Annual Aristotle Oration

First Nations have a deep and unique connection with nature, expressed through myths and embodied in rituals that create a
sacred pattern linking the members of a community with each other and their natural world.

The ancient Greeks shared a close bond with nature, with myths and rituals playing a vital role in daily life. Initiation rites, ecstatic dancing, hunting, and sharing existed alongside the sophisticated expressions of the Athenian democracy, such as theater, poetry, philosophy. This worldview was grounded in the belief that nature was the highest principle, and humanity was an integral part of it.

The memory of a time when humanity lived in harmony with nature instilled in the Greeks a sense of awe and humility that remains valuable today. But who holds this memory in our modern world? More than anyone, the First Nations - especially those of Australia, some of the world’s oldest surviving cultures - can offer us guidance on a renewed journey of remembrance and reconciliation with Mother Earth.

Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou

Attendance can be in-person or via ZOOM.