Ramsay Lectures
The Truth Test: Science and Pseudoscience in a World of Information Overload
An exclusive lecture by Prof Ian Frazer AC
Prof Ian Frazer AC
Science is power. So is the ability to persuade people that something is scientific or supported by science, i.e. that science is “on your side”. In a scientific civilisation, when our world is increasingly shaped by, and dependent on, the achievements of science, and the word “science” is often wielded as a weapon, what are the challenges facing scientists and non-scientists in distinguishing good science from what is merely presented as science, and in identifying the legitimate limits of science?
For our fifth Ramsay Event for 2025, the Ramsay Centre is pleased to present an in-person lecture by world-renowned scientist Ian Frazer, former Australian of the Year and co-developer of the basic technology behind the world’s first cancer vaccine. Professor Frazer delivers an address titled: The Truth Test: Science and Pseudoscience in a World of Information Overload.
Professor Frazer examines how we can tell good science from bad, and why there is good reason to be optimistic. He is joined by Nick Enfield, Linguistics Professor and Director of the Sydney Social Science and Humanities Advanced Research Centre at the University of Sydney, who provides additional context and insights.
Please join us for this compelling discussion exploring scientific research and its commitment to societal well-being.
Prof Ian Frazer AC
Ian Frazer, a professor at the University of Queensland, leads a research group working at the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia, on the immunobiology of epithelial cancers. Ian Frazer was named 2006 Australian of the Year, in recognition of his groundbreaking work in developing a vaccine targeting the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of almost all cervical cancers. Prof Frazer is the author of hundreds of research publications. He was the inaugural president of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and a member of the Australian National Science and Technology Council. He chairs the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board of the Medical Research Future Fund.
Prof Nick Enfield
Nick Enfield is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney and a co-director of the Sydney Centre for Language Research. He works on the intersection of language, cognition, social interaction, and culture, and is the author of many books, including Language vs Reality: Why Language is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists. He has published widely in linguistics, anthropology, and cognitive science venues, and has written for The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, the Wall Street Journal, and Science. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Royal Society of New South Wales, and the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
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