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.
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The 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.
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Singing in Dark Times | Sandeep Banerjee
2024/02/22
"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.
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Marriage and the Modern Woman
2024/02/21
Marriage 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?
From Page to Stage: Exploring sex and gender in Shakespeare's work
2024/02/20
In the thorny thickets of love and desire, how do Shakespeare’s characters talk to each other? And what’s changed in 400 years? From the Stratford Festival, IDEAS explores the challenges around issues of sex and gender in staging Shakespeare’s plays.
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What’s Up with The Birds?
2024/02/19
Fears of technological overreach, environmental decline, and the violent rise of the irrational: our 21st-century anxieties were anticipated in an unlikely 20th-century horror metaphor. “The Birds” – a haunting 1953 short story by Daphne duMaurier, and the truly bizarre 1963 Alfred Hitchcock movie that it inspired. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 6, 2023.
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Smart Cities, Technology and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias
2024/02/16
Nothing seems to make a city politician’s eyes light up like the promise of the smart city. In his book, Dream States, journalist John Lorinc questions whether smart technologies live up to the hype and whether ultimately smart cities serve the interests of city dwellers or big tech companies. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 19, 2023.
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For the Sake of the Common Good: Honouring Lois Wilson
2024/02/15
Lois Wilson has lived many lives during her 96 years: a United Church Minister, a Senator, a human rights advocate and an inspiration to many — exhibiting a humility that can only be described as steadfast. For the Sake of the Common Good: Essays in Honour of Lois Wilson is a tribute to the life and work of a remarkable Canadian.
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Obtaining Justice Without Demonizing Your Enemies: Martha Minow
2024/02/14
In the age of growing polarization, how do you tackle injustice without demonizing your enemies? Former Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow tackles that question in her 2023 Horace E. Read Memorial Lecture.
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Seduced by Story: The Dangers of Narrative
2024/02/13
Humans are storytelling creatures. But literary scholar Peter Brooks argues that stories have become far too dominant as the way we understand ourselves and the world. IDEAS examines the dangers of seeing everything as a story. *This episode originally aired on March 7, 2023.
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5 Canadian Writers on Subverting Identity
2024/02/12
Identity is a hot topic in our era, but also a complex reality. Five literary writers — all of them winners of 2023 Governor General’s Literary Awards — read from new poems, essays, and stories that consider the ways that seemingly solid identities can be altered, questioned, or entirely subverted.
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The Dark Side of Charisma: Molly Worthen
2024/02/09
Charisma can be a dangerous thing in politics. Writer and scholar Molly Worthen examines how today’s breed of charismatic leaders presents themselves as having the power to transform lives, transfixing their followers into unquestioning fealty, in her 2023 Larkin-Stuart Lecture. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 3, 2023.
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Hands Up Who Loves Timmins
2024/02/08
Timmins calls itself “the city with a heart of gold." And it offers a fast track to permanent residency for immigrants willing to move there. IDEAS producer Tom Howell finds out what this northern Ontario city has to offer a newcomer, and who’s ready to fall in love with Shania Twain’s hometown. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 11, 2023.
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Podcast reviews
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4.6 out of 5
242 reviews
1666!.
2023/08/26
Great Show
Always enjoy topics presented and great interview partners are picked. I’ve learned a lot from various episodes. Listening from Germany.
cochineal.moon
2023/01/06
Architecture of war and peace
Excellent story told thru the lens of many.
sidneyhart
2023/03/06
Sidney Hart
We are stuffed to our gills with podcasts these days but IDEAS, which I guess is a radio show on Canada and is available everywhere else as a podcast,...
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Marcus517
2023/02/24
Broad generalities
Lots of good ideas but light on details and support. Some are science by anecdote and others are just feelings.
Briseis27
2022/12/04
Wow!
Kind of blown away by the elegance with which this team has managed to integrate very rich and in-depth reflections on themes like authoritarian perso...
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MHD Traverse City
2022/11/24
Ideas
If only American public radio had the same freedom of expression.
saabrian
2022/11/17
Five stars
This is by far the most consistently thought-provoking podcast I have found.
Jwd51
2021/12/15
Ode to Failure
This was a thoughtful and interesting episode. The idea that identity and achievement should be separate is profound even if it sounds simple. I would...
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a64736362
2021/08/21
Interesting
There are so many thought provoking episodes! I feel like I’ve come across an intellectual gold mine. Thank you to the CBC for creating such a great p...
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Potter Matt
2021/03/08
Thought provoking but uncritical
Giving voice to the dispossessed and disgruntled alike. Charming until they suggest seizing all property.