Welcome to the new dark age

In a wide-ranging investigation of diverse fields from aviation to social media, the pharmaceutical industry and climate science, James Bridle argues that our data-driven culture threaten our survival as a species.

Feminists should remember ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’

The best selling women’s health book “Our Bodies, Ourselves” teaches that there is no one correct course of action. Women differ from one another, and various experiences will lead to a range of priorities and goals. This is okay – and it probably has the best chance to make the world a better place.

Wanted: a trustworthy keeper of the truth

In this era of ‘fake news’, social media memes and declining budgets for traditional news sources, is there anyone left to act as a guardian of the truth in the reporting of contentious issues or current events?

Sacred activism: a movement for global healing

Our natural sense of interdependence has been replaced by an addictive focus on personal short-term profit. Could a new spirit of ‘sacred activism’ help restore our balance with the planet, each other and ourselves?

LGBTI rights in Africa

When it comes to LGBTI rights in Africa, arguing against Western interventionism is a front for advocating the acceptance of discriminatory legislation. However the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held no hope for a return to African societies’ traditional acceptance of diverse sexualities and gender identities.

Women in music – Searching the canon

We need to keep shining a light on the amazing creative work being undertaken by women across so many artistic fields, otherwise women will once again be notable largely by their absence.

Why do people risk their lives for the perfect selfie?

Self portraits have always been a powerful form of artistic expression but why do some people feel so compelled to snap the perfect selfie that they’d risk their life, or the lives of others?

Why the lost girls of ‘Hanging Rock’ still haunt us

As the new TV adaption of ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ premieres, the story still draws us in with enduring themes of female empowerment, lost children and the deep mystery of Australia’s brutal landscape.

The beauty of a both/and mind

How can we find our way out of the impasse that stymies action on the really big issues of the day? Cultivating a ‘positive sum’ mind may be the key to more imaginative and inclusive thinking.

‘Anna Karenina’ and modern marriage

Each character approaches marriage with a different set of expectations in Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’ and many succumb to disappointment. As the Royal Wedding approaches, what can one of the world’s greatest novels teach us about marriage today?

A locked closet – LGTBI rights around the world

In the euphoria that greeted the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia last year, it was easy to forget that for most gay people in the world it remains an unobtainable dream.

Beyond ANZAC: What really shaped our nation?

Australia’s reputation as one of the first progressive democracies in the world may have been forged peacefully, but is nonetheless worthy of commemoration.