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.

Sexy selfies continue a complex game of evolution

Young women posting alluring photos of themselves online say less about gender discrimination – or those taking the sexy selfies – than about the economies they live in.

An artful truth about gender bias: Lessons from the art market

Is a woman’s brush stroke worth less than a man’s? Apparently so. Much less. The average price for paintings by female artists is 47.6% lower than the average price for paintings by men. The evidence is consistent with the idea that women’s art sells for less because it is made by women.

Learning about the world – and myself – on my Milan adventure

Sydney student Leila Maugeri champions the virtues of studying abroad – and learning about yourself in the process.

The necessary transience of happiness

The happiness industry is booming, yet few of us are happier. Why not? George Gillett suggests we should live in the moment and enjoy the journey of life while we can.

The worried West – Chronic decline or hypochondria?

Being Russian, North Korean or Chinese at this moment in history and watching liberal democracies talk themselves into decline must be odd but satisfying.

Culture shift: redirecting humanity’s path to a flourishing future

We see humanity as split from nature, reason split from emotion and people split from each other. Jeremy Lent believes that it’s time to build a new worldview based on a deeper sense of connection.

Fact checking isn’t the answer to ‘post truth’ politics

Democracy is a living reminder that truths are never self-evident, and that what counts as truth is a matter of interpretation. Recognising that in political life “truth has a despotic character”, democracy stands for a world beyond truth and post-truth.

Huntington redux? A new era of civilisational politics

A quarter of a century after Samuel Huntington published ‘The Clash of Civilisations’, the issue has returned to the world stage with a vengeance. However the issue can be a Pandora’s box and, once released, the idea of cultural incompatibility can be very difficult to contain.

Don’t shoot the messenger when confronted with inconvenient ideas

To make progress, we will need to reboot our thinking. We need to focus on evidence and arguments, and on ordinary fairness and compassion to others, even when we disagree.

Servant or partner? The role of expertise in our democracy

Should expert knowledge be limited to providing a servant role in a free society, or elevated to that of a partner? Darrin Durant, a lecturer at Melbourne University, examines the tension between democracy and technocracy.