Trying to make sense of a world where great power rivalry, war and competition for resources are not ghosts of history but present realities?From the Middle East to Ukraine to the South China Sea, world leaders are confronted by complex crises with no easy solution in sight. US journalist, author and foreign policy advisor Robert D. Kaplan thinks t…

What is the key to ‘well-tempered power’? Can the rule of law be sustained by the law alone, or does it need to be blended with distinct cultural, political, social and economic forces? The Western concept of the ‘rule of law’ has not been applied with equal success in countries globally, many of whom have all the dressings of a legal system includ…

What is Russian exceptionalism? How can we best understand the mindset of Russians and Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure the most effective response to the war on Ukraine? Is there a path forward to ‘getting Russia right’? For our fourth Ramsay Lecture for 2024, the Centre is pleased to present an exploration of this topic – a recorded con…

What is ‘liberal education’? What distinguishes it from vocational education, and even programs of study adopted in many modern liberal arts programs? Can an education focused on ‘knowledge for its own sake’ rather than for professional pursuits and industry careers, hold appeal among current and future generations of scholars? And why is there a r…

What does it mean for Australia that it is part of the West, but geographically remote from it? Must we choose between our geography and our traditional alliances in this multipolar age? For our second Ramsay Lecture for 2024, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present an in-person lecture by leading strategic analyst and University of Melbourne Dep…

Australia’s complex strategic landscape is situated at the crossroads between two global giants – China and the United States. To help explore the geopolitical challenges, economic considerations, and diplomatic nuances that shape Australia’s role in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, our expert panellists dissect the evolving dynamics, assess potent…

For our ninth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, the Centre is delighted to present an exploration of the topic Is the West eccentric? in a recorded conversation between Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines and esteemed French philosopher Rémi Brague, best-selling author and Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Religious Philosophy at the University of Paris, the S…

Is our past being misrepresented in our schools, cultural institutions, and the broader society; leading to the history of the West being presented as one only worthy of shame, apology, and reparations? Or are the ‘history wars’ merely an invention of the paranoid, to stir up synthetic controversy and prevent belated recognition of dark sides of ou…

If the modern West is both statistically and culturally no longer Christian, who will save us now? What remains? Are we still searching for meaning in an age of unbelief? To help explore the psyche of the post-Christian West, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present our sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2023, Professor John Carroll on Who Will Save Us Now? S…

What is liberal education? How is it different from professional or practical education? What does it set out to do and how does it form us? To help uncover some of the distinctive features of liberal arts and great books programs, the Ramsay Centre is delighted to present our seventh Ramsay lecture event for 2023: a panel discussion comprising lea…

Is our secondary education at risk of becoming second-rate? Is the curriculum too fragmented and lacking in rigour? Have we focused too much on new trends in education while neglecting a knowledge-rich approach? Can we reverse the trajectory in international rankings by returning to fundamentals and laying better foundations? To help uncover some o…

Do people in the West think differently to other populations across the globe? Are they psychologically peculiar? If so, why: and what role has this point of difference played in the rise of the industrialised world, and the recent dominance and prosperity of the West? In order to explore the WEIRD nature of the West and how it was created, the Ram…

How do we have “impossible conversations”? What is the basis of belief? How do we disagree fruitfully across philosophical, ideological, and religious divides? In an age of mass education, social media, and polarisation, it is more important than ever to cultivate the art of conversation and debate. But where do we begin? In order to unravel some o…

What form does Western civilisation take in modern Australia? What are our unique considerations on being part of the West? How has Western civilisation shaped our past and present, and how will it influence our future? Listen to three accomplished Australians in this Ramsay Lecture panel discussion, as they explore Western civilisation from an Aus…

In this lecture, the world’s foremost living translator of Chinese literature, Emeritus Professor John Minford, explores four great works in the Chinese tradition that he believes best reveal the ancient lineaments and undercurrents still running through the hearts and spirits of Chinese people today. Professor Minford examines: · The I Ching c. 70…

What must Australia do to counter the rising military presence of China on Australia’s doorstep? How can it best position itself to meet its security challenges through to 2033 and beyond? In August 2022, Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, and Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, announced a major review …

In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022 US author and cultural critic Mary Eberstadt expands on the central thesis of her 2013 title, How the West Really Lost God, arguing that the decline in Western churchgoing is more attributable to the collapse of the Western family, especially since the 1960s, than any other commonly touted cause. In pressing her…

What is the effect of reading a whole curriculum of ‘Great Books’? Can prolonged exposure to such texts radically alter the course of a life? Can they speak to people from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds? In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, Columbia University academic, Dr Roosevelt Montás speaks with Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon…

In the fifth Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister, and one of Australia’s most well-read public figures, and an author himself, Professor the Hon Bob Carr delivers a cogent and illuminating lecture on how politics and books have influenced and shaped his life. In this wide-ranging address, Professor Carr, who is also the…

In the first in-person Ramsay Lecture for 2022, former Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the Hon Dr Gary Johns, grants us an in-depth view into the current state of the Australian charity sector. As Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission since 2017, former ALP Minister, the Hon…

In the third Ramsay Lecture for 2022, one of Australia’s leading public intellectuals and our most distinguished independent literary critical voice, Peter Craven, poses and answers the question – Classics and why we must keep them alive. In this lecture Peter Craven journeys back in time, taking us through centuries of great works, through various…

In the second Ramsay Lecture for 2022, Walkley Award winner and distinguished China commentator Rowan Callick OBE offers unique insight into the Chinese Communist Party (CPP) and argues that the Party’s actions are subsuming China’s great culture as we know it. Drawing on some 20 years of reporting, Rowan Callick lists examples of manipulation of C…

In the first Ramsay Lecture for 2022, world-famous historian, author and broadcaster Professor Bettany Hughes OBE, takes us on a journey piecing together the story of Venus and Aphrodite throughout the ages. In this exclusive lecture, the fourth in the series delivered by Professor Hughes for the Ramsay Centre, Bettany draws upon research from her …

What has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilisation? Could it have been so profound that it is now hidden from view? Even in a secular West, are we ‘goldfish swimming in a Christian pond’? In our final Ramsay Lecture for 2021, Centre Academic Director and Deputy CEO Dr. Stephen McInerney interviews award-winning UK h…

In the eighth Ramsay Lecture for 2021, world-famous historian, author and broadcaster, Professor Bettany Hughes OBE, takes us back to Golden Age Athens, as seen through the eyes of Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher and arguably the true father of western thought. In her exclusive lecture Professor Hughes draws on her comprehensive research on…

In this seventh Ramsay Lecture for 2021, Professor Gigi Foster joins Ramsay Centre CEO, Professor Simon Haines, in discussion on The Great Covid Panic: What Happened, Why, and What To Do Next.The Ramsay Centre

In the sixth Ramsay Lecture for 2021, world-famous historian, author and broadcaster, Professor Bettany Hughes OBE, takes us on ‘dazzling historical journey through the many incarnations of one of the world’s greatest cities’ – Istanbul. In her lecture, Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantium – the Queen of Cities, Professor Hughes draws upon her in-de…

In the fifth Ramsay Lecture for 2021, Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines interviews Chris Uhlmann about Australia’s response to COVID-19, and what it reveals about our politics, Federation, media, and leadership and its possible long-term effect on our future generations.The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

In the fourth Ramsay Lecture for 2021, Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines interviews Lord Daniel Hannan where they discuss and answer the question “The Last Straw: has Covid-19 finally broken freedom’s back?”The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

Prof Deirdre McCloskey, University of Illinois at Chicago discusses why Liberalism and not investment or exploitation or Christianity made us rich.The Ramsay Centre

Prof Patrick Deneen discusses his latest book, Why Liberalism Failed, highlighting issues that are facing the west and our democracies.The Ramsay Centre

Feature interview with Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines on Western Civilisation. What is it? What are its notable achievements? Why is it worth studying?The Ramsay Centre

In the first Ramsay Lecture for 2021, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard interviews Lord Charles Moore, the authorised biographer of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.The Ramsay Centre

Conductor, singer, author, Professor Peter Tregear OAM discusses the importance of, and the changes to the study of classical music in our universities and our society today. He argues that great music in all its forms, in all its genres, wherever it is found, and however it is ultimately labelled by us, should properly be understood.…

ABC Chair, Australian media and publishing icon, and 2013 Australian of the Year, Ita Buttrose presents a Ramsay Lecture titled ‘The ABC, Democracy and Press Freedom’.Ita Buttrose AC OBE

Peter Baldwin former ALP Politician presents a two part Ramsay Lecture titled “Turning Back the Woke Tide” - Part 1Peter Baldwin

Peter Baldwin former ALP Politician presents a two part Ramsay Lecture titled “Turning Back the Woke Tide” - Part 2Peter Baldwin

Award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster, Professor Bettany Hughes presents a Ramsay Lecture titled ‘The Odyssey – Odysseus’ Journey and Odysseus’ Women’.Prof Bettany Hughes

Award-winning author and journalist Lionel Shriver presents a Ramsay Lecture titled - ‘Just because we’ve been okay doesn’t mean we’ll stay that way’Lionel Shriver

‘Why we must believe in Western Civilisation’ – Ramsay Lecture by UK historian Professor Andrew Roberts, introduction by Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines.Prof Andrew Roberts

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre

The Ramsay Centre