Building 21

Building 21: McGill’s Interdisciplinary Idea Lab

building21.ca | Building 21 is an interdisciplinary idea laboratory supporting students, staff and faculty pursuing beautiful, rigorous, and unconventional research at McGill University.

  1. 6D AGO

    Fiction Without Conflict? — Science Fiction Writer, Alexander Weinstein | I'm Not Sure?

    Read the article on building21.ca here. In this episode of "I’m Not Sure?", produced at Building 21 at McGill University, science fiction writer Alexander Weinstein reimagines fiction structured by hope, joy, pure celebration. Speculative fiction writer Alexander Weinstein has built a career exploring the emotional and technological fault lines of modern life. Known for his short-story collections Children of the New World and Universal Love, Weinstein examines dystopian futures shaped by intimacy, technology, and loss. One of his stories even became the basis for the acclaimed film After Yang (A24, 2021), launching him into television and screen adaptation.   Yet after years of writing conflict-driven narratives, Weinstein finds himself questioning one of fiction’s most sacred assumptions: that conflict must be the central engine of every story.   About "I'm Not Sure" Everyone's always talking about what we're sure of: certainties, predictions, facts. Here at “I’m Not Sure”, we take a turn and ask: What are some things we aren’t so sure of? What do scientists, artists, practitioners, experts, and leaders wonder about? What are the questions and curiosities that guide us to explore the smallest particles, the farthest spaces, the deepest mysteries, and our closest relationships? Co-hosted by: Ollivier Dyens & Isabella Chiaravallotti Produced by: Alex Nicholas Chen Music by: Christian Denis Graphics by: Sophie Wu Learn more: building21.ca Emerged in Montréal, QC 2025

    28 min

  2. JAN 27

    Provisional Certainty — Literary Historian, Frédéric Charbonneau | I’m Not Sure?

    Read the article in English here. In this episode of "I’m Not Sure?", produced at Building 21 at McGill University, literary historian Frédéric Charbonneau reflects on a life shaped by curiosity and doubt. From science to Chinese studies to French literature, Charbonneau explores how uncertainty guides research, how ideas of progress reshape our understanding of the past, and why history can never be fully known. Rather than seeking definitive answers, he argues for working with provisional certainty—embracing uncertainty as the condition that keeps thought alive. About "I'm Not Sure" Everyone's always talking about what we're sure of: certainties, predictions, facts. Here at “I’m Not Sure”, we take a turn and ask: What are some things we aren’t so sure of? What do scientists, artists, practitioners, experts, and leaders wonder about? What are the questions and curiosities that guide us to explore the smallest particles, the farthest spaces, the deepest mysteries, and our closest relationships? Co-hosted by: Ollivier Dyens & Isabella Chiaravallotti Produced by: Alex Nicholas Chen Music by: Christian Denis Graphics by: Sophie Wu Learn more: building21.ca Emerged in Montréal, QC 2025

    29 min

  3. 2024-07-29

    Meet Michael Lapsley, Founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories | RadicalFutures

    Every story need a listener. Going from personal trauma healing to building a more peaceful and just society. In March, we had the pleasure of a talk from Michael Lapsley, founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories in South Africa. Here we present the introduction of his talk; for the whole event, including questions from students, please visit our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxtHb7K3bPw

    23 min

  4. 2024-04-29

    What Does It Mean to Grow Up? Pt. 2 with Dr. Morgan Jackson | QuestionsAlive

    In part 1 of this series, we discussed what it means for a human to grow up. But we're not the only organisms who develop and grow older. And some of the others have much more extreme changes in their lives than even the most awkward of adolescences. Dr. Morgan Jackson and Viola H. Ruzzier discuss insect development, memory, and what growing up means for this very different group of beings.

    50 min

  5. 2024-03-18

    What Does It Mean to Grow Up? Pt. 1 with Professor Paul Yachnin | QuestionsAlive

    "All children, except one, grow up." Thus begins the book Peter Pan, the story of the only boy who never grows up. But for the rest of us, what does that term mean, exactly? At what point have you grown sufficiently "up" to be considered an adult? What does the process entail? Is it a good thing or a bad thing (or both)? Thank you to Souren Vahdatfarimani and Professor Paul Yachnin for their insightful thoughts on the subject.

    57 min

  6. 2024-03-05

    Why Do We Need Others? | QuestionsAlive

    In many ways, our lives are entirely dependent on others, both human and non-human. We constantly interact with coworkers, friends, partners, family, and complete strangers. But how exactly do all these different relationships affect us? Listen to what B21 community members Shuting Wang, Arkana Fuentes-Pilafidis, Nakiya Noorbhai, and Viola H. Ruzzier think about the importance of others in the first B21 podcast episode of the year.

    55 min

  7. 2023-05-23

    What Is the Soul? with Professor John MacMaster | QuestionsAlive

    The idea of a soul, of the intangible something that makes up a person, has existed for millennia. But souls aren't confined to people -- we talk about soulful food, soulful music, soulful art, and we can describe both people and inanimate things as soulless. But are we referring to the same concept every time we say the word "soul"? Is one person's definition different from everyone else's? How do religion and spirituality play into this? Can souls outlive people? Join operatic tenor and McGill professor John MacMaster, archaeology student Katrina Kosyk, and B21 program assistant Viola H. Ruzzier for a fascinating discussion on the soul.

    51 min

  8. 2023-05-08

    Le Sublime | QuestionsAlive

    La question du sublime se pose depuis des milliers d'années. Nous le cherchons dans les paysages, les arts, les mathématiques. Nous le trouvons entre la beauté et la peur, le connu et l'inconnu. Mais qu'est-ce que le sublime, exactement? Quand peut-on le ressentir? Peut-on en faire l'expérience ou simplement l'entrevoir? Réside-t-il à l'intérieur ou à l'extérieur de nous? Rejoignez une discussion sublime et animée avec Ève-Marie Marceau, Antoine Poulin, Sarah Ambroise, et Viola H. Ruzzier, pendant laquelle nous essayerons de décortiquer ce sentiment vertigineux.

    48 min
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About

building21.ca | Building 21 is an interdisciplinary idea laboratory supporting students, staff and faculty pursuing beautiful, rigorous, and unconventional research at McGill University.

Information

  • Creator
    Building 21: McGill’s Interdisciplinary Idea Lab
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 - 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Building 21