In Conversation with Jack Jacobs

#8 The Project of Self-Knowledge: Burke, Gandhi, and the quest for moral integrity

Edmund Burke and Mahatma Gandhi – two thinkers separated in time and place – both come to political theory with an idea of moral integrity always in view. In this conversation, Uday Mehta and I explore the deep relationship between the rhetoric, writing and spiritual exercises of these two men – thinkers, who in the midst of politics, asked the ethical question: ‘Who am I? And what am I prepared to stand for?’

#7 The writer of Catharsis: history, identity and thinking oneself free with Stan Grant

“Is our liberal democracy up to the task of meeting the ethical claims and challenges of [historical] truth? Are we up to it? Because if we are not, liberal democracy will fall. It won’t fall because China is more strong: it will fall because it is incapable of dealing with the ethical demands that are being placed on it from its own people; its own constituents.”

It is my great honour in this podcast to speak with Stan Grant: International Affairs Analyst at the ABC and award-winning author of books like Talking to My Country, Australia Day, and most recently, With the Falling of the Dusk.

In this wide ranging conversation, we grapple with the big ideas: thinking oneself free through writing and philosophy; the poisonous relationship between history and identity; the return of China and the challenges facing liberal democracy from within. Stan finishes with a clarion call to finish the work we are in: to bind up the nation's wounds for Australia's Indigenous peoples.

#6 Women, men and the whole damn thing with David Leser

“It’s up to us, it’s up to men, we need to step up.” In this podcast, I speak with David Leser, multi-award-winning journalist and author of ‘Women, men and the whole damn thing,’ about Australia’s current cultural reckoning in wake of the Brittany Higgins allegations, those brought against the Attorney General, and the stories of sexual violence and disrespect coming out of Australian schools.

We consider several questions: Why and how should men step up? What are the causes of toxic masculinity and how do we benefit from addressing them? What is the relationship between the problem in our schools and parliament? 

#5 Persuasion and Reform with Professor David Bromwich

“The most difficult task in politics,” writes David Bromwich, “the reason for something called statesmanship to exist – is to awaken public sentiments against an entrenched abuse and convince lawmakers and public opinion to act for the improvement of justice.” In this episode, it is my great honour to speak with David Bromwich, Sterling Professor of English at Yale, about how this difficult task was met through the lives and imaginations of two great statesmen: Edmund Burke and Abraham Lincoln. We then consider the potential for reform in the context of contemporary American Breakdown.

#4 The role of the scholar in democracy with Professor Tarunabh Khaitan

What is the role of the scholar in democracy? It is my pleasure to speak with Professor Tarunabh Khaitan, Vice Dean of Oxford’s Faculty of Law, about the part scholarship has to play in institutional reform. We discuss his pioneering work on discrimination law, the dangers of subtle power, and the health and future of Indian democratic institutions.

#3 Reflections on Reform with Ambassador Bob Rae

“We’re in history,” Bob Rae reminds us. In this podcast it is my privilege to speak with the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations about his life as a reformer in politics. Former interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and NDP Premier of Ontario, Rae knows more than most about the need to continually reform our imperfect institutions. We speak about his unlikely affinity with the thought of Edmund Burke, the dangers of theoretical politics, the responsibility of multilateralism, the long-term impacts of COVID-19, the future of climate change action and justice for the Rohingya in Myanmar. At a time when world leaders are facing unprecedented challenges, Bob Rae is a reminder of what thoughtful and humane reform leadership can be.

#2 Edmund Burke as Philosopher in Action with Professor Richard Bourke

What did it mean for Edmund Burke – the great philosopher-statesman of the 18th century – to wield principles in the thick of politics? How did his historical method inform his political theory and practical approach to institutional reform? In this podcast I speak with Cambridge Professor Richard Bourke about Edmund Burke’s complicated legacy as a “philosopher in action” and his many attempts to hold the British Empire accountable to the norms and standards of responsible government.

#1 Cultural Renewal with Elizabeth Broderick

What personal qualities does a leader need to influence cultural change? How can leaders speak to communities in a way that motivates them to alter their behaviour? In this conversation, Elizabeth Broderick and I discuss the complexities of gender equality and what it takes for a leader to make real and lasting cultural change in organisations.

 

Why Beaconsfield?

How can we keep our institutions alive and healthy in times of cultural change?