Ideas

Ancient wisdom in the modern world can save us from the dangers of climate change, argues Wade Davis. The Canadian anthropologist has spent a lifetime looking into what Indigenous peoples of the world can teach us. Now, 10 years after his 2009 Massey lectures called 'The Wayfinders,' he looks back on what has changed on our planet — for better and for worse. *Originally aired on February 18, 2020.

Blue jeans evolved from being the uniform of cowboys to a symbol of rebellion, and are now the most popular — and possibly the most polluting — garment in the world. Ideas contributor and fashion expert Pedro Mendes explores the 150-year history of jeans and the 'authenticity' they are supposed to represent.

“Migrant” evokes images of desperate people surging at closed borders. But they are us. Science writer Sonia Shah argues that a deep human instinct has been politicized as disruptive and troubling. In fact, migration is our ancient survival response to crisis. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 10, 2020 and is part of our series, The Common Good.

When we challenge humanity to "work together as a species," are we making an unreasonable demand? As part of our Common Good series, poet and essayist M. NourbeSe Philip and Nahlah Ayed explore the limits of words like ‘community’, ‘we’, ‘us,’ and ‘together' with various thinkers. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 9, 2020 and is part of our series, The Common Good.

In the five-part 2019 CBC Massey Lectures, Power Shift: The Longest Revolution, Sally Armstrong surveyed the ways in which the world has changed for women, and our slow progress toward a more equitable society. In conversation with Nahlah Ayed, the acclaimed journalist looks back on the experience of making the lectures and answers questions sent in by listeners.

The irresistible force meets the immovable object: the long fight for women’s equality with men is perhaps nearing a conclusion. Women all over the world are demanding a better, more equitable place with men — and they need men to stand by their side. That’s the final message of the 2019 CBC Massey Lectures, Power Shift: The Longest Revolution.*Originally broadcast on November 15, 2019.

Renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar and artist, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson talks about the philosophy and ethics that undergird Anishnaabe worlds in her 2020 Kreisel Lecture entitled, A Short History of the Blockade: Giant Beavers, Diplomacy and Regeneration in Nishnaabewin. *Originally aired on April 16, 2020.

In the 17th century, John Milton wrote his epic poem Paradise Lost. He created the most sympathetic Satan in literary history — a complex character with legitimate grievances against a repressive God. In part one of a two-part series, IDEAS explores how Satan has resonated with people at moments of rebellion throughout history — from the Arab Spring to Communist Yugoslavia.*Originally aired on March 13, 2020.

Stephen Hawking thought that artificial intelligence could spell the end of humanity. But Roger Melko of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics thinks that maybe, just maybe, we're on the cusp of a wonderfully transformative age. *Originally aired on January 17, 2020.

Populism is bad for women — so much of the rise in authoritarian governments is based on the dream of returning to an idealized past, when a woman knew her place was in the kitchen. Populism also targets women’s rights and their push for equal status. In the fourth CBC Massey Lecture, Sally Armstrong shines a light on how women are seizing opportunities for a new kind of social mobility. *Originally broadcast on November 14, 2019.