Multiculturalism And Extremism Are Sabotaging The West | Henry Ergas
From John Anderson: Conversations by John Anderson
January 23, 2026 · 1h 25m
About this episode
Henry Ergas discusses the challenges facing Western democracies due to multiculturalism and extremism.
Henry Ergas joins John to explore the erosion of historical understanding, the rise of ideological extremism, and the weakening of social cohesion across Western nations. Ergas argues that a balance of freedom and order are needed to sustain societies or else they will risk succumbing to the enemies of democracy, who possess a vitriolic hatred of the present, yet no unifying vision of the future. The discussion critiques the evolution of multicultural ideology and the rise of antisemitism in Australia, and assesses the slow decay of shared history, identity and hopes that once defined the nation. This conversation is a sober assessment of the challenges confronting liberal democracies and the values required to preserve them.Henry Ergas AO is an economist who spent many years at the OECD in Paris before returning to Australia. He has taught at many universities including Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the National School of Statistics and Economic Administration in Paris. He is one of Australia’s foremost public intellectuals.
People in this episode
Guest: Henry Ergas
Topics covered
- multiculturalism
- extremism
- social cohesion
- democracy
- antisemitism
Keywords
- historical understanding
- freedom
- order
- liberal democracies
- shared history
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Australia, Paris
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