ideas forum co-presented with the Graduate School of Government, Sydney University Press and The newDemocracy Foundation http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/demarchy_forum.shtml

The study of food choice is at the forefront of research in economics today due to its repercussion on nutritional issues for the population and consequently on public health. Consumers display varied preferences towards food, and react sometimes controversially to nutrition information conveyed to them via food labels or other formats. Choices vary according to taste preferences, but are also influenced by factors such as certification of origin, geographical indication, sustainable production methods and, importantly, health concerns and psychological traits of consumers. Understanding the sources of various forms of preferences is crucial, as it allows to set up successful public health programs and strategic market policies. SPEAKER: Assoc Professor Mara Thiene, an economist at the University of Padua in the Department of Land, Environment and Forestry Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 19 October: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/associate_professor_mara_thiene.shtml

How do we understand, imagine, visualise and create narratives for 50,000 years of Australian history? As commonly presented, Australia’s past seems to consist of 230 years of European colonisation and over 50,000 years of Aboriginal culture, the former the purview of historians and the latter of archaeologists. Yet it presents striking opportunities for a truly integrated and seamless deep continental history, combining disciplines and methodologies. Such a history would consider the full range of human experience from arrival, through changes in climate, technologies and belief systems to interactions with Maccassan, Portuguese, Dutch, French and finally the British. It would stretch across 2500 unbroken generations of people birthed, nurtured and sustained: people who modified landscapes, hunted, sang songs, practised religion and buried their dead. In this lecture, Professor Lynette Russell (Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, Monash University) argues for mixing epistemologies to create historical narratives of the deep past that may be taught in schools and universities, presented in museums and popular culture, and proudly shared by all Australians. The 2nd Bicentennial Australian History Lecture, hosted by the Department of History, the University of Sydney on 19 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_lynette_russell.shtml

The 2017 ASAL Patron's Lecture (with special thanks to the Cultural Fund of the Copyright Agency) Malaysian-Australian author, rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia, Omar Musa combines readings from his own work with his thoughts about his writing process, such key themes as migration, belonging and dreams, and reflections on Australian literature and culture at large. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas on 17 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/asal_patrons_lecture_omar_musa.shtml

Professor of Middle Eastern History at University of California, Irvine, Mark LeVine asks us to engage in the process of thinking outside the box, and move towards enabling Palestinians and Israelis to imagine a shared future that is no longer a zero-sum game or based inevitably on the domination of one group over the other. Chair: Dr Lucia Sorbera, Department of Arabic Language and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Discussants: Lana Tatour, School of Social Science at UNSW, and Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist and author of My Israel Question. A Sydney Ideas event on 22 September, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lecture/2017/professor_mark_levine.shtml

Professor Colin Mackerras surveys how the West has viewed China over time. He notes distinct worsening over the last half decade or so, both in the United States and in Australia, and argues that there is a good deal of politics in the images and that we should see these images not only as a reflection of China, but also of the West itself. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program co-presented with the China Studies Centre on 16 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_colin_makerras.shtml

Are you addicted to social media? Is this such a big deal? Or can you improve your mental health with technology? Our panel of experts from the Brain and Mind Centre join special international guests to discuss the pros and cons of technology when it comes to mental health. Held as part of Sydney Ideas and the 2017 Mental Health Month on 16 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/technology_youth_mental_health_forum.shtml

Historians these days probably get less sleep than anyone else – kept up by the echoes of the past in the radically shifting world political landscape. The historical allusions of contemporary governments in the US, and in Europe, are driving all manner of comparisons with the 1930s in particular, and the rise of Nazism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism. This panel brings together four University of Sydney academics who specialise in the political cultures of the last century, to discuss the relevance of the past, and these categories to the present. We consider Greece, Egypt, Europe and the US. If we can work out how different the present is from the past, hopefully we can all get some sleep! Speakers: - Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Sir Nicholas Laurantus Professor of Modern Greek, the University of Sydney - Professor Dirk Moses, Professor of Modern History, the University of Sydney - Dr Lucia Sorbera, Senior Lecturer, Department of Arabic Language and Cultures, the University of Sydney Held as part of Sydney Ideas' The Thinker’s Guide to the 21st Century series on 11 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/thinkers_guide_21st_century_2017.shtml

Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission has investigated and prosecuted many big-fish corruption cases, and has secured many dozens of convictions, including very senior judges and politicians. This represents real progress; even a decade ago, many of the commission’s current targets would have been largely untouchable. However, the commission has faced serious resistance from those it has pursued and their associates. This resistance threatens to weaken the commission or even disband it, and to discredit its commissioners. This forum examines the future of corruption eradication efforts in Indonesia, bringing together three speakers Professor Todung Mulya Lubis, one of Indonesia’s leading lawyers and anti-corruption advocates; Dr Laode Syarif, Commissioner for Indonesia Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK); and Professor Simon Butt, who specialises in Indonesian law and its corruption courts. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 10 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/fighting_corruption_indonesia_forum.shtml

A Sydney Ideas talk by Dr Mark Stafford Smith, Chief Coordinating Scientist – Adaptation, CSIRO. Co-presented with the Planetary Health Initiative at the University of Sydney. Mark Stafford Smith from CSIRO Australia is chair of the Future Earth’s Science Committee, which aims to ensure that Future Earth science is of the highest quality and makes recommendations on new and existing projects, as well as emerging priorities for research. For his Sydney Ideas talk Mark addresses the theme of integration: of research disciplines, policy responses, knowledge systems, and means of implementation. This lecture was held on 10 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/mark_stafford_smith.shtml