Ideas

CBC Discover & Learn
CBC Discover & Learn
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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. 14 hr ago

    The overlapping truths of history and fiction

    Fact and fiction may seem poles apart but writers Esi Edugyan and Tiya Miles find the two intertwine perfectly in their award-winning storytelling. Both authors try to imagine past lives in their work, in part so that we may reimagine our own. They may operate in different realms but what they share is the telling of profoundly important stories that would otherwise go untold. It's been a longtime goal for IDEAS to bring these two accomplished authors together for a discussion — and it was worth the wait. This podcast was recorded in front of an audience in January 2026 at a Toronto Public Library event.

  2. 1 day ago

    Turn to the power of 'freudenfreude' in times of despair

    The world is feeling darker and darker these days. So this podcast might be a much-needed balm. It's about hope — a practice that scholar Shannon Murray argues can't be passive. That's where the German term 'freudenfreude' comes in, when someone celebrates the good fortune of others as if it's their own. Murray explains the power of freudenfreude and offers a guide to hope, empathy, and patience through the lens of Shakespeare. Yes. The Bard's words tie into all of this. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 13, 2023.

  3. 2 days ago

    David Bowie took his own death as a creative catalyst

    Throughout his career, it wasn't unusual for David Bowie to sing about death. But the musician used his own mortality as a theme for a final album that he released just two days before he died, on his 69th birthday. In this podcast IDEAS looks into the meaning of Bowie's enigmatic last songs, and explores the many ways that an artist’s mortality gives their work new meaning. *This episode originally aired on Jan. 11, 2016.

  4. 3 days ago

    How to brace for a world of unheard-of conditions

    Alain Deneault has a philosophical cure for eco-angst. He proposes turning the angst into actions in the face of unprecedented, unpredictable times. The most famous Acadian philosopher unknown to English-speaking Canadians suggests we brace for periods of severe crisis as nation-states and global networks become strained and fail. His prescription includes strengthening regional social ties and harmonizing human systems with natural ones.

  5. 13 Aug

    Bringing a farm — and its philosophy — back to life

    Growing up with food insecurity, Julian Napoleon yearned to be a farmer. His great-grandparents once farmed on the Saulteau First Nations reserve in northeastern B.C. Over the decades, the farm was replaced by the bush, and the ideas of communal, seasonal living started to fade away. Five years ago, Julian moved to Amisk Farm to bring it back to life. This year the farm has produced food for over 300 Indigenous households, free of cost. IDEAS visits Amisk Farm to learn about rural food security, Indigenous food sovereignty, farming in the north, and what it means to come home and grow a new home in a radically transformed landscape. *This episode originally aired on Dec. 10, 2025.

  6. 12 Aug

    Walk with us through a rare old-growth forest in peril

    The Wabanaki-Acadian old-growth forest is endangered — only one per cent of its old growth is left. The ancient forest, which stretches from parts of the Maritimes and Southern Quebec down into several New England states, is now comprised largely of newer forests, already cut down and logged, over and over. IDEAS explores the rare beauty of 300-year-old trees and astounding biodiversity before it's gone.*This episode originally aired on aired on June 11, 2024. Guests in this podcast: Peter Romkey is a naturalist, forest ranger and former executive director of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre at Acadia University. He is retired and living on the south shore of Nova Scotia. Joan Maloof is an ecologist and the founder of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which works to preserve, protect, and promote America's few remaining stands of old-growth forests. She is the author of several books, including: Nature's Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests. Maloof lives in Maryland. Ursula Johnson is a renowned multidisciplinary artist. She won the 2017 Sobey Art Award. Johnson is a member of the Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation on Cape Breton Island (Unama'ki in Mi'kmaq). She also works for Parks Canada as the Mi'kmaq Relations Advisor for the mainland Nova Scotia field unit. She lives in southwestern Nova Scotia.

  7. 11 Aug

    How the Anthropocene is changing the elements — and us

    Our relationship with earth and water is changing in the Anthropocene, says renowned author Robert Macfarlane. Humanity has become a transformative force of planetary proportions, to the point where we are altering the composition and behaviour of the four elements: earth, water, air and fire. He tells IDEAS this has grave implications for the planet and us. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 9, 2024.

  8. 10 Aug

    What emerges from the ashes after a wildfire? (Pt 3)

    The summer of 2026 has been defined by the smoke — and the horror — of wildfires around the world. But what comes after one of these fires? "That isn't the end of the story. That's the beginning of a whole different kind of story," says Nlaka'pamux ecologist Jennifer Grenz. That's why we have decided to follow the long-term story of one 21st century megafire: the 2021 McKay Creek wildfire in interior B.C. Producer Pauline Holdsworth returned in September 2025 — four years after the fire — to find new life emerging from the ashes, and new questions about the road ahead. This is the latest episode in our ongoing series Healing the Land. Listen to other episodes: How brutal wildfires are 'killing' Indigenous ways of life (Pt 1) How Indigenous ecology is reviving land destroyed by wildfires (Pt 2) Guests in this episode: Chief Justin Kane is the elected Chief of Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation. Michelle Edwards is the Tmicw Coordinator for the St'át'imc Chiefs Council and the former Chief of the communities of Sekw'el'was and Qu'iqten. Dr. Jennifer Grenz is an Indigenous scholar and assistant professor in the department of forest resources management at UBC, and the principal investigator at the Indigenous Ecology Lab. She is a member of Lytton First Nation, where she sits on the lands committee. She is also the author of Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey toward Personal and Ecological Healing and the forthcoming book Burned: Truth and Hope in the Fires. Virginia Oeggerli is a PhD student in the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC. Dr. Sue Senger is a biologist working with the Lillooet Tribal Council. Gerald Michel is a council member and the lands resource liaison for Xwísten First Nation.

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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
    228
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Copyright © CBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Ideas

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