Ideas

Apr 14 2025 235 ep. 54 mins 13.3k
Ideas Podcast artwork

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.

  Society & Culture
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Do you truly live in a ‘free’ society? It’s complicated

Apr 14 2025 54 mins  
There's no universal definition for the word freedom, according to American historian Timothy Snyder. He divides the word into two categories for people — the freedom "from" and the freedom "to" various things. In the U.S., Snyder calls oligarchs like Elon Musk and President Donald Trump "heroes of negative freedom,” focused on being against things. But the author of On Freedom

Why world maps illustrate an artificial reality

Apr 11 2025 54 mins  
The Gulf of America/Gulf of Mexico controversy reminds us that maps may appear authoritative, but are a version of reality. At the same time, they can be rich, beautiful and informative, as Vancouver’s Kathleen Flaherty explains, in this 2005 documentary made before Google Maps changed mapmaking forever.

Need some Stompin' Tom right now to celebrate being Canadian? We thought so.

Apr 10 2025 54 mins  
At a time when Canadians are rallying around the flag, IDEAS thought we could all use a little Stompin’ Tom Connors to keep us going. Famous for his black cowboy hat, he was an original, writing hundreds of songs about what it means to be Canadian. He may have died 12 years ago, but his songs live on, and resonate today.

Democracies 'stay true to your values' tackling borders, says U.S. expert

Apr 09 2025 54 mins  
A German, a Canadian, and an American meet to discuss national borders — crossing them, defending them, and reimagining what they could become before the century is out. Our three experts dig into what’s happening to the concept of borders, how they work, and how border policies have changed in the past 10 years.

How a network of journalists uncovered billions and toppled world leaders

Apr 08 2025 54 mins  
Between $21 and $32 trillion is hidden in offshore accounts. These secret stashes have been uncovered by the work of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) — a network of almost 300 investigative journalists. Their findings have led to multiple arrests and official inquiries in more than 70 countries, and the resignations of the leaders of Pakistan,

Can you return home? This author says revision offers radical possibilities

Apr 07 2025 54 mins  
"The first kind of return before language or story is a return to one another," says novelist Janika Oza. She looks at the ways in which the narrative arcs of ordinary lives are shaped by ruptures like colonialism, war, and the Partition of India — and what it means to continually seek to return through stories, memories and objects. This episode is the fourth in a series collabo

How a conspiracy theory becomes 'real'

Apr 04 2025 54 mins  
Growing up, PhD student Sarah believed in the literal interpretation of the Bible. She predicted that non-believers faced doom in hell upon Judgment Day. Born into a devout evangelical Christian community, she draws on her religious past to understand the visceral belief people acquire in conspiracy theories — from PizzaGate to the 'stolen' 2020 U.S. election. *This episode origi

Loving Your Country in the 21st Century (Step Three)

Apr 03 2025 54 mins  
Patriotism’s back in style. Along with it comes reasonable questions about when a love of your country is a good thing, and when it can lead you astray. Our series on the art of national pride continues with IDEAS producer Tom Howell gathering insights from Afghans, Israelis, and Americans in hopes of finding the key to doing patriotism right.

Walk with us through a rare old-growth forest in peril

Apr 02 2025 54 mins  
The World Wildlife Fund lists the Wabanaki-Acadian old-growth forest as endangered — with only one per cent remaining. The Wabanaki-Acadian forest stretches from parts of the Maritimes and Southern Quebec down into New England states. IDEAS explores the beauty and complexity of this ancient forest with 300-year-old trees. *This episode originally aired on June 11, 2024.

How Galileo revolutionized science to make way for modernity

Apr 01 2025 54 mins  
Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum physics, and finding evidence of black holes — trace the chain of discoveries that led to these breakthroughs and you'll end up with the Italian astronomer and inventor, Galileo Galilei. Renowned Italian theoretical physicist and author Carlo Rovelli says we can learn a lot from Galileo today. He explains how 400 years ago, this renaissa