1 March 2026 ‘What Matters in Education?’ Interview with Sam Sterrett from Scotch College Perth WA
In this interview, Dr Laura D’Olimpio discusses her background in the philosophy of education and the importance of using frameworks like Aristotle's virtue ethics to cultivate good habits and moral capabilities in students. She emphasises the critical role of schools in providing safe spaces to teach young people how to handle difficult conversations, engage in respectful disagreement, and combat societal polarisation. By utilising student led "communities of enquiry," educators can empower students to ask their own questions, practice critical thinking, and charitably interpret differing viewpoints. Finally, as education faces rapid technological advancements like AI, she advocates for a balanced approach that uses technology responsibly while prioritising human connection, ethical values, and overall student flourishing.
22 January 2026 ‘What's the point of education?’ A PESA panel on ‘Educational Aims’ for ABC Radio National’s The Philosopher’s Zone
Of course, education has a point - but establishing exactly what that point is, can be a surprisingly difficult task. Do we educate children in order to foster autonomy and independent thinking, or to teach respect for certain norms, values and hierarchies? Is education about creative thinking and developing curiosity about the world, or is it about getting ready for the job market? Plenty of tension to explore this week, in a panel discussion on the aims of education.
18 April 2025 ‘The power and peril of the optimistic mind’ interviewed for ABC Radio National ‘Future Tense’
Human beings have a bias toward optimism, says astrophysicist turned author and editor, Sumit Paul-Choudhury. While we may not always acknowledge it, the power of optimism is what drives our species forward. But beware of the modern craze for "Manifesting" — wishful thinking, no matter how intense, only has impact if it's married to action.
Also, why we need to rethink globalisation's bad rap. International relations expert, Inanna Hamati-Ataya, argues there are no pure cultures and globalisation is really the means by which humanity flourishes.
5 Feb 2025 ‘How important is aesthetic education?’ interviewed for ABC Radio National ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
It's often said that we're experiencing a crisis in the arts and Humanities, with declining student numbers in subjects that aren't deemed suitable for creating "job-ready graduates", and funding cuts slashing support for the arts. In a world of tight job markets and increasing importance given to STEM subjects, what can we do about it?
26 Jan 2024 ‘On aesthetics and education’ interviewed for PES podcast ‘Thinking in the Midst’
Laura D'Olimipio and René Arcilla sit down with Derek and Cara to talk about the aesthetic dimensions of educational experience and how to defend or articulate the value of the arts in schools.
14 Oct 2023 ‘Art for art’s sake: the case for aesthetics in teaching’ interviewed for Teacher’s Talk radio
In this episode of Teachers Talk Radio, host John Gibbs and Dr. Laura D'Olimpio explore the philosophy of aesthetic education. They argue against purely instrumentalist schooling, advocating instead for "art for art's sake" to foster human flourishing. The discussion highlights how critical engagement with the arts enriches students' lives and society
8 May 2022 ‘Beauty: aesthetic or moral ideal?’ Guest Producer for ABC Radio National ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Beauty is often conceived as something that comes to us via the genetic lottery, or the choices we make as consumers. But this week’s guest argues that these days, beauty is a moral imperative, an ideal to live by, and one according to which we judge ourselves and others. As a result, we increasingly shape our identities around our bodies – and not just our actual bodies with their lumps and bumps, but our imaginary future bodies: thin, smooth and firm. Gradually our notion of the good life comes to be centred on physical appearance, and this causes a range of harms which until now, philosophers have not taken seriously enough.
3 April 2022 ‘Moral beauty and art’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Movies and TV series increasingly feature leading characters that are morally repugnant, and yet we respond positively to their charisma. Tony Soprano, Walter White, the entire cast of Succession: these are people who in real life we would condemn in the strongest terms. So why do we like them so much on screen? And is our emotional investment in their stories indicative of moral failure on our own part? This week we're exploring ideas of moral beauty, moral ugliness, and the strange ways in which artists - even in apparently morally neutral fields like architecture - can play with our notions of good and evil.
13 March 2022 ‘Extremism’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
There's no shortage of extreme opinion or extreme rhetoric in the public arena at the moment - even extreme behaviour, as people under the spell of paranoid ideologies seek to overthrow governments and roll back vaccine programs. But can all people who hold extreme views be fairly described as "extremists"? Extremism is a slippery concept. Its connotations are pejorative but at a glance, it can be difficult to see what differentiates extremism from more acceptable forms of fringe belief such as radicalism. Is it possible to be an extremist in the name of a morally worthy cause? and how should we deal with extremists in our midst?
23 Feb 2020 ‘Is reason enough?’ Guest Producer for ABC Radio National ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Critical thinking is often upheld as the cornerstone of civil society, and the search for truth seen as something requiring rationality first and foremost. But today, popular discourse in the political and online spheres suggests that critical thinking could be failing us – and we’re not sure why. Have too many people strayed from the path of reason? Or is reason insufficient – ever overrated – as an ingredient in the formation of good citizens?
19 Aug 2018 ‘Ethics and absolutes in the classroom’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
The trouble with morality is that reasonable people keep disagreeing on what’s right and wrong. The science, as they say, isn’t settled. So that being the case, how can we argue for fixed moral standards to which everyone should sign up? And how should we introduce kids to this vexed field of inquiry?
29 Apr 2018 ‘Who are you?’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
The question of exactly what constitutes identity is an old and much-contested one. Is personhood located in a community? A culture? A race? Or is it something singular and immanent, located somewhere in the deepest recesses of the individual?
18 Mar 2018 ‘Philosophy for Children: the why and the how’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Children are natural philosophers—so why don’t we routinely teach them how to do philosophy? Philosophical education in schools is a growing phenomenon, but there’s still a lot of debate as to why and how it should be carried out. Some of that debate was aired at a recent public panel hosted by the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia.
15 Oct 2017 ‘Facts and trust in a post-truth world’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Beware of what people tell you—especially online. How much can you trust your networks these days, especially in the disembodied digital frontier where rumours, lies, quasi-facts and conspiracies circulate at the speed of electrons? But is it anything new? Three philosophers of knowledge tell us if there’s anything to worry about in the so-called post-truth world—and ways to solve it if there is.
17 Sept 2017 ‘Tell me one thing that’s absolutely true’ interviewed for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Justifying your beliefs is harder than it looks, yet still we seem to be certain about various things. While many of us cling to the beliefs we hold to be true with dogged certainty, can we really justify them? And if absolute truth is elusive, does that mean that anything goes, and anyone is free to believe anything is true? Leave your certainties at the door as we enter the bedevilling matrix of truth.
8 Mar 2017 ‘What chance does political honesty have in a post-truth age?’ Guest host for ABC Radio National’s ‘The Minefield’
These days it seems as though most of us have a fairly laissez-faire attitude toward the truth, particularly when it comes to our own self-interests. This utilitarian attitude acknowledges that occasionally the truth will suffer at the hands of other values or in pursuit of the greater good.
There is, on the other hand, a widely shared notion that public institutions and figures such as politicians ought to be transparent in their dealings and held to account for their actions by the general public. This is seemingly at odds with the standards we apply to ourselves.
Are we now residing in a post-truth age where people don’t object to truthiness, alternative facts and fake news? We have always expected a level of deception from politicians. Election promises are not kept and nor does anyone really expect them to be.
So what is different now? Do we - or should we - care about protecting the truth, fact checking, and aiming for integrity and transparency? Have we gone too far on the slippery slope away from the virtue of honesty and should we pause to re-think what we value in society and how much truth we expect from politicians?
29 Jan 2017 ‘Compassion: caught or taught?’. Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
We all want our kids to grow into moral citizens, but getting there is complex. One way is to impart the notion of compassion, which seems like a good idea, but the path is not so certain. Whether it can be effectively taught, or modelled is open to scrutiny. And then, there’s a lingering suspicion—from the Stoics to Kant—that emotion should not get in the way of sound moral decision-making. Laura D'Olimpio weighs it up.
23 Oct 2016 ‘The Social Contract in an age of terror: who can you trust?’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
You’ve probably noticed the proliferation of closed-circuit security cameras. And if you’ve caught a plane overseas lately, you would have experienced a heightened sense of risk. For everyone’s sake there are daily incursions—such are the implicit demands of the social contract as envisioned by a range of thinkers from Hobbes to Rawls via Rousseau. But if the world gets a bit too scary, does the contract become null and void?
14 July 2016 ‘Pokémon Go: Revolution, Fad or Omen?’ interviewed for The Minefield with Waleed Aly & Scott Stephens
Pokémon became a global phenomenon by combining collectibles, cartoons and ‘cock-fighting for kids’.
But now, the notoriously addictive franchise has paired with smartphone technology to created an all-pervasive augmented reality experience.
The astonishing success of Pokémon Go has sparked concerns about data security, users’ safety, and the use of inappropriate landmarks and locations.
But are these the only problems raised by pervasive gaming?
22 May 2016 ‘A public act’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Some like to quote Nietzsche and have tattoos of his aphorisms. But what if you don’t understand him, or any other philosopher? Have attempts to simplify some seriously knotty ideas for broad public consumption damaged the real thing? For some practitioners it doesn’t matter—they argue that if it isn’t done in public it will surely fulfil Stephen Hawking's diagnosis that philosophy is dead and buried.
25 Oct 2015 ‘The young and the reasonable’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
Aristotle thought that the young were too immature to wrestle with reason, their passions too strong for a clear mind. The burgeoning worldwide philosophy for children (P4C) movement is proving the great sage wrong. The movement came to Australia in the mid '80s, and has grown across the country. Now there are even national competitions as Australia plays its part in what some consider a truly radical innovation.
31 May 2015 ‘Creatively unleashed’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
As Nietzsche would have it—art is the supreme task. He thought it was time to blow the whistle on human lives divorced from their creative energies, and that body and soul needed to find each other again. He gave it his best shot in pointing this out to anyone who would listen. But ought we to let the Dionysian genie out of the bottle, especially in the public square? It’s spray cans at 10 paces as we appraise art as a private passion and a public good.
4 July 2014 ‘Is film a useful medium for philosophical discussion?’ Guest Producer for ‘Philosopher’s Zone’
The article explores film as a valuable medium for philosophical discussion. Despite historical skepticism regarding mass media, the author argues that movies function as thought experiments, fostering critical thinking and empathy. By illustrating complex ideas through narrative, films make philosophy accessible and relevant to everyday life.