STREAM
BEING HUMAN Conversation

DATE
7 MAY 2015 

LOCATION
THE ETHICS CENTRE

Can anxiety be used to make us better people?

Anxiety is a natural part of life – from brief moments of inner turmoil to a constant, painful hum. Is it just a psychological illness to be treated away? Or a sign that you’re a moral person?

As part of our ‘Ethics of’ series, we put anxiety under the microscope. It hasn’t always been treated as a mental illness. Philosophers Kierkegaard and Heidegger thought anxiety helped reveal what it meant to be human, with Tillich tying it closely to our need for meaning and community. Capitalism, competitiveness, work insecurity, the expectation to perform on social media…all of these seem perfectly tailored to drive us mad.

But is a little bit of madness just what we need? Must we think positively all the time? Or is anxiety actually a sign that someone is a moral person?

Catch up

Missed out on tickets? No worries, we’ve got you covered. The complete talk is available for streaming on Soundcloud. Just hit play on the viewer below.

Speakers

Genevieve David

is a psychotherapist who focuses on Buddhist methodologies.

Adam Guastella

is Associate Professor at the Brain & Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney.

Nick Malpas

is a philosophy teacher and PhD candidate.

Kerri Sackville

is a writer, social commentator, and anxious person.

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Who is it for?


  • THE CURIOUS
  • THE PHILOSOPHER
  • THE SCIENTIST
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What you'll take away


  • 01GUIDES IN THE FORM OF ANXIOUS PHILOSOPHERS AND SCIENTISTS
  • 02NEW WAYS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR FRAZZLED MIND
  • 03THE KIND OF RELIEF YOU FEEL WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS AS WEIRD AS YOU ARE
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Things to think about