Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics 13 th Annual Conference 12–14 June 2006, Sydney Presidential Address [Note: this version incorporates minor corrections to the version published on the CD of Conference Proceedings] Ethics, Groups and Belief Chris Provis University of South Australia Group conflict continues to be a salient issue. Problems that rational choice theory has in other areas are brought to prominence in group conflict, because the conflict often revolves around differences in people’s positions and beliefs, not just around their interests. The fact that people’s beliefs are closely associated with their group allegiances is the basis of some tactics of influence and manipulation. These tactics raise a variety of ethical concerns, ranging from concerns about hypocrisy to concerns about the harm they can do to individuals. The ethical issues cannot be resolved by rational choice theory, but will require us to address the ethical problems of reconciling belief commitments with commitments to peace and harmony. In last year’s Presidential Address I tried to tie together some thoughts about ethics and dialogue in religion and public policy. I suggested that in the contemporary world it is important to consider ethical issues about group conflicts, and that some of the approaches to ethical issues which are shown in much recent public policy development fail to get to grips with some key ethical issues about conflict between groups. In particular, I suggested that much public policy development focusses on issues to do with the interests of individuals and groups. One problem with that focus is that it does not deal effectively with group differences that are embodied in different ways of seeing the world, ways of seeing which may not correspond to factual differences but which are cognitive differences nonetheless. These differences are not easy to conceptualise as differences in interests, if interests are cashed out in terms of preferences, to be contrasted with cognitive differences. 1 I suggested that we need to give some thought to the ethics of dialogue about different ways of seeing things. This year, I want to consider some different but related points still about ethical issues to do with group conflict. First, however, it is worth noting that the issues are just as salient now as they were last September. In Iraq, we see continuing violence which is at least to a significant extent associated with sectarian religious commitments. In many other parts of the world we have seen riots or repression tied to religious or ethnic commitments. Even here, in Sydney, the Coogee riots of last December were notable enough to make front-page news in much of the world. One result was an announcement from the Federal government that nearly half-a-million dollars would be spent promoting respect and understanding amongst ethnic groups. 2 In what follows, I deal with such issues in abstract terms and with reference to some historical examples. The historical examples help to make the general points, I think, but limitations of space and time mean that I cannot also relate those general points to concrete examples from the contemporary world. I hope that it will not be hard for anyone to see how that can be done.