Join us at Ryde Library as Australia's leading social psychologist Hugh Mackay will be discussing his latest book The Way We Are with Macquarie University academic Dr Julie Fitness as the book examines our society today and asks timely and urgent questions about its future. Inspiring, provocative and powerfully argued, The Way We Are is the most important—and uplifting—book you'll read all year. It will encourage you to reflect deeply on the question: What kind of society do we want to become?
Attendees on the night have a chance to win a signed copy. There will be on onsite bookseller for purchase of the book and Hugh will be available for signing and questions.
Please note: This event has a 6.45pm arrival time for a 7.00pm event start time.
In association with Allen and Unwin Australia.
About the Book
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.
Amidst our epidemics of loneliness, anxiety and depression, and the impacts of entrenched poverty and ubiquitous technology, The Way We Are examines the major trends that are shaking the foundations of the Australian way of life.
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.
About the Author
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.
About the Interviewer
Julie Fitness is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University. She joined the School in 1991 as a social-evolutionary psychologist specializing in people’s experiences of love, hate, anger, and jealousy, in marriage. Over the course of her academic career Julie has continued to study the features and functions of these and other emotions (including hurt) in close relationships and the workplace, and she has published extensively on the causes and consequences of betrayal, rejection, punishment, and forgiveness, within marital and family relationships.
