Ideas

CBC Discover & Learn
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. 5 hr ago

    Tech billionaires are betting on a coming apocalypse

    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."

  2. 1 day ago

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

    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.

  3. 2 days ago

    What draws a new immigrant to Quebec separatism?

    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.

  4. 3 days ago

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

    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.

  5. 4 days ago

    Bureaumania: A 'Granular' Look at Corporate Red Tape

    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.

  6. 9 Oct

    Can empathy be dangerous?

    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

  7. 8 Oct

    Bearing Witness: Canadian Doctors in Gaza

    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.

  8. 7 Oct

    The inconvenient truth about convenience culture

    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.

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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
    238
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Ideas

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