The Minefield

In modern politics and moral philosophy, what is most meaningfully human is regularly ignored in the interests of solving “real problems”. While this is often understandable, it also points to a certain debility, a malaise at the heart of the way forms of both representative politics and moral philosophy are often practiced: an inattention to the “everyday”.

If levels of strident “vaccine hesitancy” in Australia are extremely low, and the push to help the population reach the necessary vaccination threshold is more logistical than it is ideological, should we continue publicly to use language and to employ punitive measures which effectively humiliate or ostracise the unvaccinated?

The events of 9/11 are inseparable from the horrors of what was subsequently revealed about the use of torture against detainees in locations like Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. What does the persistence of torture say about political communities that continue to countenance its use?

In the face of the latest COVID-19 outbreaks, there is little that has differentiated the governing strategies of Liberal and Labor state governments — certainly not at the level of practice. Are we witnessing a more long-term scrambling of Australia’s already unclear political divisions?

Over the last year, there have been a number of high-profile cases where journalists have either landed themselves in legal trouble, or have sparked fierce backlash, due to their conduct on social media. This raises complex problems, not just for the public’s perception of journalists, their impartiality and credibility, but also of the news organisations to which they belong.

Does the swift collapse of the US-backed Afghan government suggest that places like Afghanistan are ungovernable by anything other than brute force and unimpeded corruption — or does it suggest that the ultimate folly of the post-9/11 wars was the conceit of “nation building” itself?

Snitching, ratting, dobbing, grassing — these are all words for behaviour that we are taught, at a very young age, to find reprehensible. Is our reticence to “dob” an expression of a worrying disposition toward non-intervention, or is it an expression, even if a perverse one, of a deeper moral principle?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a wave of “emergency politics”, in which the normal processes of democratic deliberation and public accountability have been suspended. In a public health crisis, is democratic dissent a problem to be solved, or a resource for a more sustainable, mutually beneficial outcome?

This discussion features Alexis Shotwell, a Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Philosophy at Carleton University, and author of 'Against Purity.' She dives into the complexities of national shame versus pride, exploring how reckoning with our past can foster political change. Shotwell contrasts how countries like America and Australia engage with their racial histories. The conversation also touches on the emotional weight of shame, the potential for healing through acknowledging injustices, and the importance of truth-telling in redefining national identities.

Jordan Gao, a Research Fellow at the Australia Institute's Centre for Responsible Technology, dives into the murky waters of space tourism driven by billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. He examines the ethical implications of private capital in space exploration and discusses the potential environmental impacts. Gao reflects on historical tragedies like the Challenger disaster, while questioning if these private ventures are true progress or mere publicity stunts. The conversation insists on the need for accountability and sustainability as humanity reaches for the cosmos.