Reference: Is Western Civilisation part of your life today?
If we want to understand Australia’s success as a modern nation, as one of the world’s oldest continuous democracies, we must look back to the origins of our institutions. Civil society, liberal democracy, constitutional government, the rule of law and individual rights are all essential features of our free society.
Institutions provide an important foundation for a society to attain its full potential. They are a legacy to this generation, passed down by those who have sought freedom of conscience, religion, speech, and the right to participate in politics and public debate.
As part of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program, the Institute of Public Affairs has produced a series of videos. The most recent addition to the series is “How the Enlightenment came to Australia.”
In 19th century Australia, the early colonists had to decide what sort of institutions they were going to choose, if they going to be a protectionist or free trade set of colonies, if they were they going to focus on individual liberty or if they were to continue as a military outpost.
The research presented in the film shows the early colonists turned to classics of the Enlightenment to answer these questions. Rather than attempting to start from scratch, they consulted the great economists, philosophers and legal minds of the 18th and 19th centuries and applied the ideas contained within their works to building a new society.
We must never forget that the European settlement of Australia came at a time in the history of Western Civilisation when ideas about the role of government, individual liberty, religion and science had been debated, tried and tested. When the colonists were thinking about how to build their new society, they applied the ideas of Economic Freedom, the Rule of Law and Equal rights. Many of these ideas were contained within the books they brought with them.
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