The Current Political Climate – limited opportunities
One of the most valuable principles to have emerged from the 130-year history of sociology as an academic discipline concerns a causal...
Why unknown unknowns may save us yet
Donald Rumsfeld, when he was US Secretary of State for Defence, once famously stated: ‘There are known knowns. There are things we know...
Economics in an Anthropocene era
The sound of growing economies is deafening. So complete is the fascination of the roar of money to Australian politicians that they are...
Breaking news on climate change
What a relief to see ‘Four Corners’ interview a wide range of business people talking about the realities of climate change...
Optimism for rationalists
Optimism appears to be the single most important attitude in a world so profoundly challenged by apocalyptic events. Climate change,...
I Told You So
One of the reasons I like Kim Stanley Robinson’s novels is he so often confirms my worst expectations of humanity. Take his latest novel,...
Why a Big Australia is No Panacea
Sad to say, but economic orthodoxy about the need for a Big Australia is fatally flawed. It might appear sensible to argue that economic...
Migration and climate change
Migration and climate change are connected in ways that politicians and journalists seem reluctant to acknowledge.
Truth at the End of the World
In 2017, the entanglement of death and truth has gone well beyond war and politics. The rather less spectacular combination of climate...
If Insects had Emotions
Would it make a difference if humans developed a greater affinity for the non-human world? That is, can human self-interest become more...
