IQ² live debates - special events
Occasionally IQ² Australia debates will take place outside of our regular series. Below are details of any such special events..
You can also visit the future events page to see what's coming up in the current series.
Upcoming special events
There are currently no upcoming special events.
Past special events
The media has no morals?
1 October 2011
Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Sydney Opera House
The more we find out about British tabloids and their phone hacking habits, the more outrageous their conduct appears. Is the ethical vacuum in their editorial offices the sign of old media struggling to stay alive - and relevant - in a brave new world or is this just business as usual driven by user demand? In the new media environment of gossip, opinion, attack and partisanship does the concept of public interest even exist? Do we have the right to expect ethical and moral standards of the media or have they always done whatever it takes to get the story and our attention? Read more ...
We need a nanny state?
Tuesday 16 August 2011
The Great Hall, Quadrangle, the University of Sydney
From internet filtering to junk food advertising, everyone has an opinion on how much government should be able to regulate our lives. Does government edict save lives, improve our social well-being and protect the vulnerable or does it interfere with our fundamental freedom and the incentive to take responsibility for our own actions? Does it hamper our need to experiment, take risks and the challenges that ensure we mature as individuals and as a society? Read more ...
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
2 to 3 October 2010
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Last October long weekend Sydney Opera House played host to the inaugural Festival of Dangerous Ideas with over 9000 people attending.
The festival returns in 2010 with two days of exciting events, including an IQ² debate.
Read more ...
Festival of Dangerous Ideas IQ² debate:
If you want peace forget justice
2 October 2010
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Without Nelson Mandela and his ethos of forgiveness, many believe that Apartheid in South Africa could not have come to an end without a bloodbath.
But was justice done for apartheid’s victims, or was ‘Reconciliation’ valued over ‘Truth’? Is a viable future more important for the Timorese than righting the wrongs of the past? Is justice even possible when one side making an agreement has all of the power?
Read more ...
2009 - past special events
Festival of Dangerous Ideas:
Democracy is not for everyone
4 October 2009
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Given the vast quantities of blood spilled and treasure spent in the name of democracy – who would dare to challenge its legitimacy? After all, isn’t democracy good for all?
Read more ...
Too many people go to university
10 November 2009
Great Hall, The University of Sydney
Access to university in Australia was once for the privileged few, yet is now a presumed right for all. But has the growth in graduate numbers and diverse university degree courses actually diminished the quality of a university degree?
Read more ...
