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Ideas

A Society & Culture podcast

#73 in Top Podcasts · 🇨🇦
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About the show

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 immersive documentaries and fascinating interviews with some of the most consequential thinkers of our time. With an award-winning team, our podcast has proud roots in its 60-year history with CBC Radio, exploring the IDEAS that make us who we are.  New episodes drop Monday through Friday at 5pm ET.

Newest episodes

Canada's original anti-Fascist army

54 min

Vimy, Dieppe and Normandy are places that hold profound and enduring meaning for many Canadians. But few have heard of Brunete, Teruel and Fuentes de Ebro — battles that saw Canadian volunteers facing Nazi bullets and bombs during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1965, CBC researcher Mac Reynolds spoke with volunteers to understand why they defied Canadian law to put their lives on the line to fight fascism in a country not their own. This documentary is called "A Duty Beyond Borders," by freelance contributor Stephen Smith.

Writer Adam Gopnik on the evolution of antisemitism into anti-urbanism

54 min

The current wave of anti-elitism and anti-urbanism we're seeing from authoritarian leaders and their followers may seem to have erupted out of nowhere. But for New Yorker writer and former CBC Massey Lecturer Adam Gopnik, what we see now stems from historic antisemitism. *This episode originally aired Feb. 18, 2025

The journalist who became a pawn in Putin’s game

54 min

The 2023 detainment in Russia of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich made international headlines. Two years post-release, he’s taken the story back in a book: This Cursed Beautiful Land. He discusses journalism, freedom and international law at the 2026 Graeme Gibson Talk, along with fellow writers Carol Off and Philippe Sands.

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The newest 50 of 237 episodes

Canada's original anti-Fascist army

54 min

Vimy, Dieppe and Normandy are places that hold profound and enduring meaning for many Canadians. But few have heard of Brunete, Teruel and Fuentes de Ebro — battles that saw Canadian volunteers facing Nazi bullets and bombs during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1965, CBC researcher Mac Reynolds spoke with volunteers to understand why they defied Canadian law to put their lives on the line to fight fascism in a country not their own. This documentary is called "A Duty Beyond Borders," by freelance contributor Stephen Smith.

Writer Adam Gopnik on the evolution of antisemitism into anti-urbanism

54 min

The current wave of anti-elitism and anti-urbanism we're seeing from authoritarian leaders and their followers may seem to have erupted out of nowhere. But for New Yorker writer and former CBC Massey Lecturer Adam Gopnik, what we see now stems from historic antisemitism. *This episode originally aired Feb. 18, 2025

The journalist who became a pawn in Putin’s game

54 min

The 2023 detainment in Russia of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich made international headlines. Two years post-release, he’s taken the story back in a book: This Cursed Beautiful Land. He discusses journalism, freedom and international law at the 2026 Graeme Gibson Talk, along with fellow writers Carol Off and Philippe Sands.

How to spot a slow-motion coup

54 min

In the wake of the U.S. midterm elections, Kim Lane Scheppele is relieved that the electoral process ran smoothly. Yet she believes there is still reason to fear for the health of American democracy. She argues that not all government coups require long knives, tanks, kidnapped politicians, renegade army officers or even clear illegality. There’s such a thing as “constitutional” coup, says the Princeton politics professor. This type of coup gradually overcomes safeguards through legal and norm-changing measures, using the tools of democracy itself, until all that remains is one-party autocratic rule. Scheppele draws on her years living in Hungary and Russia, plus her study of democratic collapses around the world, to propose a ten-point checklist that helps us spot when such a constitutional coup is underway. And like many American experts on autocracy, she’s now turning her analytic gaze on her own country.

The suffragist who was too radical for Susan. B. Anthony

54 min

You likely have never heard of Matilda Joslyn Gage. Gloria Steinem calls her “the woman ahead of the women who were ahead of their time.” Matilda worked side by side with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to get women the vote in the United States and co-wrote the history of the women’s movement with them. IDEAS producer Dawna Dingwall looks into why the towering figure was erased by her peers, and the work that is being done to write Matilda back into history. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 26, 2026. "The Matilda Effect" was a term coined by a historian Margaret Rossiter to describe women whose work had been overlooked and erased from history, like Matilda Gage. Listen to this podcast to hear about the lost women of science and how Rossiter gave them the credit they deserved. Guests in this episode: Angelica Shirley Carpenter, author of Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn Gage, Radical Suffragist Michael Patrick Hearn, author of the Annotated Wizard of Oz Gita Dorothy Morena, great-great-granddaughter of Matilda Joslyn Gage Ciarrai Eaton, executive director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation The late Sally Roesch Wagner, former ED of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation appears courtesy of The Book Dreams Podcast, WCNY's Repeating History podcast, the International Wizard of Oz Club and filmmaker Jeremy Kagan.

Understanding our genes to help our minds

54 min

For thousands of years, genetic inheritance was an observation in search of a theory. While some once thought of genetic code as fate, we now know that our genes are in a complex dance with each other and the world around us. Dr. Jehannine (J9) Austin, head of the department of medical genetics at the University of British Columbia, delivered the 2026 Boehm Lecture in Public Health and Healthcare, called "Our Wellness Codes." They spoke about how genetic counselling can help reduce risk of illness and disease — and live a better life.

What good is philosophy?

54 min

"What is good?" is at the heart of philosophy. Asking the question helps us move toward answers about inclusivity, equality, and who gets a voice at the table. Last year, The Munk School at the University of Toronto hosted philosophers and writers and put philosophy to the test. When it comes to the good, they asked, what good is philosophy? *This episode originally aired on Sept. 8, 2023.

Why hope needs rage and love

54 min

In a world swirling with crisis upon crisis, historian Kevin Gannon contends that, even in our darkest days, hope persists. It might be far in the background sometimes, but it's always there. Gannon also argues that hope cannot exist without the oxymoronic twinning of love and rage.

How Houdini fought the misuses of magic

54 min

Magician Harry Houdini crusaded against for-profit psychics and séances in the years before his death. He deplored the tools of his own art being used to exploit grief, says author David Jaher. Now those same tools are being used in politics, marketing, and scams, say psychologists Massimo Polidoro and Alice Pailhès.

Why 'body horror' helps us confront the fears within us

54 min

"We are the monsters" — that's the premise for the genre of film known as body horror — movies that fixate on monstrous and grotesque changes to the body. There have been good body horror films and bad ones, but "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis was perhaps the most consequential. The movie captured anxieties around bodily autonomy and physical decay, just as the AIDS epidemic was becoming catastrophic. Forty years later, body horror is back with films like "The Substance" and "Together." Producer Matthew Lazin-Ryder examines what these films reveal about our bodies, our minds and our sense of who we are. *This episode originally aired on Dec. 18, 2025.

How being curious and confused drives scientific progress

54 min

Math may be the language of the universe, and brilliant minds and technology may have unlocked many of the secrets of the universe. But the pursuit of knowledge and insight always starts with the same thing: curiosity. Asimina Arvanitaki, a groundbreaking researcher with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont., reprises a talk she recently gave in her native Greece about the role of curiosity has played in the history of scientific discovery and in her own passion for science. And, in a wide-ranging onstage interview with Nahlah Ayed, she discusses the importance of fundamental research, the responsibilities of scientists to the public, and the appropriate role of AI in scientific research.

Why background music is everywhere

54 min

Erik Satie’s music is everywhere: in advertisements, coffee shops, and elevators. His iconic compositions like Gymnopédies have been streamed millions of times and become staples of background music worldwide. But Satie’s relationship to "background music" goes far deeper than simply having a knack for writing it. Over a century ago, he began composing what he called "furniture music" – pieces designed to fit into an environment just like a table, or chair. It was the beginning of a background music revolution, paving the way for everything from Brian Eno to Muzak. In "Satie’s Furniture," contributor Craig Desson tells the story of why Satie created furniture music, and how his radical idea transformed the way we listen today.

What's for dinner in 2050?

54 min

For most of human history there was one problem with our food: there wasn’t enough of it. But the food system we built to solve that problem — the one capable of feeding eight billion people — is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also made poor diet the leading cause of early death globally — ahead of smoking. Producer Mitchell Stuart spent a year asking: what should we be eating instead?  

How the Humanities can pull down the screens between us

54 min

From the earliest days of cinema to our era of streaming, zooming, and scrolling, the screen has become a central part of our lives -- so central that it actually impedes our lives, erasing our bodies, and to hiding from one another. Kim Nelson, film professor and director of the Humanities Research Centre at the University of Windsor, argues in a public talk that remaining connected entails protecting and treasuring the enduring wisdom of the humanities -- literature, history, philosophy, art, and drama. This event was held at the University of Windsor and features an onstage interview between Kim Nelson and IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed.

AI as the new Delphic Oracle?

54 min

For more than a thousand years the Oracle of Delphi sat on a stool at the ‘navel of the universe.’ Under a mystical trance, she would offer cryptic predictions of the future. People would wait months, even years, for their chance to ask the Oracle for guidance on matters ranging from reproductive challenges, to family tiffs to when and how to wage war. While the ritual around her remains shrouded in mystery, her predictions were – strangely – always right. Today our urge to predict the future mirrors the same psychological need that drove leaders to the Oracle at Delphi -- discomfort with uncertainty and deep seeded desire to control the unpredictable.

The 2,000-year-old travel list to complete before you die

54 min

More than 2,000 years ago, someone sat down and wrote a travel bucket list for the ancient world — suggesting must-see places that we now call The Seven Wonders of the World. It was kind of a Lonely Planet guide of its time, and included the Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Temple of Artemis, among others. Historian Bettany Hughes brings monuments and archaeological discoveries back to life in her book,"The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World." *This episode originally aired on Nov. 6, 2024.

How a natural catastrophe 8,000 years ago may have fueled Brexit

54 min

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, "Earth Transformed: An Untold History." The Oxford professor of global history takes us on a multi-million year tour, illustrating the breathtaking ways climate has shaped the Earth and human civilization. How the collapse of a sediment shelf 8,000 years ago isolated what's now Britain from Europe, and its potential influence on the Brexit vote in 2016. Or how climate fluctuations correlate to periods of antisemitic violence. There's a lot to learn in this podcast. Have a listen. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 9, 2026.

How the Moon shaped humanity — and defined life on Earth

54 min

Without the Moon, the Earth would be unrecognizable. Across the eons, it has shaped our seasons, our calendars — and even the evolution of life itself. Producer Annie Bender traces our nearest neighbour's powerful influence over humanity — and the planet we call home. Guests in this podcast: Charlie Duke is a retired NASA astronaut who walked on the Moon as part of the Apollo 16 mission. Rebecca Boyle is a journalist, historian and author of "Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are." Christopher Cokinos is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Arizona, and author of "Still as Bright: An Illuminating History of the Moon from Antiquity to Tomorrow."

Tech billionaires are betting on a coming Apocalypse

54 min

Authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor want to stop apocalyptic end-of-the-world thinking and its fantasies about colonizing other planets. “We love it here… we want to stay,” they say. They diagnose today's fascism as having an “Armageddon Industrial Complex,” whose main agents are apocalyptic fundamentalists, ethnonationalists, and tech billionaires fixated on creating a super-intelligence at any cost. In their book “End Times Fascism and the Fight for a Living World,” Klein and Taylor explore the convergent forces which not only welcome the end of the world, but seek to accelerate it. Guests in this podcast: Naomi Klein Naomi Klein is the author of several books including "No Logo" and "The Shock Doctrine," and "Doppelganger" which have sold in the millions around the world. Her work as a social activist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker critiques both the systems and the agents that have produced the climate crisis, consumer capitalism, and unaccountable corporatism. She is also a professor of Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia. Astra Taylor delivered the 2023 CBC Massey Lectures, called "The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart." Among her other books are "The People's Platform" and "Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone." She's also a journalist, a documentary filmmaker, and co-founder of The Deck Collective. She once declared publicly that she doesn't see herself primarily as a public intellectual, but rather as a “feral intellectual."

Are Alberta’s separatists guilty of 'moral treason'?

54 min

If you ask security expert and author Patrick Lennox the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ He argues Alberta separatism is less about Western alienation and more about a global effort to destroy liberal democracy. In his book, On Treason, Lennox says what’s unfolding in Alberta is part of a nefarious — and treasonous playbook that’s been used worldwide. To survive the threat, he suggests Canada must call out the traitors and arm ourselves against disinformation and deceit. *This is the final episode in our three-part series asking: what makes a nation? Listen to other episodes in this series: Map of Cascadia Quebec Separatism for Newcomers Guest in this podcast: Patrick Lennox is an international relations scholar and worked as a security expert for the Canadian government. He has written extensively about Canadian foreign policy and our relationship with the U.S. His latest book is called On Treason: Alberta Separatism, Foreign Interference and Canada’s Survival in a Revolutionary Age.

What draws a new immigrant to Quebec separatism?

54 min

With a newly elected government in Quebec promising to turn the province into its own country, and another separatist party warning against ethno-nationalism, immigrants in the province are asked to consider their loyalties. IDEAS producer Tom Howell finds out why newcomers might want to join the movement to leave Canada and help forge Quebec's new national path. *Part two in a three-part series asking: what makes a nation? Listen to another episode from this series: A Map of Cascadia On Treason: Alberta Separatism Guests in this podcast: Aisha Issa is a Parti Québécois candidate for the provincial riding of Maurice-Richard in Montreal, Quebec. She has been a supporter of Quebec sovereignty since the 1995 referendum. Marie-Anne Alepin is the president of the Societé St-Jean Baptiste of Montreal.  Gary Owen is a playwright and screenwriter from Cardiff, in Wales. His play, Owain & Henry is a historical epic about a Welsh military commander who rebelled against the English king, Henry IV, in the year 1400. Michael Sheen is an actor who plays Owain Glyndŵr in the play Owain & Henry, which he also co-directed. 

To become a Cascadian, just look south. Or north.

54 min

There’s a place where people make hoppy beer, fresh sushi, and damn fine coffee. It's called Cascadia. The lifestyle is laid-back, the scenery is majestic, and they even have a flag. Where is it exactly? Think of it as an ecological region stretching from Alaska to B.C. through the Pacific Northwest to Northern California. Its national identity transcends borders, and is bound through culture, history, attitude and language. Welcome to Cascadia: the West Coast utopian dream. *Part one in a three-part series asking: what makes a nation? Listen to another episode in this series: What draws a new immigrant to Quebec separatism? On Treason: Alberta Separatism Guests in this podcast: Fritz Götz is an associate professor in psychology at the University of British Columbia. He is also the director of the PANGEA lab, which stands for Personality and Geographical Ambiance Lab, studying geographical psychology. Julia Swan has a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Chicago, and she is an associate professor at San Jose State University. Alexander Baretich designed the Cascadian Bioregional Flag. Some people have nicknamed it “The Doug,” because of the Douglas Fir tree on the flag.

Bureaumania: A 'Granular' Look at Corporate Red Tape

54 min

Bureaucracies were created to get the work done and get it done efficiently, according to 19th-century thinker Max Weber. So why are there more and more meaningless executive jobs that contribute nothing but soak up the pay? IDEAS examines the corporate tendency to "bureaumania.” *This episode originally aired on Sept. 18, 2024.

Can empathy be dangerous?

54 min

It depends on who you ask. Until recently empathy was generally considered a positive thing. But a growing number of mostly conservative voices believe empathy can be extremely dangerous — even toxic. Their argument is that empathy can drive irrational thinking and behaviour in public life. The result is a growing battle over empathy in a world that has never seemed to need it more. Liked this episode? Have a listen to this: Why practicing empathy is far from simple. Guests on this podcast: Matt Richins – neuroscientist and psychologist, who did research on empathy at Exeter University, UK. Susan Lanzoni – author, historian of psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience and professor at Harvard’s School of Continuing Education Mary Gordon – founder of Roots of Empathy program, Toronto Michael Slote – author, philosopher and professor of ethics at the University of Miami Margaret Davidson – Roots of Empathy classroom facilitator, Chiganois Elementary Kourtney Simms – Chiganois Elementary teacher Ellie – Grade 1 student, Chiganois Elementary

Bearing Witness: Canadian Doctors in Gaza

54 min

Imagine seeing an atrocity with eyes wide open and then returning to a life that doesn't ask much about it. This is the experience of five Canadian doctors who have been offering urgent medical aid in Gaza for almost three years. But in Gaza, the absence of resources means often all they can do is bear witness. In this podcast, each doctor shares how what they experienced changed their lives. Guests in this episode: Mel Brecknell is a physician specializing in emergency medicine. Rizwan Minhas is a board certified physician in family medicine in Canada and the U.S. Ben Thomson is a Toronto physician working in nephrology, general internal medicine, and public health predominantly in humanitarian work zones. Eman Lubani is a pediatric emergency physician in London, Ontario. Noor Amin is a physician in Ontario practicing sports and exercise medicine.

The inconvenient truth about convenience culture

54 min

In the mid-20th century, convenience was presented as 'the wave of the future,' where revolutionary home appliances would reduce work and save time. Today, convenience drives the success of tech and retail giants, our phones have become 'convenience machines,' and AI has taken the concept to terrifying heights. What happens when a culture positions convenience as a 'supreme value'? In this podcast, IDEAS contributing producer Olivia Trono explores the cult of convenience and considers what inconvenience may have to offer us. Guests in this episode: Luang Por Amaro is the abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. His talk “Choose Life, Choose Inconvenience” is available on YouTube. Rebecca Beausaert is a history professor at the University of Guelph, and co-curator of "Kitchens of the Future: Food, Technology, and Convenience Culture in Cold War Canada." Joshua Neves is a professor of film and moving image studies at Concordia University, and co-author of In/Convenience: Inhabiting the Logistical Surround. Siva Vaidhyanathan is a media studies professor at the University of Virginia, and author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. Tim Wu is a law professor at Columbia University, and author of The Age of Extraction and The Attention Merchants.

How absurdist theatre is an act of resistance

54 min

Theatre of the Absurd was born in the wake of the Second World War as a recoil against the violent fetish that totalitarian regimes had for “order.” For 75 years, absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco's plays have been running continuously in Paris. IDEAS contributor Danny Braun went to Paris to delve into Ionesco's world where a professor can conclude confidently that a dog is in fact a cat. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 9, 2025.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Today's Authoritarians

54 min

The 21st century is witness to resurgent global authoritarianism, driven by leaders who answer to no law other than their own. Nahlah Ayed and panelists consider the rise of today’s authoritarians — Trump, Putin, Orban, Duterte and beyond — and what we can learn from history about how authoritarianism can be challenged, and ultimately defeated. This final episode in How to Defeat Authoritarianism examines our present moment, identifying the ways in which authoritarian politics has returned — and the tools to resist them. Listen to other episodes in this series: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Bashar al-Assad's Syria How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile Guests on this podcast: Marie-Joelle Zahar is a professor of political science at the University de Montréal. She is a 2023-26 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow, and has served multiple terms as a mediation expert for the United Nations, including a senior expert in the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria in 2017. Miriam Mufti is an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo. She’s the author of Pathways to Power, Recruitment and Regime Stability in Pakistan. Lucan Ahmad-Way is the distinguished professor of democracy in the political science department at the University of Toronto, and is the co-author of Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism.

Grief and the cost of outsourcing feeling

54 min

Hanif Abdurraqib lives his life heart-forward. His writing is informed by the many losses he's endured, but also by his commitment to "love deeply" and to not let machines do his thinking and feeling for him. Doing so, he says, risks atrophying our hearts and minds. "For me, the cost of a heart that's fraying at the edges is too high." Abdurraqib is the 2026 Weston International Award winner, presented by the Writers Trust of Canada for a body of work by a nonfiction author. He is a poet, essayist, cultural critic, and author of eight books, including, There’s Always Next Year and A Little Devil in America.

The Billionaire Age Pt 4 | How democracy can beat back the oligarchs

54 min

Feeling despair over the threats to democracy coming out of The Billionaire Age? Let alone the predictions we'll see 10 trillionaires within three years. Well, there are concrete solutions. Relatively straightforward ones. Thinkers from Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, to Dutch philosopher Ingrid Robyens to self-described oligarch and American venture capitalist Nick Hanauer say democracy can win over oligarchy. Listen to episodes in this five-part series, The Billionaire Age: Listen to Part One: How did we get here? Listen to Part Two: Disney heiress on the dangers of extreme wealth Listen to Part Three: How oligarchs are taking over the world Guests in this episode: Ingrid Robeyns is a philosopher and economist. She is the chair in Ethics of Intuitions at Utrecht University, and the author of Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth. Gabriel Zucman is an economist and the co-director of The World Inequality Lab. He's also a professor at the Paris School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley. Nitin Bharti is an economist and lecturer at the University of Western Australia. He is also the South and South-East Asia coordinator at the World Inequality Lab. Lars Osberg is an economics professor at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His latest book is The Scandalous Rise of Inequality in Canada. Paul Krugman is an economist and the winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Tim Wu is a legal scholar and professor at Columbia Law School. He is also a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times. His latest book is The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity. Nick Hanauer is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He co-authored the book, Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing The Lies and Half-Truths that Protect Profit, Power and Wealth in America, with Joan Walsh and Donald Cohen. He also hosts the podcast Pitchfork Economics.

How Iqaluit's learning institute gave a generation of Inuit adults a path back to Inuktut

54 min

Younger generations in Nunavut today are less likely to grow up immersed in Inuktut. At a language school in Iqaluit, Inuit adults who didn’t grow up speaking Inuktut now have the chance to learn it as a second language at the Pirurvik Centre. By learning the words for kinship terminology, they’re also discovering things about their families they never knew. *This episode is the first in a two-part series on language revitalization. It originally aired on March 24, 2025.

How Indigenous art makes truth visible

54 min

“Truth telling is profoundly visual. Art created by Indigenous peoples is not mere expression — it is cognitive, ceremonial, and political," writes Gerald McMaster in Art,Truth and Reconciliation. His book is the first of its kind, featuring Indigenous visual responses to Canada’s residential and day school system: from the drawings of children in the schools themselves, to the art of survivors, and to their descendants, who are carrying the story forward. McMaster says art does the work that words cannot — "bearing witness, restoring dignity, and refusing silence.” Guest in this podcast: Gerald McMaster is a curator, artist, scholar, and author, Art, Truth and Reconciliation. Emma Hassencahl-Perley is an artist, and Curator of Indigenous Art at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, in Fredericton, NB. Adrian Stimson is an artist and residential school survivor and thriver. Mark Atleo is an elder, a fisherman, an artist, and a residential school survivor.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Bashar al-Assad's Syria

54 min

In 2000, Bashar al-Assad became president of Syria, also known as the authoritarian "Kingdom of Fear" that his father Hafez al-Assad had created three decades earlier. The younger Assad continued and intensified the use of imprisonment, torture and surveillance as tools of domination. His crackdown on a pro-democracy revolution turned into a 13-year civil war. Nahlah Ayed and panelists discuss what we can learn about the rise and collapse of authoritarianism from Assad’s rule and the 2024 collapse of his regime.   Listen to other episodes in our series, How to Defeat Authoritarianism: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Today's Authoritarians Guests on this podcast: Basilios Zeno is assistant professor in the Department of Political Studies at Trent University in Canada. His work combines research, advocacy, and policy work on forced migration and asylum, legal violence, social movement, and interpretive decolonizing methodologies.  Marie-Joelle Zahar is a professor of political science at the University de Montréal. She has served multiple terms as a mediation expert, in fact, still serving in that role, for the United Nations, including as senior expert in the office of the Special Envoy for Syria in 2017.  Abdulrahman Matar is a Syrian-Canadian writer and journalist, a novelist, poet, and a painter. He is the founder and director of the Seagull Cultural Forum and executive director of the Syrian Writers Association. He was arrested five times and spent nearly 10 years in prison as a result of his writing and his positions on issues of freedom and human rights. Tareq Yousbasi is a journalist and a producer at the CBC of Syrian origin, who assisted with live translation.

When words get in the way, vocal improv saves the day

54 min

Would you 'doo-be-doo' if you know it would help bridge divides? Try vocal improvisation — singing sounds, rhythms and melodies. PhD graduate Erwan Noblet teaches the practice and says it's a great way to open up and connect at another level being together. He believes the human voice has the power to communicate creatively when it's released from everyday verbal tasks. We asked three former politicians from different political parties to communicate through vocalization, without words. Their conversation may inspire you to take on vocal improv. *This episode originally aired on Jan. 6, 2026 and is part of our ongoing series Ideas in the Trenches, which showcases fascinating new work by Canadian PhD students. Guests in this episode: Former Conservative MP Lisa Raitt Former Liberal premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne Former NDP MP Peggy Nash Erwan Noblet has a PhD in critical studies in improvisation

Lamarck was wrong about evolution. Was he right about life?

54 min

French scientist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck is mostly remembered for being wrong. He published an early theory of evolution, before Charles Darwin. His claim was that animals were in charge of their own evolution. That didn’t hold up. But author Jessica Riskin argues maybe it’s time to redeem Lamarck, a little bit. Riskin says that we should give animals — and humans — some credit for our own progress. Guest in this episode: Jessica Riskin is a historian of science at Stanford University, and author of The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Known for her sharp wit, Dorothy Parker was also an activist

54 min

She’s famous for her caustic quips and her love of cocktails, but there was a lot more to Dorothy Parker than her time at the famed Algonquin Round Table. The icon of New York in the 1920s spent decades in Hollywood as a screenwriter, won awards for her short stories and was a committed social activist, who ended up being blacklisted because of her ties to communist causes. She was also a war correspondent. Guests in this episode: Kevin Fitzpatrick is the founder and president of the Dorothy Parker Society. Michelle Dean is a screenwriter, critic and author of Sharp! The Women who made an Art of Having an Opinion. Nina Miller is a former English professor at Iowa State University, and the author of Making Love Modern: The Intimate Public Worlds of New York's Literary Women. Ellen Meister is a novelist and the author of Dorothy Parker Drank Here and Farewell, Dorothy Parker. Gail Crowther is a researcher, writer and the author of Dorothy Parker in Hollywood.

What it's like to travel as a blind person

54 min

Blind life is an individual experience. But from neighbourhood walks to international travel, blind people want momentum, adventure, and a sense of place, like everyone else. This podcast features an artist and a scientist imagining bolder ways forward. Guest in this episode: Alex Bulmer is a Blind writer and theatre artist. Her play Perceptual Archaeology or How to Travel Blind, is included in the collection Rebellious Bodies and Radical Acts. She is at work on a multimedia project called May I Take Your Arm. Joshua Miele is a Blind scientist, inventor and a MacArthur Fellow who’s designing accessibility tech from inside the experience of disability. He's also the author of Connecting Dots: A Blind Life.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile

54 min

Augusto Pinochet became Chile's leader after a bloody, U.S.-supported coup killed socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973. He defended the coup. But as he attempted to control the narrative, stories of violence were already casting a shadow over his new regime. We continue our series on authoritarianism exploring Pinochet’s popularity with centre-right Western leaders, the referendum that removed him from power, and the story of his eventual arrest and trial. Listen to other episodes in this series: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Bashar al-Assad's Syria How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Today's Authoritarians Guests on this podcast: Carolina Echeverría is a Chilean-Canadian artist, author and cultural mediator whose work explores memory, migration and belonging. Teresa Macías is a professor in the school of social work at York University. Her expertise is on the enduring legacies of human rights violations from the Pinochet dictatorship. Kevin Coleman is an associate professor of history at the University of Toronto.

Authoritarian vs. The Resisters

54 min

Authoritarian politics continue to intensify. But so do acts of resistance. This podcast focusses on the resisters who are pushing for accountability as they fight against state violence. They are from Argentina, South Africa and India. Some work alone or in groups trying to stave off ever-encroaching authoritarian rule. Guests in this episode: Maria del Carmen Verdu is an Argentine human rights activist fighting against state violence. Fatima Hassan is a South African human rights lawyer and activist with the Health Justice Initiative. Bill McKibben is an American author, environmentalist, and educator. He is the founder of Third Act, which organizes seniors for action on climate and democracy. Siddharth Varadarajan is a founding editor of The Wire, a news website in India.

Birth is the story of us all. But do you know its history?

54 min

Not everyone gives birth. But everyone is born. Yet we rarely talk about the history of childbirth. So author Lucy Inglis researched its bloody, triumphant, political past. Her book Born: A History of Childbirth argues that birth has a deep global history that proves it has always been a highwire act, shaped by both nature and culture. IDEAS explores the visceral, intimate realities of childbirth that have always been in evidence. *This episode originally aired on Jan. 22, 2026.

How new fascism operates

54 min

Historian Marci Shore doesn't hesitate to use the word 'fascism' to describe the present moment. The former Yale professor left the U.S. after President Trump was re-elected. She now teaches at the University of Toronto and tells her students why "we shouldn't fetishize" the term. Shore argues concepts and terminologies born from history like fascism is how we process the world, but it's critical we allow for today's nuances and differences. This podcast includes Marci Shore in conversation with IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed and Shore's lecture “Thoughts From a Post Truth World," part of the series “Democracy in Peril: A Way Forward Against Authoritarianism," organized by the University of Manitoba, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Marci Shore is Chair of European Intellectual History at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

Adventures of the late great 'Bird Man' Bill Montevecchi

54 min

Seabird biologist Bill Montevecchi has been ranked in the world’s top two per cent of scientists. Montevecchi died at the age of 80 in July 2026. In his honour, we share this 2023 documentary by producer Mary Lynk that shines a light on the renowned scientist's humanity and brilliance. Lynk followed Montevecchi on a wild two-day adventure in Newfoundland, climbing steep cliffs to spy on famous seabird colonies, and venturing on a heart-pounding overnight rescue mission of young storm petrels along the coastline.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda

54 min

After seizing power in a 1971 coup, Ugandan military commander Idi Amin promised a return to democracy — but he delivered a brutal dictatorship. Known for his erratic and sadistic behaviour, Amin’s reign was defined by ethnic purges, forced expulsions and total economic collapse. We continue our series, How to Defeat Authoritarianism, exploring the legacy of Idi Amin and the conflation of personality with totalitarian politics. Listen to other episodes in this series: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Bashar al-Assad's Syria How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Today's Authoritarians Guests on the podcast: Nam Kiwanuka is an award-winning Ugandan-Canadian journalist, host and producer with TVO. Nakanyike Musisi is a professor of African history at the University of Toronto, and an internationally recognized scholar of African gender, political, and social history. Derek Peterson is a professor of history and African studies at the University of Michigan. He is also the author of A Popular History of Idi Amin's Uganda.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda

54 min

After seizing power in a 1971 coup, Ugandan military commander Idi Amin promised a return to democracy — but he delivered a brutal dictatorship. Known for his erratic and sadistic behaviour, Amin’s reign was defined by ethnic purges, forced expulsions and total economic collapse. We continue our series, How to Defeat Authoritarianism, exploring the legacy of Idi Amin and the conflation of personality with totalitarian politics. Listen to other episodes in this series: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile Guests on this podcast: Nam Kiwanuka is a Ugandan-Canadian journalist, host and producer with TVO. Nakanyike Musisi is a professor of African History at the University of Toronto, and internationally recognized scholar of African gender, political, and social history. Derek Peterson is a professor of history and African studies at the University of Michigan, and author of A Popular History of Idi Amin’s Uganda.

Unpacking the contradictions in America's ideals

54 min

What has become of the America that has for so long been held up as a shining example of ideals? In conversation at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival, documentary maker Ken Burns and American scholar and author Eddie Glaude unpack the vexed contradictions at the heart of American democracy, from the founding of the Republic in 1776 until today.

Human emotion behind AI chatbot design

54 min

Behind every great chatbot are many human workers making decisions on how those chatbots behave and evolve. Recent PhD graduate Noah Khan has been observing these workers and shares his findings on their emotions and motivations as they design and build AI entities that communicate with users — influencing our own emotions and outlooks.

A poet's journey from being exiled to gaining citizenship

54 min

When Rohingya poet Mayyu Ali saw his name in print for the first time, he thought: "I exist." "Even though my government doesn't recognize [me] I exist in my writing," he told IDEAS. The Myanmar government has targeted the Rohingyas for decades, and Ali grew up with no birth certificate, no citizenship, and no human rights. He fled genocide in 2017 to live in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, until he resettled to Canada in 2021. Ali speaks with Nahlah Ayed about survival, the power of poetry, and his long journey to become a citizen for the first time in his life.

What the far-right are borrowing from history’s fascism aesthetics

54 min

Fascism has been called “the aestheti-cization of politics.” Nazis and Italian Fascists both made visual culture, art, even fashion part of their destructive programs. Now the far-right in the U.S. is taking lessons from history, selling its ideas through memes, and hate-filled videos.

How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Benito Mussolini's Italy

54 min

How do authoritarian leaders use threats, illusions and force to seize and maintain power? And what does it take for truth and justice to prevail? IDEAS explores the rise and fall of pivotal authoritarians and their regimes from recent world history, and asks what we can learn from their eventual downfall. We start our series with the legacy of Italian fascism and its relevance today. Listen to other episodes in this series: How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Augusto Pinochet's Chile How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Idi Amin's Uganda How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Bashar al-Assad's Syria How to Defeat Authoritarianism | Today's Authoritarians Guests in this podcast: Joshua Arthurs is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and the Department of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies at the University of Toronto. Robert Ventresca is the president of King's University College at Western University and a historian of 20th century Europe. Aitana Guia is the Mackenzie Papineau Memorial Chair in Modern Spanish History at York University, Toronto, Canada. 

How our education system is far from its original ideals

54 min

Acclaimed author Gabor Maté joins the conversation in part two of our series exploring Wilhelm von Humboldt’s public education system. Maté is a former English teacher. In this episode we ask: Is Humboldt's 200-year-old system equipped to meet the challenging demands of the 21st century? And does it still reflect his ideals, especially at the university level? *This episode concludes our two-part series. It originally aired on April 16, 2024.

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