Ideas

About this podcast

IDEAS 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.

Ideas

Episodes

2021
Ideas from the Trenches: The Resilience of Incarcerated Women
PhD student Rachel Fayter was incarcerated for more than three years. She draws from her experience and the relationships she formed in jail to inform her ‘groundbreaking’ research into the resilience of criminalized women.
March 3, 2021
55 min
Women and Machines: How technology has shaped gender roles
In her new book Work Mate Marry Love, Harvard professor Debora Spar argues that nearly all the decisions we make in our most intimate lives — whom we marry, how we have children, and how we build families — are driven by technology. She explains how these changes in technology have also affected the role of women in society throughout history.
March 2, 2021
55 min
Entre Chien et Loup: How Dogs Began
Scientists agree that dogs evolved from wolves and were the first domesticated animals. But exactly how that happened is hotly contested. IDEAS contributor Neil Sandell examines the theories and the evolution of the relationship between dogs and humans.
March 1, 2021
55 min
Pt 2: Rethinking Policing
*A warning, this episode contains descriptions of graphic violence.* In part two of our series looking at the role of police in society, IDEAS contributor Kyle G. Brown examines the use of police surveillance on citizens, the increased use of military tactics, and its struggles when responding to mental health emergencies.
February 26, 2021
55 min
Behind the Lines, Part Two
What kinds of responsibility does a Black writer have? Is it enough to just write whatever inspires you, or is there an obligation to take on the big questions of culture, class, colour? In part two of a two-part series, Black Canadian writers George Elliott Clarke, Afua Cooper and André Alexis discuss why they write and the importance of finding home in their work.
February 25, 2021
55 min
BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part Three
In our final episode of Mark Carney’s 2020 BBC Reith Lectures, the economist and former governor of the Banks of England and Canada, focuses on how the ultimate test of a more fair economy will be how it addresses the growing climate crisis.
February 24, 2021
55 min
BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part Two
2020 BBC Reith Lecturer Mark Carney continues his lecture series entitled, ‘How We Get What We Value.’ In this episode, the former bank governor focuses on the 2008 financial crisis and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
February 23, 2021
55 min
BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part One
Mark Carney is the 2020 Reith Lecturer, the BBC’s flagship lecture series. In his lectures entitled, 'How We Get What We Value,' he argues the worlds of finance, economics, and politics have too often prioritized financial values, over human ones. The future depends on reversing that shift. In lecture one, he addresses the changing nature of value — and how we've come to equate 'value' to what is profitable.
February 22, 2021
55 min
Beethoven's Scowl
Beethoven was born 250 years ago this year. Since his death, he’s been used as a symbol of big ideas, from liberalism to nationalism to manliness. This documentary examines the shifting image of Beethoven, and his malleability as a symbol.
February 19, 2021
55 min
The Forever Protest
Some protests hit with lightning speed and bring quick change in dramatic ways. But often the push for change takes much longer — decades, even generations. The change comes not from dramatic events but from a slow transformation of people, of culture, and society itself. IDEAS contributor Guy Dixon looks at the perpetual protest.
February 18, 2021
55 min
Behind the Lines, Part One
What kinds of responsibility does a Black writer have? Is it enough to just write whatever inspires you, or is there an obligation to take on the big questions of culture, class, colour? In part one of a two-part series, Black Canadian writers Canisia Lubrin, Nigel Thomas and Téa Mutonji discuss why they write and how they deal with the power — and the burden — of making art with language.
February 17, 2021
55 min
The Long Arm of Ayn Rand, Part Two
Ayn Rand's books, especially her two major works, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, continue to sell millions of copies. And her influence on politics and popular culture is stronger than ever. Contributor Sandy Bourque outlines the philosopher's improbable rise to fame and influence, and the surprising Canadian connection which helped secure her place in the history of ideas.
February 16, 2021
55 min
The Long Arm of Ayn Rand, Part One
The intelligentsia mocked her writings and lampooned her philosophy, which she called Objectivism. But Ayn Rand's books, especially her two major works The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, continue to sell millions of copies. There are Ayn Rand think tanks, academies, even dating sites. And her influence on politics and popular culture is stronger than ever. Contributor Sandy Bourque outlines Rand's improbable rise to fame and influence, and the surprising Canadian connection, which helped secure her place in the history of ideas. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 1, 2018.
February 15, 2021
55 min
'I love you': the most treasured (and misunderstood) expression of all time
I love you: those three magic words are the most powerful and misunderstood words in the English language, according to writer and contributor Marianne Apostilides. She draws from Shakespeare, Freud, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton and other greats to parse how "I love you" can be enriching, manipulative and even empty.
February 12, 2021
55 min
The Travels of Mirza Saleh Shirazi
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a series of Persian travellers from Iran and India to visit cities all over the world. They wrote popular travelogues describing the cultures and ideas they encountered and asked the questions fundamental to all of us: who am I? What is our relationship to each other, and to the world?
February 11, 2021
55 min
Rembrandt in Amsterdam, Part Two
His early art work in the Dutch city of Leiden wasn't all that great, but soon after Rembrandt arrived in Amsterdam in 1631, he had become the most highly sought-after artist around. Rembrandt's art makes us rethink what it means to be an artist, and a consumer of art. His art looks back at us and demands: who do you think you are, looking at this?
February 10, 2021
55 min
The 99% Invisible City: Roman Mars
For the last decade, Roman Mars has been exploring the hidden stories behind architecture and design in his podcast 99% Invisible. He speaks with Nahlah Ayed about how learning to read the secret language of cities reveals reasons for delight all around us, why he sees cities as ‘evolving organisms,’ and how war and disease shape the built environment.
February 9, 2021
55 min
The Evolution of Policing, Part One
In part one of a two-part documentary series on policing, contributor Kyle G. Brown traces its history, from the watchmen of the pre-modern era, to colonial forces — to the increasingly militarized police of today.
February 8, 2021
55 min
I Will Never See The World Again: Imprisoned writer Ahmet Altan’s memoir of resilience
In a small Turkish prison cell, celebrated novelist and journalist Ahmet Altan has written a powerful memoir. It was smuggled out by his lawyer, who says the charges against Altan are kafkaesque. One of the charges: that he gave out subliminal messages, during a TV interview, in support of a coup against President Erdogan. But Altan’s memoir goes beyond the injustices of authoritarianism, to what it means to be human, and our ability to survive adversity.
February 5, 2021
55 min
Love Tunnels: Getting Married in Las Vegas
Contributors David Zane Mairowitz and Malgorzata Zerwe recount their odyssey throughout the southwest United States, as they ponder wedding services that range from mere kitsch to the truly bizarre. Their journey culminates, naturally, in Las Vegas, where they tie the knot at a drive-through chapel in a minutes-long ritual.
February 4, 2021
55 min

Ideas

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

Ideas

Episodes

Ideas from the Trenches: The Resilience of Incarcerated Women

Women and Machines: How technology has shaped gender roles

Entre Chien et Loup: How Dogs Began

Pt 2: Rethinking Policing

Behind the Lines, Part Two

BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part Three

BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part Two

BBC Reith Lectures: Mark Carney, Part One

Beethoven's Scowl

The Forever Protest

Behind the Lines, Part One

The Long Arm of Ayn Rand, Part Two

The Long Arm of Ayn Rand, Part One

'I love you': the most treasured (and misunderstood) expression of all time

The Travels of Mirza Saleh Shirazi

Rembrandt in Amsterdam, Part Two

The 99% Invisible City: Roman Mars

The Evolution of Policing, Part One

I Will Never See The World Again: Imprisoned writer Ahmet Altan’s memoir of resilience

Love Tunnels: Getting Married in Las Vegas