Living Ethics: issue 77, spring 2009

In the spring issue of Living Ethics discussions about the Government’s proposed emissions trading scheme are compared with a similar parliamentary debate held more than two hundred years ago around the topic of the abolition of slavery.

We ask how consumption can be sustainable without rejecting the mass consumption ethic and consider flaws in the argument to ‘buy green’. An acclaimed journalist surveys the exponential rise of evil in the press, while a leading philosopher asks whether reading fiction can make us better people. Conversely, she also considers whether reading can inspire evil.

Also in this edition, we question the paradox of the burqa, the body and head covering garment worn by some Islamic women, and look forward to the Festival of Dangerous Ideas to be held at the celebrated Sydney Opera House: a weekend full of events designed to sharpen perspectives and challenge assumptions.

We celebrate the graduation of the latest group of Vincent Fairfax Fellows, new alumni of the Centre’s Ethics in Leadership program, and reflect on the Centre’s project towards an ethics-based complement to scripture in NSW schools.

We hope you enjoy our latest selection of ethical ideas to broaden your thinking.