Ideas

CBC Discover & Learn

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.

  1. 21 HR AGO

    With a decline in reading is our capacity to think eroding?

    Thanks to AI, it's easier than ever to avoid reading books — but that convenience may come with a cost. IDEAS explores how our digital landscape, coupled with the decline of reading, is changing the way we think. If you like this episode, listen to our podcast with Geoffrey Hinton, the 'godfather of artificial intelligence' who says AI must develop empathy and 'maternal instincts' or we risk human extinction. Guests in this episode: Adriaan Van der Weel is a professor emeritus by special appointment at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society. He's also the co-author of The Ljubljana Manifesto on Higher-Level Reading. Maryanne Wolf is director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, and the author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (2018). Naomi Baron is a professor emerita of World Languages and Cultures at American University and the author of Reader Bot: What Happens When AI Reads and Why It Matters (2026). Leah Sargeant is an author and senior policy analyst at the Niskanen Center. Shannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) at the University of Edinburgh, where she is also appointed in Philosophy. She is the author of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking (2024).

    54 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Why AI needs to be nicer to us and develop 'maternal instincts'

    If AI continues to develop without appropriate guardrails, a worst-case scenario could lead to human extinction, warns the 'godfather of artificial intelligence ' Geoffrey Hinton. But the Nobel Prize winner has a solution: AI must foster 'maternal' instincts, empathy and kindness. Hinton tells host Nahlah Ayed that it's fairly inevitable AI will become smarter than humans, but if we could make it care more for us than it did about itself, good things could happen.

    54 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Why winter does not justify ditching your bike for driving

    IDEAS producer Tom Howell recently sold his car and joined the ranks of winter cyclists in Montreal. He is not the only one who commutes on bike in North America’s snowiest metropolis. The city’s bike-sharing program operates year-round. The bicycle’s popularity as a winter vehicle is increasing. Nevertheless, winter bicycling remains a minority practice, often viewed as folly. Howell investigates whether there is indeed wisdom in it.

    54 min

  4. 4 DAYS AGO

    From tests to sports, why we choke when it matters most

    Under pressure, our nerves can take over. At job interviews, performing in front of an audience and it's definitely present in sports. But why do our skills desert us at such a crucial moment? And what can be done to avoid choking? Studies have shown that when people tell themselves they're excited rather than nervous, they perform better. This podcast explores more ways to avoid the choke and why it happens. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 23, 2022. Guests in this episode: Sian Beilock is a cognitive scientist and author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting it Right When You Have to and How the Body Knows its Mind. She's recently been named President-elect of Dartmouth College. Sandra Bezic is a former Olympian and Canadian champion in figure skating (with her brother Val), and is now a producer, director and choreographer. Carolyn Christie is a retired member of the flute section of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She now teaches classical flute at McGill and is also a Certified Mental Skills Consultant. Niklas Häusler is a neuroscientist and co-founder and CEO of the German startup company Neuro 11. Noa Kageyama is a performance psychologist. He maintains a blog and podcast, Bulletproof Musician. Elizabeth Manley was world and Olympic silver medalist in figure skating in 1988, and is now an executive life coach. Jennifer Montone is the principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Aaron Williamon is head of the Center for Performance Science, a partnership between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College, London.

    55 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    How a man escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom

    Henry Brown earned the name "Henry Box Brown" in March of 1849. He hatched a risky plan and had himself shipped in a wooden crate, from Richmond to Philadelphia. But that’s less than half his story. In freedom, he uses his escape box as the basis for a subversive magic act that sees him tour the stages of the UK and Canada — his final home. Henry's remarkable story is a must-listen. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 3, 2025.

    55 min

  6. 12 FEB

    What Chinese science-fiction has to tell us about reality

    With vengeful alien civilizations and hologram wives, Chinese science fiction is in its heyday. One hot topic discussion is how the genre and culture view things as "inherently non-binary," says PhD student Zichuan Gan. Not just in the sense of gender but avoiding black and white categories. As in "humans or machines, west or east, Chinese science-fiction often shows that reality and life are more mixed and complicated." IDEAS explores what we can learn from China through it's science fiction. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 2, 2025.

    55 min

  7. 11 FEB

    Why only the will of the people can save democracy

    Neither the legal system nor the Constitution can change the course of the United States’ descent into illiberalism, argues human rights and civil liberties lawyer Jameel Jaffer. Only the will of the people can — when ordinary citizens fight to uphold democracy with "civic courage."

    55 min

  8. 10 FEB

    To mudlark is to scavenge for a piece of history to keep

    Mudlarking is a hobby that's having a moment. The opportunity to take part in the painstaking, low-tech scrape through history draws thousands of people hoping to come face to face with the remnants of lives that came before them. But what can mudlarkers do that a trained archeologist cannot? This podcast takes you to the heart of London on the Southbank of the Thames River where there's mud, water — and possibility. Click here to see a collection of mudlarking finds.

    55 min
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Hosts & Guests

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    CBC Discover & Learn
  • Creator
    CBC
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    243
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Ideas

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