The Minefield

In a world marked by wicked social problems, The Minefield helps you negotiate the ethical dilemmas, contradictory claims and unacknowledged complicities of modern life.

Can Australia’s federal election escape the shadow of Donald Trump?
Apr 17, 2025 – 0:53:56
AI in education — is it a technology to be feared, or a tool to be taught?
Apr 10, 2025 – 0:58:00
Are we on the brink of a world without books? On Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”
Apr 5, 2025 – 1:00:43
Ramadan: Is hope a flimsy emotion, or can it grow from devastation?
Mar 27, 2025 – 0:54:22
Ramadan: Is optimism a virtue, or a form of moral evasion?
Mar 20, 2025 – 0:53:37
Ramadan: Should we try to live without fear, or learn to face it together?
Mar 13, 2025 – 0:53:55
Ramadan: Is despair always detrimental, or can it give rise to hope?
Mar 5, 2025 – 0:54:27
Are “firewalls” the best way to counteract the appeal of the far-right?
Feb 27, 2025 – 0:53:19
How hate speech in healthcare tears at something sacred in our common life
Feb 20, 2025 – 0:53:03
The School of Sport: Bob Murphy and the centrality of connection
Feb 13, 2025 – 0:57:34
The School of Sport: Craig Fitzgibbon and the burden of responsibility
Feb 6, 2025 – 0:53:01
The School of Sport: Lydia Williams and the virtue of vulnerability
Jan 30, 2025 – 0:52:22
The School of Sport: Madison de Rozario and the importance of pride
Jan 23, 2025 – 0:54:05
The School of Sport: Why does sport bring out the worst in some athletes?
Jan 16, 2025 – 0:53:47
Is Australia breaking?
Jan 9, 2025 – 0:53:52
What's behind the mass appeal of live music events?
Jan 2, 2025 – 0:53:47
The ethics of "Groundhog Day"
Dec 26, 2024 – 0:53:47
Are we losing a sense of "the common"?
Dec 19, 2024 – 0:52:58
The necessity of withdrawing
Dec 12, 2024 – 0:53:35
What are we doing when we give gifts?
Dec 5, 2024 – 0:53:47
Bonus episode: Can democracy be saved with decency? A public lecture by Scott Stephens
Dec 3, 2024 – 0:52:59
“The Godfather, Part II” — a parable of corruption and fall
Nov 28, 2024 – 0:54:30
Is a “digital duty of care” enough to protect young people from social media’s harms?
Nov 21, 2024 – 0:54:23
How much control should corporations have over the speech of their employees?
Nov 14, 2024 – 0:53:58
The return of Donald Trump — do we know what it means?
Nov 7, 2024 – 0:54:09
Is the concept of “evil” worth retaining?
Oct 31, 2024 – 0:54:10
Should revenge have any place in our politics?
Oct 24, 2024 – 0:54:19
Can democracy survive the perfect storm of disinformation?
Oct 17, 2024 – 0:53:22
What is “populism” – and what kind of problem does it pose?
Oct 10, 2024 – 0:54:08
What is it that makes “negative gearing” such a divisive tax policy?
Oct 4, 2024 – 0:53:30
“Truths that lie too deep for taint”: Wilfred Owen’s war poetry in our blood-soaked present
Sep 26, 2024 – 0:53:18
Can modern politics avoid propaganda?
Sep 19, 2024 – 0:53:38
Will Australia’s proposed cap on international students do more harm than good?
Sep 12, 2024 – 0:54:12
Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is Australia breaking?
Sep 5, 2024 – 0:54:05
“Freedom!”: Why can’t US politics agree on the meaning of its most basic principle?
Aug 29, 2024 – 0:53:57
Coleman Hughes, “colourblindness”, and the contentious politics of race
Aug 22, 2024 – 0:53:24
“We live in a society!”: Seinfeld’s “Bizarro” comedy of morals
Aug 15, 2024 – 0:53:48
“I don’t want to join any club that would have me as a member”: How funny is irony meant to be?
Aug 8, 2024 – 0:53:21
“Time now for just a bit of fun”: Shaun Micallef on the importance of being silly
Aug 1, 2024 – 0:54:01
“And now for something completely different”: Why do surprises provoke laughter?
Jul 25, 2024 – 0:53:34
Political violence — why is it so corrosive to democratic life?
Jul 18, 2024 – 0:53:49
“There’s a crack in everything”: Richard Fidler on the art of absurdity
Jul 11, 2024 – 0:53:21
In a bespoke and individualistic age, are we losing a sense of “the common”?
Jul 4, 2024 – 0:53:35
Beatlemania at 60: Why was the band so popular before they were even great?
Jun 27, 2024 – 0:54:01
Right verdict, wrong case? The political dangers of Trump’s felony conviction
Jun 20, 2024 – 0:53:59
Is the rise of the far right in Europe inevitable? It’s complicated
Jun 13, 2024 – 0:54:30
Is it wrong to "rank" works of art?
Jun 6, 2024 – 0:54:30
Is international law powerless in the face of conflicts like Gaza?
May 30, 2024 – 0:53:50
If chatbots are polluting the commons of human communication, what are the moral consequences?
May 23, 2024 – 0:53:45
What are the ethical, and legal, limits of protests at Australian universities?
May 16, 2024 – 0:53:42