The Ethics of Courage event
SERIES

BEING HUMAN Conversation

DATE & TIME

21 AUGUST 2019
6:30 – 8pm

LOCATION

THE ETHICS CENTRE
Level 1, Legion House,
161 Castlereagh St, Sydney NSW 2000

Courage is a decision.

Courage, foolish overconfidence or cowardice?

Summoning courage to back ourselves isn’t easy. To quit the steady job and do the work your soul yearns for. To stand by your ideas in the face of public critique. To end an unsatisfying friendship.

Everyday life often requires us to act despite our fear. It could be asking someone out, requesting a raise or starting a difficult conversation.

You don’t have to be a soldier on the frontlines to grapple with courage. Nor do you have to be a writer channelling your experiences and deepest thoughts onto a page for all to judge. (Although both surely do have courage.)

Aristotle positioned courage as a “golden mean”, a virtue in the middle of two vices for us to strive toward. At one extreme you have excess, and at the other, deficiency. Too much thoughtless courage is brazen, too little is weak timidity.

Courage comes when you pay attention to your fears, consider the risks and possible outcomes to all involved, and make a decision to move forward after this ethical reflection. How do you get it right when it so easily can all go wrong?

About ‘The Ethics Of…’ Series

‘The Ethics Of…’ is an intimate event series that delves into the minds of various experts to examine the experiences, hopes and challenges that make us truly human.

Thanks to our wine sponsor

cake wines

Speakers

Dr Matt Beard

Your host, Dr Matt Beard is a husband, dad, pop culture nerd, moral philosopher and ethicist. Matt is a Fellow at the Ethics Centre and the resident philosopher for the kids ethics podcast Short & Curly. In 2016, Matt won the Australasian Association of Philosophy prize for media engagement. He contributes regularly to ABC Life, The New Philosopher and The Guardian.

Benjamin-Law

Benjamin Law

Benjamin Law is a journalist, Good Weekend columnist, TV screenwriter and author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012) and Quarterly Essay 67: Moral Panic 101 (2017). The Family Law is now an award-winning TV series for SBS which he created and co-writes.

Saxon Mullins

Saxon Mullins

Saxon Mullins is a survivor and anti-violence advocate. Her story, “I am that girl”, shown on ABC’s Four Corners, was instrumental in the review of sexual consent laws in NSW, and advocacy for law reform in other jurisdictions. Saxon topped the Australian Financial Review Magazine’s 2018 Cultural Power List for her important role in bringing about cultural change and was the recipient of the 2018 Young Persons’ Human Rights Medal.

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Who is it for?


  • THE CHAMPION
  • THE CHANGEMAKER
  • THE IDEALIST
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What you'll take away


  • 01A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE YOUR BOUNDARIES LIE
  • 02A MAP TO NAVIGATE THROUGH YOUR OWN SELF
  • 03A SPACE TO SHARE YOUR CHALLENGES
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Things to think about