Name: Hugh Mackay - The Way We Are
Start: 2024-06-23T15:00:00+10:00
End: 2024-06-23T16:00:00+10:00
Location: Muse - Food, Wine & Books

Amid our epidemics of loneliness, anxiety and depression, and the impacts of entrenched poverty and ubiquitous technology, Australia's leading social psychologist Hugh Mackay examines society today, and asks timely and urgent questions about its future in The Way We Are - Lessons from a Lifetime of Listening. In conversation with Sally Pryor.
Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. Yet none of our differences—whether based on ethnicity, politics, religion, cultural tastes and preferences, or gender—are nearly as significant as the humanity we share.
Drawing on thousands of interviews over a lifetime of research, Hugh Mackay, much loved and highly respected social psychologist, presents a compelling portrait of Australia today. He celebrates the march towards gender equality and explains the stubborn persistence of misogyny, the anti-social consequences of social media, the complex legacy of the Baby Boomers, and the 'fake wisdom' that guides too much of our thinking.
Exploring the steady decline in religious faith and practice, Hugh identifies the many gods we continue to worship, and points to the positive role that dreaming can play in our lives. Though some of his observations may not be easy reading, Hugh's analysis is suffused with affection for our country.
Inspiring, provocative and powerfully argued, The Way We Are examines the major trends that are shaking the foundations of the Australian way of life. It will encourage you to reflect deeply on the question: What kind of society do we want to become?
We’re delighted to welcome back friend and prolific author Hugh Mackay for his fifth visit to Muse! In conversation with The Canberra Times' Sally Pryor.
Tickets: $10 (entry only) // $40 (includes a discounted copy of the book RRP $34.99)

Hugh Mackay is a social psychologist and bestselling author. His non-fiction covers social analysis, psychology, communication and ethics. He is also the author of nine novels. Hugh has had a sixty-year career in social research and was a weekly newspaper columnist for twenty-five years. He is a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Society of New South Wales and has been awarded honorary doctorates by five Australian universities. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015 and is currently an honorary professor in the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra.
Sally Pryor has been a journalist at The Canberra Times for 16 years, mostly covering the arts. She's also an avid reader who's lucky enough to manage the books and feature pages each week, which means she gets to see all the latest books.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, and recognise their unbroken connection to country. We pay our respects to elders past and present, and are privileged to continue the tradition of storytelling in this place.