Category: Architecture

The philosophy of Forgiveness

You should forgive those who have wronged you, or so we are often told. In this talk we will delve into the philosophy of forgiveness to see whether we can figure out what it means to forgive.

Christians say that unconditional forgiveness is a generous gift that heals the wounds created by wrongdoing. Therapists tell us to forgive so as to move on from the burden of resentment and regain our own happiness. But might it sometimes be unwise to forgive an unrepentant wrongdoer? To answer these questions, we first need to know exactly what forgiveness is supposed to be. Unfortunately, it seems that we cannot agree on a definition. 

about Associate Professor Luke Russell

Luke has a BA (Hons) and a PhD in philosophy at the University of Sydney,  where he now teaches ethics and critical thinking. Luke’s main area of research is moral philosophy. He has focused on questions concerning evil, virtue and vice, and forgiveness and has published several books and numerous papers on these and other related topics. 

more about Luke Russell

Cybersecurity – where we are at

Richard will give an overview of the current state of cybersecurity, structural reasons why we expect systems to remain vulnerable to attack into the foreseeable future, and extrapolate current and emerging trends.

Issues discussed will be how citizens can best make themselves cyber secure, which official advice is useful and which is less useful, and how we can help our friends family and community.  We’ll explore issues including trends in privacy and the Australia card 2.0, tradeoffs between security and the impact on individuals, electronic voting, information warfare and foreign influence, and the challenges faced by governments and civil society.

About the Speaker

Richard Buckland is Professor in CyberCrime Cyberwar and Cyberterror at the School of Computer Science and Engineering UNSW, Visiting Professor in Educational Design at the National University of Malaysia UKM, and Grand Challenge Visiting Professor in CyberSecurity at Taylors University.

more about Richard

Urban co-living

ageing with choice

Lara will outline the concept of co-living, using built examples of co-living communities and will then hone in on the process needed to deliver customised co-housing developments in Sydney’s Inner West.

Agency Cohousing and Community is co-hosting this event.
Louise Silburn from Agency will give a local perspective on cohousing initiatives in the Inner West.

About the Speaker

Lara Calder is the Managing Director of Calderflower Architects. With a focus on innovative and sustainable architecture, Lara champions her team to challenge the conventions of aged care, seniors living and community design. 

Lara is passionate about delivering and positively influencing the future needs for the care and accommodation of the elderly and fostering their social relationships within our communities.

Coming from a professional background in healthcare, Lara brings first-hand experience in the field and uses her experience and deep understanding of the needs of the elderly to design successful projects. She also participates in research projects and sits on various committees relating to aged care and seniors housing design. She has presented her own research and ideas at conferences throughout Australia and the world.

more about Lara Calder