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News & Events

Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Ethics

Introducing the Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Ethics

Ethical inquiry has never been more pressing and important. Accelerated climate change, the rapid emergence of AI, the risk posed by nuclear weapons alongside the stalling of global democratisation and growing distrust of science – these are just some of the major global challenges facing our generation. Moreover, ethical considerations permeate every facet of our personal and professional lives, be it in the realms of business, medicine, politics, or the media. This is something increasingly recognised by universities and professional organisations – and is very much an inter-disciplinary concern.

Â鶹´«Ã½ envisions a dynamic, inclusive, and enlightened learning community, where critical thinking and ethics form the bedrock. This vision aligns with the College’s status as a Round Square School—a global network championing ideals such as internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, leadership and service.

Â鶹´«Ã½ is committed to delivering an ambitious program of events for both our students and the local community in the Southern Highlands. These events will feature distinguished speakers and leaders from diverse fields, including philanthropy, higher education, non-governmental organisations, and industry.

We warmly invite you to join us in our inaugural year.

Dr Jeremy Hall, Head of Philosophy and Ethics

2024 Speaker Series

 

Life lessons learned from 30 years at the media frontline

Leigh Sales AM

One of Australia’s most loved and respected journalists, Leigh Sales will talk about what she has learned regarding human nature, life and leadership in her thirty years at the frontline of journalism.  From ordinary people in extraordinary situations to the world-famous celebrities Leigh has met, her reflections on resilience, self-doubt and transformation will spellbind and entertain any audience.

Leigh Sales is a multi-award-winning author and journalist at the ABC and anchors the much-loved Australian Story program. Before that, she presented the network’s prime-time current affairs program, 7.30, for 12 years. She has been the face of the ABC’s major events coverage, including federal election and budget nights. She has interviewed every living Australian Prime Minister and innumerable world leaders and celebrities from Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to Paul McCartney and Elton John.

Leigh is the author of five books, including the national bestseller Any Ordinary Day, Well Hello, and her latest Storytellers – a fascinating insight into the vital and much-misunderstood profession of Journalism. She also co-hosts a wildly popular podcast with Annabel Crabb called Chat 10 Looks 3.

Leigh has held numerous roles at the ABC, including as Washington Correspondent, and is a three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalist prize, the Walkley Award. In 2018, she was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to Journalism. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master of International Relations and was awarded Deakin University’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase Leigh’s books and personally meet her for a signed copy. Our sincere appreciation to The Bookshop Bowral for their support.

WHEN: Thursday 1 August, 6.30pm
WHERE: Â鶹´«Ã½, Burradoo

COST: $15 (free admission for students)

BOOKINGS:

The Future of the Brain, The Brain of the Future

Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE, FCRP (Hon)

The wonderful thing about being a human being is that although we are born with a full complement of brain cells, it is the growth of connections between the cells that accounts for the growth of the brain after birth. These connections reflect the unique sequence, – a life-story, of individual experiences and interactions with the outside world: a phenomenon known as ‘plasticity’ that leads to the personalisation of the physical brain, amounting to a ‘mind’. Given the unprecedented challenges posed by the digital world to thinking, emotions and well-being, we need to devise the best ways for optimising fulfilment of each individual’s potential. The biggest shift in the 21st Century mind-set is towards one trapped as never before in the present, needing constant stimulation from the immediate, external world. This transformational change is already having deep implications in the workplace for interpersonal relations, notions of identity, and even the thought process itself. Given the unprecedented challenges posed by the digital world, we need to devise the best ways for optimising fulfilment of each individual’s potential.

Baroness Greenfield, Founder and CEO of Neuro-Bio Ltd (www.neuro-bio.com) is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster. She has published over 220 papers in peer-reviewed journals, based mainly at Oxford University but has held research fellowships at the College de France Paris, NYU Medical Centre New York and Melbourne University. She holds 32 honorary degrees from UK and foreign universities, has received numerous honours including the Legion d’Honneur from the French Government, an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians, The American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, and The Australian Medical Research Society Medal. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

WHEN: Wednesday 28 August, 6.30pm

WHERE: Â鶹´«Ã½, Burradoo

COST: $15 (free admission for students)

BOOKINGS: