Ideas

Latest Episodes:

The Story Behind the 1859 Pig War that Claimed One Casualty: A Pig Oct 15, 2024

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In 1859, an American shot a pig that belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Suddenly the U.S. and British Empire were on the brink of war once again. Over the years, tales about the conflict have been embellished and conspiracy theories were invented. But behind the folklore is a story of peace, diplomacy, and how we make meaning out of history.

Dinner on Mars: How to Grow Food When Humans Colonize the Red Planet Oct 14, 2024

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Two food security experts imagine what it would take to feed a human colony on Mars in the year 2080 if we colonized the red planet. From greenhouse technologies to nanotechnologies, they figure we could have a well-balanced diet on Mars, and argue there are lessons on how to improve our own battered food systems here on Earth. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 4, 2022.

The Invisible Shoes of Stutthof Concentration Camp Oct 11, 2024

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In 2015, the poet-musician Grzegorz Kwiatkowski made a strange discovery at the site of the former Stutthof concentration camp in Poland — something he calls 'a carpet of abandoned shoes.' But these were more than shoes: they're both artifacts and symbols of the Holocaust — as well as a flashpoint of nationalist denialism and historical amnesia. *This episode originally aired on May 2, 2019.

Modern Patriotism: Loving Your Country in the 21st Century (Step One) Oct 10, 2024

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Choose your country. It’s the first step towards finding the healthy variety of patriotic love. But what sort of ‘choice’ is it? IDEAS producer Tom Howell speaks with exiles, nationalists, dual citizens, and people whose ‘country’ doesn’t officially exist, in a quest for peace on fraught terrain: modern patriotism.

How the Anthropocene is Changing the Elements — and Us Oct 09, 2024

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Renowned author Robert Macfarlane has described his work as being about the relationship between landscape and the human heart. As part of a series on the elements in the Anthropocene, Macfarlane talks about how that relationship with earth and water has changed. Humanity has become a transformative force, altering the very nature of the elements, with grave implications for the planet — and us.

October 8,1970: The FLQ Manifesto Oct 08, 2024

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In October 1970, the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) sparked a nationwide crisis by kidnapping British diplomat James Cross and Quebec Deputy Premier Pierre Laporte, whom they later murdered. In return for Cross, the FLQ issued seven demands, one of which was to broadcast its manifesto. CBC/Radio-Canada complied. IDEAS examines the impact and legacy of the manifesto, and its relevance today. *This episode originally aired on October 13, 2020.

Civil Discourse or Civil War? Ideas and Realities of the Contemporary University Oct 07, 2024

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After the Hamas attack on October 7th, encampments popped up across university campuses, followed by intense scrutiny. Underlying the controversies was a simple question: what is a university for? That question has been around for centuries, and it’s come back in full force. Writer Randy Boyagoda makes the case for universities being a place where we can think out loud together.

A Reality Check on Reality TV Oct 04, 2024

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Twenty-five years ago, reality TV exploded in popularity, and the media panicked. But could shows like Love Is Blind and their like actually help make us more media literate? IDEAS examines the culture, morality, and philosophy of unscripted television. *This episode originally aired on May 6, 2024.

Massey at 60: How Physicist Ursula Franklin's Prescient Ideas on Technology Persist Oct 03, 2024

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Technology is much more than a tool. Physicist Ursula Franklin argued that it’s a system — one so powerful that it can shape our mindset, our society and our politics. Her observations were prescient when she delivered her Massey Lecture in 1989 and they are all the more relevant today. Ursula Franklin’s friend and collaborator Jane Freeman reflects on the power of Franklin’s message.

Making Justice Imaginable: Lawyer Lex Gill Oct 02, 2024

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"We must mend what has been torn apart, make justice imaginable again in a world so obviously unjust," wrote Albert Camus. In a lecture delivered at Crow's Theatre, lawyer Lex Gill considers how social and cultural movements can nudge the evolution of law and explores how to keep working for justice, regardless of the odds.

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