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Honorary Professor James Franklin will deliver the 2024 PM Glynn Lecture, exploring how we can use abstract principles to navigate policy, law and ethics.
The annual PM Glynn Lecture on Religion, Law and Public Life was established in 2017 to address important questions at the intersection of religion, law and public life.
Professor Franklin is a philosopher, mathematician, and historian of ideas at the University of NSW. He will explain how abstract thinking can help produce profound positive change in society and identify common ways public policy can go wrong.
"It's about bridging the gap between theoretical principles and practical action in the realm of public affairs," Professor Franklin said.
"By applying abstract thinking, we can uncover underlying patterns and identify deep seated errors, leading to more effective policy-making and positive outcomes for society.
"Just as Euclid brought clarity to the world of geometry through abstract insights and deduction from first principles, we can try to bring that same coherence to the realm of ethics, law, and policy. Ethical principles like the fundamental worth of persons have enormous practical implications.
"This is about being bold enough to reimagine the foundations of practical action in areas that are crucial to public life."
The PM Glynn Institute is ACU's public policy think tank, exploring issues confronting the Catholic community and Australian society.
The 2024 PM Glynn Lecture on Religion, Law and Public Life will take place on 27 June at the Peter Cosgrove Centre on ACU's North Sydney Campus.
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