2026 NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

Each year we celebrate the collective wisdom of our school community by inviting our students to present talks on topics of special personal interest. The result is a rich and varied program of presentations and activities inspired by the love of philosophy.

The event is open to all, so please invite your friends and families to register as well.

Join us at Mahratta in Wahroonga or online via ZOOM.

Date: Sunday April 12
Time: 8:45am to 3:00pm
Location: ‘Mahratta’ 25 Fox Valley Rd. Wahroonga, NSW
Or
Online via Zoom
Cost: $70 for In-person, $45 for Online

Refer below to register for in-person attendance at Mahratta.

Click here to register for online attendance.

The Program

8:45am to 9:00am Plenary Session - Anthony Renshaw

9:15am to 10:45am Morning Session, choose one of the four options:

I am Jacob - In the Bible Jacob reads like a person but, is really anyone. Presented by Peter Ward

This presentation looks deeply into the character and significance of Jacob. In the Bible he reads like a person, yet for practical purposes ‘he’ is you, he is me. He reads like a male patriarch, but in reality, he is neither a man nor a woman. But there is another side to him: in truth he is the fruit of all philosophical enquiry; all philosophical endeavour: he is you, he is me, he is posterity, he is ‘the seed’ that flows through all humanity.

Peter is a retired English teacher. His study of Practical Philosophy led him to wonder about who was teaching and who was being taught. He found that both confronting and interesting. He has put his retirement to the study of the Old Testament – a somewhat neglected pillar of Western Civilisation - as an important extension of the study of philosophy, love of history, and the beauty of language.

Beauty - The Teller of Truth, the Lover of Love & the Dance of the Divine. Presented by Arunita Seth

An inquiry into the philosophy of Beauty.

Is Beauty merely a fickle and frivolous, vapid and vacuous, nice-to-have? Or is Beauty an essential stairway and eternal birthright to truth, love and the Divine itself? This presentation will uncover and embrace the powerful path of Beauty through the enduring Vedic, Greek and Sufi philosophies.

Arunita Seth has been a student at UNSW for three years as well as a student of Practical Philosophy.

Ryoanji - Reflection on a Zen garden. Presented by David Hogan

Experience Zen through a guided reflection practice of this Kyoto temple garden.

At the garden’s entrance it is claimed that “The rock garden consists simply of 15 rocks expertly laid out into a bed of white gravel. They express spiritual enlightenment of Zen Satori and tell us infinite teachings.”

Satori is a Japanese Buddhist term for sudden enlightenment or awakening, a profound, intuitive experience of reality’s true nature, often described as indescribable and beyond logic, central to Zen Buddhism as the ultimate goal representing a complete shift in perspective.

David creates gardens in between travelling to Japan to connect with the quintessence of their timeless masterpieces.

For Mahratta attendees only - Introduction to Bread Making Part 1 with Judith Donald

A practical class (Limit 8 persons) Two sessions

Bread was often called the Staff of Life, and with good reason, as in many parts of the world it was the basis of people’s diet. These days it is something mostly bought in a supermarket, wrapped in plastic! The art of breadmaking takes time, dedication and practice. These two sessions will introduce you to a way of making sourdough bread, and you may even be able to take a loaf home with you! The first Session in the morning will make the bread and the session after lunch will cook it.

Judith is a schoolteacher and maker of the most delicious bread.

10:45am to 11:15am Morning Tea

11:15am to 12:45pm Late Morning Session, choose one of the four options:

Beowulf - An unlikely Spiritual Guide. Presented by Russell Layton.

Beowulf is presented on film as a violent and boastful dark-ages action hero. The settings for his victories include a mead hall, a dark lake, violent monsters, and a dragon’s lair. Beowulf prides himself on his strength and body count. Yet the 3,182 lines of the poem Beowulf were lovingly composed by an unknown bard in near perfect alliterative verse and preserved by Christian monks who valued the cloister more than the mead hall, and silence more than swords. What they saw in Beowulf is the theme of this talk. Beowulf could just be the most unlikely spiritual guide yet.

Russell Layton is a retired ship master with no expertise in Anglo Saxon literature, but who does have a sneaking admiration for dark ages action heroes.

Machiavellianism and the dark tetrad of human psychology. Presented by Rowan Karrer

The dark tetrad comprises the psychological traits of psychopathy, narcissism, sadism, and Machiavellianism. Focusing on the philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli, this talk will explore the causal forces behind their manifestation, the evolutionary utility of their presence, and most importantly, how an understanding of them can be useful from the perspective of practical philosophy. The subject will be approached psychologically, theologically, and philosophically, through the concepts of Jungian shadow integration, the archetype of Christ the Saviour, and Buddhist notions of unconditional love.

Rowan is a senior lecturer at the University of Technology in Sydney, and a tutor and student at the School.

Words Turn Back - Describing the indescribable. Presented by Naomi Smith

The wise tell us that our most profound experiences can never be perfectly expressed in language, for words are a reflection of reality, not reality itself. Yet through the centuries, poets have attempted to use words to describe that from which 'words turn back'. In this session we will read a selection of poems from the English literary tradition and will discuss the devices that the greatest poets have used to transcend the limits of language. It will be an interactive session and will include a practical exercise.

Naomi is a long-time member of the School of Practical Philosophy. She has a particular interest in language, and she has tutored Sanskrit in the School for over thirty years.

For Mahratta Attendees only - Working With Attention with Christopher Heeks

12:45pm to 1:30pm Lunch

1:30pm to 3:00pm Afternoon Session, choose one of the four options:

Moby Dick - A Whale of a Tale. Presented by Ronald Proft

A dive into Herman Melville’s epic masterpiece – a gripping human drama driven by obsession, pride, and the perilous pursuit of absolute truth.

This talk offers both an accessible introduction for new readers and fresh insights for those returning to Melville’s masterpiece. We'll explore this extraordinary novel through its language, symbolism, and unforgettable characters, particularly the towering figure of Captain Ahab. Blending adventure, philosophy, theology, and tragedy, Moby Dick asks timeless questions about humanity’s struggle for meaning

Ronald, a book publisher, has been a student of the School of Practical Philosophy for many years. He has an enduring passion for the great novels of the Western canon.

Bees in Religion and Philosophy. Presented by Glenn McDermott

Exploring how bees, honey and the hive mind have inspired poets, philosophers and religions with their sweetness and sting.

When Man was a mere twinkle in God’s eye, bees had been evolving for 100 million years. Shortly after Man’s arrival, the sweetness of honey drew Man to the bee, with early cave art depicting harvesting it from wild bee hives. Later civilisations developed ways to “farm” honey, learning much about the life of the bee and the hive culture. Poets, prophets and philosophers made frequent allegorical use of what everybody appreciated about the bees, their organisation, the queen, the sweetness of honey, the wax and the hive mind. The talk roams from facts about bee life and honey, to explore how the Bible, the Koran and Aryan poets and sages have allegorised the honeybee. It also explores how the monkeys got drunk on honey in the Ramayana; common sayings about bees; the origin of the bee and the history of beekeeping; superstitions about beekeeping, and why the hexagon?

Glenn is a retired civil engineer, amateur philosopher and beekeeper, who is interested in myths and legends, and the use of allegory in poetry, philosophy and religious texts, to illustrate and explain subtle concepts which can be difficult to grasp directly.

Get Real - An investigation into what is really real! Presented by Malcolm Lennox

We all have an idea of what reality is and can often recognise it, but the closer we look into it the less there is of it and the weirder it all gets. This presentation will examine what is real. We will examine ideas from modern and postmodern philosophy, cosmology and quantum physics and from Vedanta, see how they link together, how they differ and after examination, ultimately lead us to the same conclusion.

Malcolm is a geologist by profession and has been a student of Practical Philosophy for over 50 years.

For Mahratta attendees only - Introduction to Bread Making Part 2 with Judith Donald

A practical class (Limit 8 persons) Two sessions

Judith is a schoolteacher and maker of the most delicious bread.

Register below to attend in person at Mahratta

To enrol and attend online via zoom, register here.

2026 NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

The Program

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