#Digicitz 9: Politics & Digital Activism in the Social Age
Kate Carruthers Tomorrow night I’ll be hosting a panel for Digital Citizens on Politics and Digital Activism in the Social Age. The panel has a fascinating and diverse group of people: Penny…
civil society
Australia and the secret sauce of western civilisation?
Historian Niall Ferguson, in his Civilization: The West and the Rest, notes that: “For 500 years the West patented six killer applications that set it apart. The first to download…
Freedom – the price and the value #Libya #auspol
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde, in Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) It has been fascinating to watch…
Who does Alan Jones think he is to speak to the Prime Minister like that?
I was completely appalled to hear how a well known radio personality in Sydney spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia on air. The details are outlined well by Barrie…
A lucky country indeed …
Even though it was once said ironically, it has always seemed to me that Australia really is the lucky country. Our national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, sums it up: We’ve…
More thoughts on revolutions #Egypt #Tunisia #Bahrain #Iran #Libya
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands…
Some preliminary thoughts about revolutions
There is a lot of talk about revolution happening now in online communities given the unfolding events in Tunisia and Egypt. This has got me thinking about the nature of…
Australian citizenship, ceremony and ritual
A friend invited me along to his citizenship ceremony the other day. He’s terribly excited about becoming an Aussie after living here for a number of years. We went to…
Rebooting business and capitalism
Last year with the launch of Social Innovation Sydney I was inspired by the idea of rebooting capitalism. I had become depressed about the nature of business in our world…
The Failure of the Human Potential Movement: From Self-Actualization to Experientialism
“I’m convinced that when an atmosphere is created which puts an extreme emphasis on experience over understanding, that atmosphere will inevitably create and encourage infantile selfishness.” Source: The Failure of…