What is the difference between a riot and a protest and does that depend on who you ask? Dr Bradley Campbell believes so. He argues that we all make moral judgements based on what we believe. He says that 'we need to have clear definitions that allow us to classify similar behaviours consistently, regardless of whether we approve or disapprove of the cause that gave rise to these behaviours, whether we approve or disapprove of those involved, and whether we approve or disapprove of the behaviours themselves. To call something a riot, then, neednt be a way of taking sides in some larger conflict: it can just be a way of communicating whats happening'. If we has those clear definitions it 'would help us distinguish, for example, between agreeing with a cause and agreeing with a particular way of pursuing it'.

Then (at 13 mins) what would happen if the liberal order, set up in the aftermath of the second World War as a set of international institutions agreed upon by nation states, collapsed? Dr Benjamin Studebaker examines the history of the liberal order and how its changed. He argues that 'it has become an engine for globalisation, economically integrating the whole world into a singular system. The liberal order has transformed from a means of defending liberalism into a means of exporting it everywhere....it does this by making two things mobile: capital and labour'. He believes we are faced with a terrible choice, so what should we do?

Also, (at 28mins) the Australian Space Agency was established in July 2018. Two years later, how do we compare to the rest of the world? Professor Anna Moore explains that 'we are currently leaders in advanced and quantum communication that would make deep space communication possible, as well as creating unhackable communications on Earth'. We also help enable others. 'Space technologies are transferrable to Earth-bound sectors such as health and mining' and 'our nation is set to give rise to bespoke satellites that are proprietary to Australia. We will have our own satellite constellations to address critical issues like drought, water quality management and bushfires'.

Finally, (at 38 mins) it's often thought that science fiction 'is by its very nature progressive'. Jordan Alexander Hill believes otherwise. He has studied the libertarian history of science fiction. ' From conservatarian voices like Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Vernor Vinge, Poul Anderson, and F. Paul Wilson to those of a more flexible classical liberal bent like Ray Bradbury, David Brin, Charles Stross, Ken McLeod, and Terry Pratchett, libertarian-leaning authors have had an outsized, lasting influence on the field'. He argues that 'While dystopias satirize and allegorize the flawed political systems and social practices that govern the world we know, SF is more often about exploring new worlds and systems'. So grab a book and get reading, or put in that DVD and watch it anew.

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Protests and imaginings - Counterpoint - ABC News