Podcast Episodes
Back to Search33 years of the campus free speech controversy
In the early 1990s, “woke” was "politically correct," "DEI" was known as "affirmative action,” and the term “cancel culture” had yet to be coined. Th…
4 months, 1 week ago
Can you have compassion for someone you never agree with?
Ask yourself: can you? It is a question that George Eliot asks over and over through her characters in Middlemarch, a 19th-century novel that speaks …
4 months, 1 week ago
George Eliot's invaluable life lessons on confronting reality
Virginia Woolf called George Eliot's novel, Middlemarch “one of the few English books written for grownups.” It’s a book full of characters asking: i…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
The real reasons why more young women freeze their eggs
Egg freezing is one of today’s fastest-growing reproductive technologies. It's seen as a kind of 'fertility insurance' for the future, but that doesn…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
New details on Canada's first documented 'demon possession'
A demonic possession, a do-it-yourself exorcism, and the execution of an accused witch — welcome to daily life in Quebec City, circa 1660. IDEAS digs…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Can abolishing all political parties topple fascism?
In the aftermath of the First World War, French philosopher Simone Weil had a solution to address the fascism that surged across Europe: abolish poli…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
This Italian painter was a feminist before the word existed
*Please note that this episode features descriptions of a sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.* Seventeen century artist Artemisia…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Why practicing empathy is far from simple
In today's fractured world, the many threats facing humanity seems to be an empathy deficit. Writer and journalist Leslie Jamison discusses the compl…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion
Traditional religious institutions have been in decline since the '60s. As congregations dwindle, more Canadians are identifying as 'spiritual.' Soci…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
How 60s Scoop 'warriors' reclaimed their Indigenous roots
Leticia Racine calls herself a “Returning Warrior” of the Sixties Scoop. As a child, she was at the centre of a landmark Supreme Court case that pave…
4 months, 3 weeks ago