Ideaswith Nahlah Ayed
Latest
How imagining our own extinction may save us
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.
Former inmate taps into her prison experience for 'groundbreaking' PhD research
The prison system amplifies and perpetuates the systemic disadvantages that incarcerated women are up against, argues University of Ottawa PhD student Rachel Fayter. She was incarcerated for more than three years and draws from her experience in jail to inform her ‘groundbreaking’ research into the resilience of criminalized women.
Q&A
Harvard professor explores how technology shaped the role of women in society
In her new book Work Mate Marry Love, Harvard professor Debora Spar argues that nearly all the decisions we make in our most intimate lives — whom we marry, how we have children, and how we build families — have always been driven by technology. She explains how these changes in technology have also affected the role of women in society throughout history.
From scavenger to household royalty: How dogs evolved from wolves to pampered pets
Scientists agree that dogs evolved from wolves and were the first domesticated animals. But exactly how that happened is hotly contested. IDEAS contributor Neil Sandell examines the theories and the evolution of the relationship between dogs and humans.
IDEAS AFTERNOON
Everything at Once: How the pandemic plays havoc with our sense of time
2020 may be over, but the pandemic continues...and it's creating an altered sense of time. We're nostalgic for the "before," contend with a shifting present, and desperately want the future to be here — often simultaneously. IDEAS explores the experience of converging chronologies.
IDEAS schedule for March
Highlights include: the link between imagining extinction and acting to avert it (March 3); a philosophical look at the meaning of travel (March 12); a three-part series examining the history of Black people represented in Hollywood films (March 17-19); and a rebroadcast of Rob Deibert's 2020 CBC Massey Lectures, Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society (March 22 - 29).
Rethinking the role of police
In part two of our series looking at the role of police in society, IDEAS contributor Kyle G. Brown examines the use of police surveillance on citizens, the increased use of military tactics, and its struggles when responding to mental health emergencies.
PT 2: Black Canadian writers on finding 'home' in their work
What kinds of responsibility does a Black writer have? Is it enough to just write whatever inspires you, or is there an obligation to take on the big questions of culture, class, colour? In this two-part series, we hear from Black Canadian writers about the politics of everyday life and art.
Mark Carney says post-pandemic 'bump' not enough for smooth recovery
In his BBC Reith Lectures, Mark Carney argues that the world's ability to deal with crises is hampered by a fundamental shift in our relationship to finance and economics. The economist says the question of what is valuable has been twisted by our sense of what is profitable.
IDEAS AFTERNOON
How writers are turning H.P. Lovecraft's racist work on its head
American short story writer H.P. Lovecraft is more popular now than he was in his lifetime. Part of the modern popularity of Lovecraft is in reaction to his racism. IDEAS examines why his brand of “cosmic horror” resonates in the 21st century, and how new writers are dealing with his racist legacy.
Beethoven's iconic scowl influences how we hear his work: musicologist
Beethoven turned 250 this past year. Since his death, he’s been used as a symbol of big ideas, from liberalism to nationalism to manliness. This documentary examines the shifting image of Beethoven, and his malleability as a symbol.
The Forever Protest: Why the perpetual fight for change is not futile
Some protests hit with lightning speed and bring quick change in dramatic ways. But often the push for change takes much longer — decades, even generations. The change comes not from dramatic events but from a slow transformation of people, of culture, and society itself. IDEAS contributor Guy Dixon looks at the perpetual protest.
Black Canadian writers share the power — and burden — of making art with language
What kinds of responsibility does a Black writer have? Is it enough to just write whatever inspires you, or is there an obligation to take on the big questions of culture, class, colour? In this two-part series, we hear from Black Canadian writers about the politics of everyday life and art.
Love or hate her: Why Ayn Rand still matters, Part 2
Ayn Rand's books, especially her two major works, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, continue to sell millions of copies. And her influence on politics and popular culture is stronger than ever. Contributor Sandy Bourque outlines the philosopher's improbable rise to fame and influence, and the surprising Canadian connection which helped secure her place in the history of ideas.
Ayn Rand and her Canadian connection
The intelligentsia mocked her writings and lampooned her philosophy, which she called Objectivism. But Ayn Rand's books, especially her two major works The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, continue to sell millions of copies. There are Ayn Rand think tanks, academies, even dating sites. And her influence on politics and popular culture is stronger than ever. Contributor Sandy Bourque outlines Rand's improbable rise to fame and influence, and the surprising Canadian connection, which helped secure her place in the history of ideas.
IDEAS AFTERNOON
Legal scholar fights to protect domestic workers from exploitative conditions
Professor Adelle Blackett is the chief legal architect behind the International Labour Organization's first comprehensive standards offering protections and rights to more than 60 million domestic workers. She addresses why we urgently need to bring equality to the household workplace.
'I love you': the most treasured (and misunderstood) expression of all time
I love you: those three magic words are the most powerful and misunderstood words in the English language, according to writer and contributor Marianne Apostilides. She draws from Shakespeare, Freud, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton and other greats to parse how "I love you" can be enriching, manipulative and even empty.
A 19th century travelogue chronicles a world on the cusp of modernity
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a series of Persian travellers from Iran and India visited cities all over the world. They wrote popular travelogues describing the cultures and ideas they encountered and asked the questions fundamental to all of us: Who am I? What is our relationship to each other, and to the world?
How Rembrandt changed the meaning of art
His early art work in the Dutch city of Leiden wasn't all that great, but soon after Rembrandt arrived in Amsterdam in 1631, he had become the most highly sought-after artist around. Rembrandt's art makes us rethink what it means to be an artist, and a consumer of art. His art looks back at us and demands: who do you think you are, looking at this?
Discovering the secret language of cities reveals delight, says 99% Invisible host Roman Mars
For the last decade, Roman Mars has been exploring the hidden stories behind architecture and design in his podcast 99% Invisible. He speaks with Nahlah Ayed about how learning to read the secret language of cities reveals reasons for delight all around us, why he sees cities as ‘evolving organisms,’ and how war and disease shape the built environment.
Questioning Authority: What the evolution of policing can teach us about today's law enforcement
In part one of a two-part documentary series on policing, contributor Kyle G. Brown traces its history, from the watchmen of the pre-modern era, to colonial forces — to the increasingly militarized police of today.
IDEAS AFTERNOON
From Buffalo Bill to John Wayne, how western movie heroes feed American political ideology
Since the early 1900s cowboy fiction and films have played a major role in shaping popular notions of the American West. In this second of our two-part series The Cowboy's Lament, IDEAS contributor Tom Jokinen examines how the ethos of the American West is captured in film, both advancing — and complicating — the myth of the Old West.
Updated
Imprisoned Turkish journalist writes memoir on bits of paper and has it smuggled out
Lawyers and supporters of celebrated Turkish novelist and journalist Ahmet Altan are calling for his immediate release from prison, where he remains on false charges. The call is made more urgent, they say, as COVID-19 sweeps through the facility. This month marks four and a half years since Altan was arrested and imprisoned.
Follow this love tunnel as couple ties the knot in Kitschville, USA (aka Las Vegas)
Contributors David Zane Mairowitz and Malgorzata Zerwe recount their odyssey throughout the southwest United States, as they ponder wedding services that range from mere kitsch to the truly bizarre. Their journey culminates, naturally, in Las Vegas, where they tie the knot at a drive-through chapel in a minutes-long ritual.
The U.S. election has shattered America's exceptionalism: journalist Larry Madowo
Covering the chaos of the last national election in his home country of Kenya gave Larry Madowo solid experience as a journalist reporting on an outcome that not everyone agrees on. The North American Correspondent for the BBC takes us inside his experience as a Black man reporting on the U.S. election in a deeply divided country.
