Adelaide Festival of Ideas 2018 event features guest speakers from numerous science and technology fields
ADELAIDE’S Festival of Ideas is needed now even more than it was 20 years ago, founder and chairman Greg Mackie writes.
CAST your memory back nearly 20 years to a world where mobile phones were just that - not pocket computers. Where brands like Nokia and BlackBerry were phones of choice. The iPhone had not yet been invented. We had five free-to-air television channels and radio ruled. Back then a stream was just a small river, and a tweet was the sound of a bird.
In 1998 I was co-proprietor of Imprints Booksellers and knew that Adelaide’s citizens had a huge appetite for new ideas and a strong passion for public conversation. Adelaide Writers’ Week had attracted thousands of readers for decades. What was missing was a significant public event that celebrated the world of ideas and the role of the public intellectual in a civilised democracy. An event to shine a light on the changes ahead in the not too distant future. The Adelaide Festival of Ideas grew out of an Adelaide tradition for innovation and experimentation, combined with a reputation for great festivals.
Over the years hundreds of guest speakers have provided challenging ways to view the world. Our first AFoI in 1999 featured respected Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi. She went on to receive the inaugural Sydney Peace Prize and has become an in-demand international commentator on the complex issues of security and justice in the Middle East. Cast forward to 2018 and we are co-presenting the Edward Said Memorial Lecture, featuring Noura Erekat, an articulate new voice making the case for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. A complex issue deserving of continued interest.
Science and technology have always featured prominently in the AFoI program.
Physicist Paul Davies, NASA scientist Christopher McKay, science broadcaster Robyn Williams, Seth Shostak and dozens of others have shared their latest understandings of our world and the universe. The AFoI provides a platform for deeper explorations of how technology can best serve humanity when there is an ethical framework to safeguard the essence of what it means to be human. In 2018 our overarching theme is “Who’s at the Wheel?” There will be plenty to think about from our presenters.
In 2018 we cannot talk technology without a serious consideration of the potential of space exploration and space industries. And if you think that space is a boys’ club, think again!
Former astronaut Pamela Melroy will talk about human space exploration, and the new head of our national space agency Dr Megan Clark AC will talk about Australia’s strategic priorities in space. CSIRO astrophysicist Prof Lisa Harvey-Smith talks about when worlds collide and Dr Alice Gorman will bring space archaeology alive.
To look forward with balance, we need a good sense of the past. With the support of the History Trust of South Australia, four eminent Australian historians take a look at aspects of our identity and past: Stuart MacIntyre, Lyndall Ryan, Tom Griffiths and Graeme Davison. They will then come together in a panel discussion to explore questions of belonging from Aboriginal, environmental, civic, family and community perspectives. Alongside this, French historian Pierre Serna will talk about the history of animal rights, and British historian Tim Causer will talk about the early 19th century radical ideas that created South Australia. And linguist Ghil’ad Zuckermann makes the case for “native tongue title” and the fundamental place of language in human culture.
In recent years, democracy as a system has come in for greater scrutiny as public accountability and more effective responses to challenges expose the shortcomings of systems of governance. In 2016 and again in 2018, several of our guests interrogate and explore ways to make democracy more effective.
The role of media and public shaming, parent guilt and post-traumatic stress are each the subjects of thoughtful consideration.
The Adelaide Festival of Ideas is less about invention and sensation as it is about promoting public conversation about things that matter in the world.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Following Adelaide’s lead, ideas festivals popped up around the country. Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne each now have their own versions. So what is it that makes Adelaide’s Festival of Ideas special? I think it is the inclusive commitment to keeping the event mostly free to the public. We seek to treat people as citizens and not as consumers.
For many years now, each AFoI has been dedicated to recognising the contribution made by significant individual contributors to society. In 2018 we recognise the wonderful contribution of another South Australian, Robyn Archer AO, whose keynote address, “Freedom and Democracy: Observations of a Freelance Artist” will no doubt stimulate debate among audiences.
Not all new ideas are profound, and not all ideas are radical. But it is from the melting pot of ideas and debate that new ways of understanding our world becomes possible. Most of us are not experts – but many of us crave better ways to understand the changing world around us.
The 2018 Adelaide Festival of Ideas offers a rich menu of choices for inquiring minds. Featuring both experts and thoughtful generalists, it is an invitation to pause, reflect and stimulate the grey matter. Like a conference on steroids, you can choose your own adventure. From outer space to inner space and psychology. From the world to our backyards.
For information and the program go to adelaidefestivalofideas.com.au
WHAT IS THE FESTIVAL OF IDEAS?
■ LAUNCHED in 1999, the festival brings thought-provoking speakers to Adelaide from around the world. This year it runs from July 12-15.
■ SPEAKERS include policy wonks, philosophers, social and environmental activists, journalists, former politicians, historians, architects, economists, educationalists, theologians and futurists.
■ THE festival states its purpose is “to celebrate the life of the mind, particularly the public value of ideas, thinking and innovation as foundations of civil society, an informed democracy and a robust economy”.
■ MOST sessions are free, though there are a handful of ticketed events.