Monday 13th August, 2007

Chairperson
Professor Peter Saunders Social Research Director, The Centre for Independent Studies

Speakers:
Dr Charles Murray American Enterprise Institute and author of The Bell Curve and Human Accomplishment
Professor Denis Dutton University of Canterbury and Editor of Arts and Letters Daily (aldaily.com)
Claire Fox Director, Institute of Ideas, UK

Australians pride ourselves on our ‘egalitarianism’. We passionately believe everyone should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential but egalitarianism makes us reluctant to judge performance. With one exception—competitive sport—we feel awkward evaluating success and failure, quality and dross. In education, politics, the media and the arts, we shy away from ‘elite’ values, settling for mediocrity rather than meritocracy.

Today, the idea of ‘raising people’ to a higher level has been forgotten. Universities are ‘dumbed down’ as entry standards are diluted. Politicians appeal to blatant self-interest as they compete for the votes of an apolitical and uninformed electorate. Television is engaged in a race to the bottom, and the internet (once hailed as the harbinger of the rebirth of Athenian democracy) is full of hard pornography.

Has barbarism now triumphed over enlightenment? Is it possible in a democratic society to celebrate the best while condemning the worst? Why is sport the only activity where we feel comfortable with elitism? Can we rediscover the values of self-improvement and stop settling for the second-rate?

The transcript of this lecture will be available soon.