Ideas
783 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 148 ratingsIDEAS is a deep-dive into contemporary thought and intellectual history. No topic is off-limits. In the age of clickbait and superficial headlines, it's for people who like to think.
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Episodes
“Sometimes I think this city is trying to kill me…”
April 19, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB“Sometimes I think this city is trying to kill me…” That’s what a man on the margins once told Robin Mazumder who left his healthcare career behind to become an environmental neuroscientist. He now measures stress, to advocate for wider well-being in better-designed cities.
The "Reconciliation" Generation: Indigenous Youth and the Future for Indigenous People
April 18, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIndigenous activist Riley Yesno addresses the hopes, disappointments, accomplishments and misuses of ‘reconciliation’ in post-TRC Canada. The Anishnaabe scholar says Indigenous youth who came of age at this time are "meant to be responsible for seeing it through to its next stage."
The history of bombing civilians — and why it’s still a military tactic
April 17, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBThe bombing of civilians has been called one of the "great scandals" of modern warfare. So why, despite nearly a century of drafting laws and signing conventions protecting the sanctity of human life, does bombing civilians remain a widespread military tactic?
Humboldt's Ghost, Pt 2: The meaning of education
April 16, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIDEAS continues to explore Wilhelm von Humboldt’s public education system with guests, including acclaimed author Gabor Maté, who is a former English teacher. Is this 200-year-old system equipped to meet the challenging demands of the 21st century? And does it still reflect Humboldt’s ideals, especially at the university level? *This is part two of a two-part series.
Pt 2: The origins of the school system — and what's missing now
April 16, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIDEAS continues to explore Wilhelm von Humboldt’s public education system with guests, including acclaimed author Gabor Maté, who is a former English teacher. Is this 200-year-old system equipped to meet the challenging demands of the 21st century? And does it still reflect Humboldt’s ideals, especially at the university level? *This is part two of a two-part series.
Humboldt's Ghost, Pt 1: Origins of our 200 year-old public education system
April 15, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBTwo hundred years ago, Wilhelm von Humboldt created the public education system as we know it today. At the heart of his philosophy of education was the concept of Bildung — reaching one's inner potential. Yet over the years, as his public education system was adopted, Bildung may well have been the critical piece left out. *This is part one of a two-part series.
The origins of the school system — and what's missing now
April 15, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBTwo hundred years ago, Wilhelm von Humboldt created the education system as we know it today. At the heart of his philosophy of education was the concept of Bildung — reaching one's inner potential. Yet over the years, as his public education system was adopted, Bildung may well have been the critical piece left out. *This is part one of a two-part series.
The 2000 CBC Massey Lectures: The Rights Revolution by Michael Ignatieff
April 12, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIn his 2000 Massey Lectures on The Rights Revolution, Michael Ignatieff confronted the conflicted rise of human rights language in Canadian and global politics. "Has the rights revolution brought us closer together as a nation, or driven us further apart?" he asks in his final Massey lecture. We revisit this talk, as part of our series marking the 60th anniversary of Massey College.
Massey at 60: Michael Ignatieff on how human rights language has shaped Canadian politics
April 11, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBTwenty-four years ago, Massey lecturer Michael Ignatieff delivered five talks that explored the powerful rise of the language of 'rights' in Canada and other industrialized nations. Michael Ignatieff speaks with former IDEAS host Paul Kennedy to reflect on his talks — and how the rights revolution continues to shape politics today, often in unexpected ways. *This episode is part of an ongoing series of episodes marking the 60th anniversary of Massey College, a partner in the Massey Lectures.
Massey at 60: Michael Ignatieff on how human rights language shapes Canadian politics
April 11, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBTwenty-four years ago, Massey lecturer Michael Ignatieff delivered five talks that explored the powerful rise of the language of 'rights' in Canada and other industrialized nations. Michael Ignatieff speaks with former IDEAS host Paul Kennedy to reflect on his talks — and how the rights revolution continues to shape politics today, often in unexpected ways. *This episode is part of an ongoing series of episodes marking the 60th anniversary of Massey College, a partner in the Massey Lectures.
Bonus | 2024 Massey lecturer Ian Williams on courageous conversations and taking risks
April 10, 2024 15:10 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBWe've dropped this bonus podcast into the feed to announce that Canadian writer Ian Williams is this year’s Massey lecturer. He spoke with Q host Tom Power to tell us why he’s chosen the topic of 'conversations' for his lecture series, how listening can be a courageous act, and why he believes it’s important to have difficult conversations, even at the risk of offending people.
How the outdoors has inspired women to become trailblazers
April 10, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBHarvard historian Tiya Miles believes the more girls and women are outdoors, the more fulfilling their lives will be. In her book, Wild Girls, Miles shows how girls who found self-understanding in the natural world became women who changed America.
Authoritarian study makes a comeback to understand lure of far-right movements
April 09, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBA groundbreaking study conducted in the wake of the Second World War by a group of scholars rocked the academic world when it was published in 1950 — but fell out of favour. Now a new generation of scholars is reviving the lessons of The Authoritarian Personality to understand the politics of our time. *This episode originally aired on April 4, 2022.
The Value of Group Therapy
April 08, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIs group therapy underused in treating mental health? Psychiatrist Molyn Leszcz calls it an “incredibly powerful” approach, where patients heal each other and themselves through support and, sometimes, challenge. Scholar Jess Cotton agrees, tracing the radical roots of an idea that she thinks could hold a greater place today.
Montreal's hidden Confederate history
April 05, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBMontreal was a hotbed of spies and conspirators during the U.S. Civil War. IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed and investigative journalist Julian Sher, author of The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, tour Montreal’s past and present, tracing the city’s hidden Confederate past.
Living in legal limbo: How states create 'ghost citizens'
April 04, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBWhat do ghost stories capture about the experience of being stateless? IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed speaks with lawyer and scholar Jamie Chai Yun Liew on how states create “ghost citizens” — and how the long aftermath of colonialism still shapes definitions of citizenship today.
Betrayal of Faith: The Story of Pastedechouan
April 03, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBPastedechouan was an Innu boy taken to France by Catholic clergymen in 1620. What happened to him 400 years ago may well be the template that would later become the residential school system. IDEAS retraces the story of Pastedechouan, revealing that history has an extremely long reach.
Ross Gay on the Necessity of Joy and Delight
April 02, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBFor award-winning poet and bestselling author Ross Gay, joy and delight aren’t frivolous or a privilege. He argues they’re absolutely essential to a meaningful life — especially in the face of grief, sadness and suffering.
What Good Is Philosophy?
April 01, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB"What is good?" is at the heart of philosophy. Asking the question helps us move toward answers about inclusivity, equality, and who gets a voice at the table. Last year, The Munk School at the University of Toronto hosted philosophers and writers and put philosophy to the test. When it comes to the good, they asked, what good is philosophy? *This episode originally aired on Sept. 8, 2023.
Nine Minutes that Changed the World
March 29, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIn 1876, the poet Stéphane Mallarmé published a poem entitled "The Afternoon of a Faun." He doubted anyone could set it to music successfully. But composer Claude Debussy did exactly that. The music runs only about nine minutes long, but it helped give birth to the modern era as we know it. *This episode originally aired on May 30, 2017.
Putin Critic Garry Kasparov: Winter is Here
March 28, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBNearly a decade after Russia annexed Crimea, Russia’s war on Ukraine is entering its third year. As Putin is starting yet another term — Russian opposition activist Gary Kasparov’s warnings from his book, Winter is Coming, are playing out in real time. Nahlah Ayed speaks with Garry Kasparov.
Russian Opposition Activist Garry Kasparov: Winter is Here
March 28, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIn 2015, Garry Kasparov's book Winter is Coming warned that the West’s hesitant policies towards Russia’s Vladimir Putin encouraged his authoritarian tendencies. Nearly 10 years later, Putin’s army is still fighting in Ukraine, and at home, he’s shut down virtually all dissent. Nahlah Ayed speaks with Garry Kasparov.
Conflicted: a Ukrainian journalist covers her country at war
March 27, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB“We face a continual tension between holding the government to account, and not wanting the enemy to undermine us by exploiting bad news," says Ukrainian journalist Veronika Melkozerova. She delivered this year's Peter Stursberg Foreign Correspondents Lecture, focusing her talk on what Ukrainian journalists confront daily: patriotism versus journalism.
Conflicted: a Ukrainian journalist covers her nation at war
March 27, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB“We face a continual tension between holding the government to account, and not wanting the enemy to undermine us by exploiting bad news," says Ukrainian journalist Veronika Melkozerova. She delivered this year's Peter Stursberg Foreign Correspondents Lecture, focusing her talk on what Ukrainian journalists confront daily: patriotism versus journalism.
Kate Beaton: What's lost when working-class voices are not heard
March 26, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBKate Beaton and her family have deep roots in hard-working, rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. In her 2024 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, the popular cartoonist points out what is lost when working-class voices are shut out of opportunities in the worlds of arts, culture, and media.
CBC Massey Lectures: Audience Q&A with Astra Taylor
March 25, 2024 12:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBInsecurity has become a "defining feature of our time," says 2023 CBC Massey lecturer Astra Taylor. She explores how rising inequality, declining mental health, and the threat of authoritarianism, originate from a social order built on insecurity. In this episode, Astra Taylor answers audience questions from the cross-Canada tour. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 27, 2023.
CBC Massey Lectures | #5: Escaping the Burrow
March 18, 2024 12:10 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBHuman beings will never be totally secure, especially not on a planet that has been destabilized. In Astra Taylor's final Massey Lecture, she offers some hope and solutions. Taylor suggests cultivating an ethic of insecurity — one that embraces our existential insecurity. The experience of insecurity, she says, can offer us a path to wisdom — a wisdom that can guide not only our personal lives but also our collective endeavours.
CBC Massey Lectures | #1: Cura’s Gift
March 18, 2024 08:10 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBInsecurity has become a "defining feature of our time," says CBC Massey lecturer Astra Taylor. The Winnipeg-born writer and filmmaker explores how rising inequality, declining mental health, the climate crisis, and the threat of authoritarianism originate from a social order built on insecurity. In her first lecture, she explores the existential insecurity we can’t escape — and the manufactured insecurity imposed on us from above.
CBC Massey Lectures | #2: Barons or Commoners?
March 18, 2024 08:05 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBIn Astra Taylor's second Massey Lecture, she argues our social order runs on insecurity. But we’re also guaranteed the right to “security of the person.” The wealthy barons of the past and present have defined what security means for themselves — but the rest of us, ordinary commoners, have fought for something else instead.
CBC Massey Lectures | #3: Consumed by Curiosity
March 18, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBIt’s a paradox — we live in the most prosperous era in human history, but it’s also an era of profound insecurity. Massey lecturer Astra Taylor suggests that history shows that increased material security helps people be more open-minded, tolerant, and curious. But rising insecurity does the reverse — it drives us apart.
CBC Massey Lectures | #4: Beyond Human Security
March 18, 2024 07:52 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBThe burning of fossil fuels causes the past, present and future to collide in destructive ways. In her fourth CBC Massey Lecture, Astra Taylor tells us that as the climate alters, evolved biological clocks erratically speed up or slow down, causing plants and animals to fall out of sync. In a world this out of joint, how could we possibly feel secure? But there is a path forward.
Astra Taylor: The Hidden Truth of the World
March 15, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIn conversation with IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed, the 2023 Massey lecturer Astra Taylor explains how her early years in the unschooling movement shaped her worldview and how Occupy Wall Street taught her that 'thinking' and 'doing' go hand in hand. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 7, 2023.*
Massey at 60: Randy Boyagoda on Jean Bethke Elshtain
March 14, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBPhilosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain brought up an important question during the 1993 CBC Massey Lectures: is democracy as we know it in danger? Author and critic Randy Boyagoda and IDEAS producer Sean Foley revisit Elshtain's lectures. This episode is part of a series of conversations with — and about — former Massey Lecturers to mark the 60th anniversary of Massey College, a partner in the CBC Massey Lectures.
Masseys at 60: Randy Boyagoda on Jean Bethke Elshtain
March 14, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBPhilosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain brought up an important question during the 1993 CBC Massey Lectures: is democracy as we know it in danger? Author and critic Randy Boyagoda and IDEAS producer Sean Foley revisit Elshtain's lectures. This episode is part of a series of conversations with — and about — former Massey Lecturers to mark the 60th anniversary of Massey College, a partner in the CBC Massey Lectures.
The Hague: City of Peace and Justice
March 13, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIn a world where peace and justice can be hard to come by, The Hague in The Netherlands projects something special: the city is a base for several world courts, as well as non-governmental organizations, charities and non-profits. It's even earned itself the title of the "City of Peace and Justice." In The Fire Within Us, IDEAS takes a look at why some organizations call The Hague home.
The Poetry of Why: Chimwemwe Undi
March 12, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBA conversation with Winnipeg Poet Laureate Chimwemwe Undi about home, belonging, racism, living downtown, and about poetry as a vehicle for life’s big questions — as her first collection of poetry, Scientific Marvel, is set to be published.
Ian Williams: The Endless Procession of Days
March 11, 2024 04:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBGiller Prize-winning novelist and poet Ian Williams (Reproduction) explores the relationship between the past and future, inspired by the Crow's Theatre's production of Anton Chekhov's classic drama, Uncle Vanya. This episode is part of a public lecture series called IDEAS at Crow's Theatre.
Alanis Obomsawin: The Art of Listening
March 08, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIndigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has witnessed nearly a century of change. At 91 years old she continues to produce documentaries featuring Indigenous stories and voices. The Abenaki artist delivered the 2023 Beatty Lecture at McGill University. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 7, 2023.
Swinging and Singing: The Violin
March 07, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBFor musician and radio producer, David Schulman, the violin can swing and sing like nothing else. Schulman recently travelled to the north of Italy to try and discover the original trees from which Antonio Stradivari made his masterpieces. It’s a journey of surprise and delight. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 28, 2023.
Massey at 60: Tanya Talaga
March 06, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB2018 Massey Lecturer Tanya Talaga reflects on the legacy of cultural genocide, and on how the stories of Indigenous peoples offer lessons for Canada today. This episode is part of a series of conversations with — and about — former Massey Lecturers to mark the 60th anniversary of Massey College, a partner in the CBC Massey Lectures.
Papyrus: Exploring the Invention of the Book
March 05, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBThe book may well be the greatest invention since the wheel, according to author Irene Vallejo. She traces the history of this miraculous invention with a book of her own, Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World.
The Way of the Trucker
March 04, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBAn Ontario trucking union predicts a shortage of 30,000 truckers in Canada as old hands retire faster than new ones take on the job. IDEAS producer Tom Howell visits a trucking school in northern Ontario, where recruits consider their options, and the road ahead.
Herodotus: The Power and Peril of Story
March 01, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBHerodotus was committed to understanding the human causes of conflict and war. He gathered stories — some believable, others not — to show how different cultures understand themselves. Readings for this documentary by writer Michael Ondaatje. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 16, 2023.
Christina Sharpe on Ordinary Notes — Blackness in Canada
February 29, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBChristina Sharpe's award-winning book, Ordinary Notes, explores the complexity of Black life — blending memoir, history, cultural and political critique. She argues that the experience of Black people is misunderstood — but can be contested, and healed, by Black creativity, and community.
A Life-giving Chord: The Power of Gospel Music
February 28, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBA century after the founding of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, the sounds of Black gospel — which from its very beginnings has been steeped in the idea of community — echo at last, from its classrooms. Documentary producer Alisa Siegel takes us into that room where Black gospel is helping to transform the way that students learn, create, and perform music.
Healing the Land, Part Two: From Eden Ecology to Indigenous Ecology
February 27, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBMore than two years after a devastating fire, IDEAS visited St'át'imc territory around Lillooet, B.C. to learn how 21st-century wildfires are reshaping the landscape. This two-part series follows the work of the northern St'át'imc Nations, land guardians, and scientists from the Indigenous Ecology Lab at UBC as they seek to document the effects of wildfires and chart a new future.
Healing the Land, Part One: After the Fire
February 26, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBMore than two years after a devastating fire, IDEAS visited St'át'imc territory around Lillooet, B.C. to learn how 21st-century wildfires are reshaping the landscape. This two-part series follows the work of the northern St'át'imc Nations, land guardians, and scientists from the Indigenous Ecology Lab at UBC as they seek to document the effects of wildfires and chart a new future.
How to Flourish in a Broken World
February 23, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBThe world is full of problems — our broken healthcare, out-of-reach housing, a democracy in shambles and a dying planet. Is it actually possible to fix this mess? IDEAS hears from people working to fix our most intractable problems at a time when it can feel easier to just give up. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 21, 2023.
Singing in Dark Times | Sandeep Banerjee
February 22, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MB"In the dark times, will there also be singing?" Bertolt Brecht once asked. World literature scholar Sandeep Banerjee explores the power of art in times of war — and how ghost stories can help us imagine another world. This talk kicks off a new public lecture series called IDEAS at Crow’s Theatre.
Marriage and the Modern Woman
February 21, 2024 13:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBMarriage is on the decline in Canada. And in heterosexual unions, it’s women who more often initiate divorce, and wait longer to remarry. Why is marriage not working for women?