Podcast Episodes
Back to Search#2: What we can learn from our conversations with strangers
In his second Massey Lecture, Ian Williams explores the power of conversation with strangers. He says humanity comes out when interacting with them. …
6 months, 2 weeks ago
#1: Why we need to have a conversation about conversations
Ever felt that no one is really listening? In the first of his 2024 CBC Massey Lectures, novelist and poet Ian Williams explores why we need to have …
6 months, 2 weeks ago
What a cultural genocide took from Indigenous people in Canada
2018 Massey Lecturer Tanya Talaga reflects on the legacy of cultural genocide, and on how the stories of Indigenous peoples offer lessons for Canada …
6 months, 3 weeks ago
How inequality is undermining liberal democracy
With the end of the Cold War, the struggle for peace, equality, and democracy wasn’t settled — it became more complex. As we mark the 60th anniversar…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
Why the power of technology relies on an adaptive mindset
Technology is much more than a tool. Physicist Ursula Franklin argued that it’s a system — one so powerful that it can shape our mindset, our society…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
How to think for ourselves — is it even possible?
British novelist and Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing warned us against groupthink when she delivered her CBC Massey Lectures in 1985. She argues the…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
A better world needs to be built on empathy: human rights scholar
Payam Akhavan has witnessed appalling episodes of human cruelty and suffering. And that’s helped forge his commitment to pursuing justice for the vic…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
Making space for moments of joy in dark times
For award-winning poet and bestselling author Ross Gay, joy and delight aren’t frivolous or a privilege. He argues they’re absolutely essential to a …
7 months ago
Why is it so hard to embrace leisure time?
With a to-do list that requires 30 hours in a day to complete, leisure time often gets erased. IDEAS producer Naheed Mustafa explores a better time, …
7 months ago
Why music — even sad music — is 'inherently joyful'
Music is joy, declares Daniel Chua. The renowned musicologist says music and joy have an ancient correlation, from Confucius to Saint Augustine and B…
7 months ago