Humanism and Democracy: Connecting the Dots

While humanists are strong advocates of democracy and allied freedoms of expression and association, the importance of political institutions underpinning these fundamental principles are, at times, taken for granted. People often make assumptions about what they mean by democracy and its supporting institutions critical for its survival without clearly understanding or, at least, making explicit what they mean.Vince will open this discussion by asking what is 'democracy', teasing out the implications of 'rule of the people' and what it means in modern society. He will consider keystone institutions, as well as norms that are needed for democracy to operate effectively. A contrast will be made with authoritarian states where some democratic processes may be superficially evident while lacking real substance. This will be followed with consideration of how democracy is connected to humanism and why humanists value democratic institutions and norms of behaviour. Following the presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Speaker: Dr Vincent Giuca

Until recently, Vince taught various post-graduate units at Monash University including human resources management, negotiations, managing conflict and organisational behaviour. Prior to this, he had a long and diverse career in many managerial and advisory roles with a focus on human resources/employee relations and negotiations ranging from ministerial adviser (Hawke Government Cabinet Ministers), consulting with multinational consultancy firms, human resources manager, and manager/owner of a small business. Vince has post-graduate business and management degrees (MA, MBA and PhD) and continues to have a strong and passionate interest in politics and current affairs, as well as social sciences more generally, reflecting earlier studies in these areas.

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