Ideas

Religious and mythological visions of the end of the world may be common, but the scientific concept of human extinction has a more urgent history. IDEAS explores the link between imagining extinction and acting to avert it — from Mary Shelley's pandemic novel, The Last Man (1826), to visions of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, to cli-fi (climate fiction) of today. *This episode originally aired on March 4, 2021

In the final episode of this series, IDEAS examines the ongoing struggle in the rebuilding of Guatemalan society. Torture, massacres, individual murders, the fracturing of communities and families, all of these are part of the terrible legacy of the civil war. How are the inheritors of all this to make change and build something better?

After the 36-year civil war in Guatemala, land reform and equal rights have been slow to come for the Indigenous Mayan people. IDEAS revisits a four-part series about the Mayan people. This second episode looks into the issue of land and land reform — and the historical importance of land to the Mayan people.

After the 36-year civil war in Guatemala, land reform and equal rights have been slow to come for the Indigenous Mayan people. IDEAS revisits a four-part series about the Mayan people. The first episode explores the spirit world of the ancient Mayan people and the struggle today to make Mayan ancient beliefs relevant in a modern society.

Disclaimer: Profanity | What role does laughter play in the evolution of humanity? What does our laughter have in common with the way primates and even rats laugh? IDEAS contributor Peter Brown takes us on a joyride throughout our evolutionary history and shows us why laughing matters. *This episode originally aired on November 4, 2020.

In 2019, the Indian government passed legislation amending its citizenship laws. Many people argued it targeted the country's Muslim minority. Protesters held up images of B.R. Ambedkar, the Dalit icon who claimed India could never be free unless the caste system was eradicated. Can his idea of true equality offer a way back to unity? *This episode originally aired on October 6, 2021.

In December 2019, the government of India passed legislation amending its citizenship laws. Critics, activists, and ordinary people pushed back, arguing the law was targeting the country's Muslim minority. Many protesters held up images of Gandhi and urged a return to Gandhian values. But does Gandhi and his values still have a place in today's idea of India? *This episode originally aired on October 5, 2020.

For over four decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci has served as medical advisor to seven U.S. presidents. With the COVID-19 death toll in the United States having surpassed 730,000, Dr. Anthony Fauci tells IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed that he finds it "mind-boggling" that partisanship and skepticism of science continue to fuel the pandemic.

Over the last two centuries, the figure of the Dandy has been a provocateur, someone who pushes against the boundaries of culture, masculinity and politics. From Beau Brummell to Oscar Wilde to contemporary Black activists, IDEAS contributor Pedro Mendes tracks the subversive role the Dandy plays in challenging the status quo. *This episode originally aired on April 15, 2021.

From pre-colonial Africa till now, Black hair has shifted in its meaning and become highly politicized, particularly in Western society. And today, Black women's hair continues to have an enormous bearing on how they are able to move through the world. IDEAS looks back on the story of Black hair, and what it tells us about the Black female experience throughout history. *This episode originally aired on January 28, 2021.