Ideas
Kanavan tiedot
Ideas
IDEAS is a place for people who like to think. If you value deep conversation and unexpected reveals, this show is for you. From the roots and rise of authoritarianism to near-death experiences to the history of toilets, no topic is off-limits. Hosted by Nahlah Ayed, we’re home to immersiv...
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Why AI needs to be nicer to us and develop 'maternal instincts'
If AI continues to develop without appropriate guardrails, a worst-case scenario could lead to human extinction, warns the 'godfather of artificial in...
Why winter does not justify ditching your bike for driving
IDEAS producer Tom Howell recently sold his car and joined the ranks of winter cyclists in Montreal. He is not the only one who commutes on bike in No...
From tests to sports, why we choke when it matters most
Under pressure, our nerves can take over. At job interviews, performing in front of an audience and it's definitely present in sports. But why do our...
How a man escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom
Henry Brown earned the name "Henry Box Brown" in March of 1849. He hatched a risky plan and had himself shipped in a wooden crate, from Richmond to Ph...
What Chinese science-fiction has to tell us about reality
With vengeful alien civilizations and hologram wives, Chinese science fiction is in its heyday. One hot topic discussion is how the genre and culture...
Why only the will of the people can save democracy
Neither the legal system nor the Constitution can change the course of the United States’ descent into illiberalism, argues human rights and civil lib...
To mudlark is to scavenge for a piece of history to keep
Mudlarking is a hobby that's having a moment. The opportunity to take part in the painstaking, low-tech scrape through history draws thousands of peop...
How a natural catastrophe 8,000 years ago may have fueled Brexit
For the first two billion years, the Earth didn't have oxygen. That's just one of the many fascinating details Peter Frankopan reveals in his book, Ea...
The trailblazing all-Black baseball team that made history
More than a decade before Jackie Robinson became the first Black player to take the field in Major League Baseball, a ball team from a small Southwest...
Following the wisdom of water to remake an unravelling world
Water has been "a powerful teacher" for Nishnaabeg scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, a member of Alderville First Nation north of Lake Ontario. Wit...
Why the Monroe Doctrine has world leaders on edge
Firstly, you might ask: What is the Monroe Doctrine? It's a U.S. policy created in the 19th century that opposes foreign interference in the affairs o...
How to develop 'in the zone' hyper focus
You've likely experienced it: that state of being in the groove, on a roll, lost in the process. It's what researchers call 'flow': a state intimately...
How 'soft power' can be flexed in shifting geopolitics
"We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Canada's Prime Minster Mark Carney said in a recent speech at the World Economic Forum. The shif...
PT 2 | An injustice system where 'you can buy your way out'
Our justice system was developed under the assumption that both parties in a dispute would each have a lawyer. But the reality is most Canadian's can'...
PT 1 | An injustice system where 'you can buy your way out'
Marcell Wilson knows how to game the criminal justice system. He's been charged upwards of 30 times for what he says were “mostly violent crimes" and...
Can empathy be dangerous?
It depends on who you ask. Until recently empathy was generally considered a positive thing. But a growing number of mostly conservative voices believ...
Why AI needs limits so humans can flourish
"You're awakening a dragon. Public anger is stirring." A warning from Rutger Bregman to Silicon Valley. The historian is sounding the alarm over the e...
Can a trucker's life entice young people to take the wheel?
Jacques Picotte used to drive 16 hours straight, with only water and a bag of chips in the cab before resting at a pit stop. That was 20 years ago. He...
How Britain caused Ireland's Great Famine
The potato and the Irish Famine of 1845 will forever be linked. But what's often overlooked is how deeply connected the potato was to British colonial...
Birth gives us life. But do you know its history?
We are all born. Birth is the story of us all. So why aren’t we more curious about its history? That's what historian Lucy Inglis wanted to know. She'...
How a 'conspiracy of decency' could build a better future
What's the secret weapon to make political change happen? It's not a trick question, it's simple: perseverance, says BBC Reith Lecturer Rutger Bregman...
It's time for a 'moral revolution.' This is a call to action
We live in an "age of immorality," argues historian and author Rutger Bregman. "The moral rot runs deep across elite institutions of every stripe," Br...
What makes left-handers special?
This podcast seeks answers to the question. If you are left-handed then you are part of the 10 per cent of humankind that detested craft time in eleme...
How Galileo revolutionized science to make way for modernity
Think of science's most momentous developments in the 20th century — Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum physics, finding evidence of black holes...
How Sudan’s generous spirit survives war and neglect
"This is a hopeless situation but we are not helpless." This is what drives Sudanese journalist Yousra Elbagir's reporting on her homeland's forgotten...
The bittersweet freedom to grieve in Syria
"Those who remember the disappeared would also disappear." Under dictator Bashar al-Assad, grieving publicly in Syria was punishable. Now the silenced...
How horses shaped humankind, from wearing pants to vaccines
Prior to riding horses, no one wore pants. There's a lot to thank horses for in our daily lives. From the Hollywood motion picture to life-saving vacc...
Why copyright laws do more harm than good
It's getting pretty difficult to read any article online without a paywall in the way. What happened to the internet's great promise to democratize kn...
We're not machines. Why should our online world define life?
We gorge ourselves on the internet, smartphones, social media, information overload — all of it constantly sap us of our emotional and intellectual vi...
'Dialogue between science and religion matters to the planet'
Holmes Rolston III began his career as a Presbyterian minister. But his love of the natural world — and his belief in evolution — didn't sit well with...
The most famous French-Canadian novel you've never heard of
Maria Chapdelaine: A Tale of French Canada is one of the most widely read works of fiction ever written in French. It's considered the world's highest...
When words get in the way, vocal improv saves the day
Would you 'doo-be-doo' if you know it would help bridge divides? Try vocal improvisation — singing sounds, rhythms and melodies. PhD candidate Erwan N...
Ditch democracy. This movement wants tech-elites to govern
What do you get when you take some of the classic Enlightenment values like reason, fairness, and justice, and substitute them with opinion, privilege...
Autonomy is vital to MAID law and the right to die: ethicist
Bioethicist Arthur Schafer has thought a lot about life and death. He's helped shape policy on medically assisted death (MAID) in Canada. The philosop...
New Year's Levee | Episodes we're working on in 2026
Today we bring you our annual New Year's Levee looking ahead at episodes in the works to keep your curiosity satiated. You can anticipate a fresh rost...
Could resetting the body's clock help cure jet lag?
Kritika Vashishtha has been pursuing a cure for jet lag and it's possible she's found the answer. The Canadian aerospace engineer recently invented a...
How the invention of the book shaped humanity
If we weren't so used to having books, we would think of them as a "miracle." That's how historian Irene Vallego
views what she says is humankin...
Hallelujah! The transformative power of Black gospel music
When Darren Hamilton began university, he was shocked to find that there were no Black music courses and Black music professors. He grew up singing sp...
Jazz fan or not, you've probably heard this musician play
If you think you've never heard Jerry Granelli play drums — you likely have. Think of a comic strip holiday special and an iconic soundtrack: A Charli...
Revealing facts about the Christmas song meant for Easter
Handel’s Messiah is one of the best-loved pieces of Christmas music. Only it was meant for Easter. But it draws on far more from the Old Testament tha...