Ideas
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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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Artificial Intimacy: Love, Grief, and AI Chatbots
Millions of people are using AI to “talk” to the dead. The phenomenon has left cyberpsychologist Elaine Kasket asking what happens when we rely on for...
How leaders in the former Yugoslavia forged peace in 1995
For almost four years, the Bosnian War in the former Yugoslavia was characterized by ethnic hatreds, atrocities, and a refugee crisis. So when leaders...
Lessons from last century’s failed Mideast peace deal
When Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat met in Washington to sign the first Oslo Accords...
# 1: What it took to end a 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland
The process of making peace is often imperfect, and can shape the future in both positive and destructive ways. In a five-part series called Inventing...
With a decline in reading is our capacity to think eroding?
Thanks to AI, it's easier than ever to avoid reading books — but that convenience may come with a cost. IDEAS explores how our digital landscape, coup...
Buttons give the illusion of power but hide the consequences
Whether mechanical or digital, a button delivers the promise of power — but it's far from simple. The small and mighty technology has a riveting histo...
Blue jeans have a dark secret
Jeans are a quintessential fashion staple for the Canadian tuxedo — and a symbol of rebellion. But the world's most popular garment comes at an enviro...
Love or hate math, geometry is embedded in daily life
"Geometry is the cilantro of math. People are not neutral about it," says Jordan Ellenberg. The mathematician is aware not everyone loves math like he...
How casino culture plays with our brains
If the house always wins, why do we play? This documentary asks experts and observers to reflect on the casino as reality and metaphor. Skill versus l...
How Brutalist architecture goes beyond aesthetics
Brutalism has become the subject of architecture tours, a coffee-table art book darling, and a highly sought-after living environment. But concrete is...
Redeeming swamps from their wasteland reputation
Bogs, marshes, and swamps have long been cast as toxic wastelands, from the dead marshes in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to the vegetal monster from th...
The fear of fire is taking control of us
Humans used fire as a tool. Now we fear its destruction. But we're responsible for changing the climate, argues John Vailliant, "in a way that favours...
Suzuki's Survival Guide | How We Got To This Point
In 1989 the Canadian government was set to spring into action to address climate change. “If we don’t move now, it will be a disaster,” said then-Cons...
Suzuki’s Survival Guide | A Warning
In 1989 David Suzuki hosted a radio series called “It’s A Matter of Survival,” which addressed the climate crisis head-on. He and other scientists loo...
Why oil is a 'complicated saviour' to the world
Oil has delivered warmth, mobility, freedom and ruin all at the same time. "It's a very hard religion to ditch," says Don Gillmor, author of On Oil. Y...
New details on Canada's first documented 'demon possession'
When you're a historian and learn about Canada’s earliest reported ‘demon possession caused by witchcraft’ case, you dig right into the story. And tha...
Reimagining Franklin's quest for the Northwest Passage
When Sir John Franklin set out to find the Northwest Passage in 1845, he never returned. From that mystery, began the stories. But why do we keep comi...
Why Canadian patriotism right now isn't blind nationalism
Nationalism doesn't have to mean extremism. It can mean celebration. IDEAS shares this 1992 award-winning documentary about "The Idea of Canada," whic...
Why the 1976 novel Bear is still controversial — and relevant
At the surface, Bear is about a woman who develops a sexual relationship with a bear. And though the 1976 novel earned Marian Engel a Governor General...
The best comedians in the U.S. are Canadians
Canada produces legendary comedians and comic actors who excel on the world stage. So why is Canada not known for comedy? Does it have something to do...
4 is a rule maker and rule breaker | The Greatest Numbers of All Time
From the medicine wheel to the building blocks of DNA, the number four has represented structure and stability. But four is also a troublemaker: a por...
The 33,000 Horsepower Gamechanger | The Greatest Numbers of All Time
There is nothing random about featuring 33,000 in our number series. It's very powerful. So much so, that the number put millions of horses out of wor...
27 Club Lore | The Greatest Numbers of All Time
Twenty-seven can be a pivotal and tumultuous age. It’s held up as the year of peak performance in many sports and it's also seen as a cursed age for p...
12 is Sublime | The Greatest Numbers of All Time
Complete. Whole. Divine order. That's just the start of what makes the humble dozen extraordinary. It's one of only two numbers ever discovered in mat...
The Greatest Numbers of All Time | The Curse of 13
Has there ever been a number more maligned in western culture than 13? So feared, it's got its own horror-film franchise. So infamously unlucky, a goo...
Why moral suffering can be a good thing
It's tempting to think suffering should be avoided at all costs, but moral suffering has its own distinct standing. It signals a moral conscience. Eve...
What if God is the possibility of the impossible?
Former IDEAS writer-broadcaster David Cayley passed away at his home on Wednesday June 10, surrounded by family. To honour his legacy, we wanted to sh...
From Dua Lipa to Broadway, Houdini never disappears
There may be no one alive who saw Houdini perform magic. Yet we still know his name and his legend. Dua Lipa namechecked the escape artist in a 2023 d...
Without justice, can unbearable grief subside?
Sujata Berry's brother, Sharad was 16 years old when he was killed. He was aboard Air India Flight 182 when it exploded off the coast of Ireland on Ju...
The unforgivable crime of being queer in Africa
Homosexuality is illegal in more than half of African countries — a crime punishable by prison sentences. Or in some cases: death. In the past few yea...
How podcasts in Africa are reclaiming queerness and sex
Uganda and Ghana have the harshest laws against LGBTQ+ people in the world. Despite the threats, podcasters in both countries are fighting back by cre...
Why joy is most valuable when it's in public
When Jay Pitter was eight years old and out shopping with her mother, she began swaying to the music at the mall. Her mother scolded her for it — sign...
'When I'm bad, I'm better' – The revolutionary Mae West
Mae West shocked audiences and infuriated censors for more than 70 years. She was pop culture’s original blonde bombshell sex-symbol comedienne provoc...
Who's the hero when the choice is impossible?
Rachel Jedinak will never forget the day that changed her life in July 16, 1942. She was eight years old, living in Nazi-occupied France at a time kno...
The Billionaire Age Pt 3 | How oligarchs are taking over the world
Right now Elon Musk's wealth is currently around $825 billion US — more than double what it was a year earlier. Only 22 countries currently boast econ...
Confronting 'Housing Inc.' | Meet the 2026 CBC Massey Lecturer
Our homes have been stripped of their essential humanity, says Leilani Farha, this year's CBC Massey Lecturer. Today housing has become a commodity —...
Weekend Listen: Artificial Intimacy from CBC’s Understood
What happens when a human becomes intimately enmeshed with a chatbot? From people who’ve married their bots or who grieve their loved ones with the he...
The best — and worst — ideas of the last six decades
Sometimes the universe hands us a gift. Over the past year, our podcast listeners spent a total of 526,915 hours listening to our program. That's 21,9...
How IDEAS saved a listener from sending a regrettable email
"IDEAS is often a surprise" says Cathy Pike. It's why she's been a longtime listener. To our delight, IDEAS was there for her just at the right time....
CBC Massey Lecturers reveal how the talks changed them
This podcast features an all-star, and bestselling, lineup of CBC Massey Lecturers from the past decade:
Payam Akhavan (2017) and...