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CBC Discover & Learn

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Channel • 21 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated daily
Business

Business

Updated weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 26/11/2024
History

History

Updated 08/10/2025
Arts

Arts

Updated weekly
Science

Science

Updated 22/04/2024
Earth Sciences

Earth Sciences

Updated weekly

28/11/2025

When it comes to inflation, it's personal

Did you roll your eyes the last time someone said "inflation is coming down"? Yeah, that's fair. Your personal inflation rate can vary wildly depending on where you live, how old you are and whether you rent or own. We ask two Canadians to walk us through their personal inflation calculator and economist Mark Blyth explains how these differences may be partly responsible for the rise of polarization. Also, we dig into why Canadians are holding onto their cars longer.

28/11/2025

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26 min
5 JAN

Ditch democracy. This movement wants tech-elites to govern

What do you get when you take some of the classic Enlightenment values like reason, fairness, and justice, and substitute them with opinion, privilege and power: The Dark Enlightenment — a movement that is a deliberate oxymoron with a vision to dump democracy and replace it with start-up cities run by CEOs. American blogger Curtis Yarvin, also known by the pen name Mencius Moldbug, is the founder of this movement that advocates for the return of traditional hierarchical societies and monarchy-like governance.

5 Jan

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54 min
6 JAN

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

Would you 'doo-be-doo' if you know it would help bridge divides? Try vocal improvisation — singing sounds, rhythms and melodies. PhD candidate 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 is part of our ongoing series Ideas in the Trenches, which showcases fascinating new work by Canadian PhD students.

6 Jan

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54 min
7 JAN

The most famous French-Canadian novel you've never heard of

Maria Chapdelaine: A Tale of French Canada is one of the most widely read works of fiction ever written in French. It's considered the world's highest-selling French book. Yet today, the 1913 novel remains far less known in English Canada and the English-speaking world. Translated into over 20 languages, the book's character Maria and her story has inspired four film versions, several plays, an opera, and even a pop song. Contributor Catherine Annau examines the many lives that Maria Chapdelaine has lived, and continues to live. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 4, 2024.

7 Jan

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54 min
20 JAN

It's time for a 'moral revolution.' This is a call to action

We live in an "age of immorality," argues historian and author Rutger Bregman. "The moral rot runs deep across elite institutions of every stripe," Bregman says in his first BBC Reith Lecture. His series of lectures describes why he is calling for a moral revolution to counter the culture of cynicism and un-seriousness among global elites. Bregman says history has proven how small determined groups have catalysed profound moral change, and that legacy should be an inspirational guide for all of us today. IDEAS is featuring lectures from the BBC Reith Lectures, this is the first episode.

20 Jan

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55 min
04/07/2025

How did the Taj Mahal turn into a bouncy castle?

The answer is art by artist Divya Mehra, a 2022 recipient of the Sobey Art Award. She explains the meaning behind her inflatable art installation and joins the four finalists to discuss and celebrate where new art is taking us. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 9, 2023. Guests in this episode: Azza El Siddique Stanley Février Krystle Silverfox Tyshan Wright Divya Mehra

04/07/2025

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54 min
24/10/2025

Can you have compassion for someone you never agree with?

Ask yourself: can you? It is a question that George Eliot asks over and over through her characters in Middlemarch, a 19th-century novel that speaks to our own fractious age. Eliot highlights how important it is to see the world from the point of view of others — even characters we don’t like. *This is second episode in our two-part series. It originally aired on April 7, 2002. We'd love to hear from you! Complete our listener survey here.

24/10/2025

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54 min
05/12/2025

What the hell is happening to American capitalism?

The U.S. used to be pretty hands off, let the market do its thing. Now it wants to be the puppet master. So what happened? Also, we explain why advent calendars have become so commercial and we talk to a historian about why certain toys catch lightening in a bottle. Remember Tickle Me Elmo?

05/12/2025

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28 min
03/10/2025

Why a proposed 'new capitalism' is contested

It’s loathed and celebrated, by both the left and right. It's called The Great Reset. To conspiracy theorists, it's a plot by global elites at the World Economic Forum to control our lives. To its supporters, it represents a gentler, more humane form of capitalism. IDEAS contributor Ira Basen lays out the origins, its aims and its potential, for both good and ill. *This episode originally aired on May 23, 2023. Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!

03/10/2025

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54 min
26/11/2024

Inappropriate Questions: Introduces | Personally: Short Sighted

People don’t think Graham Isador is losing his sight. They think he’s an asshole. Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds. Written and hosted by master storyteller Graham Isador, the show’s mini episodes are an intimate and irreverent look at accessibility and its personal impacts. Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human. More episodes of Personally are available at: lnk.to/5UCevtAS

26/11/2024

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17 min

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