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IDEAS is a place for people who like to think. If you value deep conversation and unexpected reveals, this show is for you. From the roots and rise of authoritarianism to near-death experiences to the history of toilets, no topic is off-limits. Hosted by Nahlah Ayed, we’re home to immersive documentaries and fascinating interviews with some of the most consequential thinkers of our time.

With an award-winning team, our podcast has proud roots in its 60-year history with CBC Radio, exploring the IDEAS that make us who we are. 

New episodes drop Monday through Friday at 5pm ET.

Ideas

In today's fractured world, the many threats facing humanity seems to be an empathy deficit. Writer and journalist Leslie Jamison discusses the complicated nature of empathy and the dearth of it at a time when it’s needed more than ever. She says maintaining humility when it comes to understanding people is integral.

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Why the practice of empathy is far from simple

Traditional religious institutions have been in decline since the '60s. As congregations dwindle, more Canadians are identifying as 'spiritual.' Sociologist Galen Watts traces the history of the modern spiritual movement and asks what we have gained — and lost — as it has become the dominant religious tradition of our time.

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Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion

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 paved the way for Indigenous children to be adopted into non-Indigenous homes. Judges ruled that Leticia’s foster parents could adopt her, and suggested her connections to her Indigenous mother and their heritage were likely to “abate” over time." IDEAS producer Dawna Dingwall explores how Leticia —and other adoptees — found their way back to the families, communities and culture — that never really left them.

Dawna shares Leticia's story and this precedent court case on the CBC podcast, See You in Court. 

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How 60s Scoop 'warriors' reclaimed their Indigenous roots

Chickens are the stars of this podcast today. Our relationship with this living creature, allegedly the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, is long and intertwined. And as it turns out, chickens have a lot to tell us, as IDEAS producer Tom Howell finds out. If you've ever wanted to hear two chickens attempt to video-conference together on Zoom, this episode is as close as you're likely to get. *This documentary originally aired on October 19, 2020.

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An homage to chickens, a dinosaur, dinner and backyard pet

For 14 years, Syrian poet Faraj Bayrakdar was imprisoned and tortured in a series of prisons. He found refuge in writing poetry. Now, the poems he wrote imagining the collapse of the regime are a reality. In December, 2024, the rule of Syria’s longtime president Bashar al Assad did collapse. Bayrakdar tells host Nahlah Ayed how the freedom within is greater than any prison. *This episode originally aired on Dec. 19, 2024.

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Imprisoned Syrian wrote poetry imagining the fall of the regime. Now it's come true

Theatre of the Absurd was born postwar as a recoil against the violent fetish that totalitarian regimes had for “order.” For 75 years, absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco's plays have been running continuously in Paris. IDEAS contributor Danny Braun went to Paris to delve into Ionesco's world where a professor can conclude confidently that a dog is in fact a cat.

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How absurdist theatre is an act of resistance

From Greek to Arabic and then to Latin, translators in 8th-century Baghdad eventually brought to Europe the works of Plato, Aristotle, Galen, and others who became central pillars of Western thought. IDEAS explores what is known as the Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement. *This episode originally aired on June 19, 2025.

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How a translation movement made Western philosophers famous

For the past decade, Canadians have been split 50/50 on new pipelines — that has changed. Two recent opinion polls found roughly three quarters of eligible voters in Canada want at least one new pipeline built to export more fossil fuels. Yet, 70 per cent of people consider climate change a serious threat. IDEAS producer Tom Howell explores the incompatibilities and future scenarios.

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Can we have new pipelines and curb climate change, too?

Sociologist and journalist Musa al-Gharbi identifies himself as part of an elite class of progressives that he calls: "symbolic capitalists"— knowledge workers with elevated salaries and cultural status like professors, broadcasters, and bankers. He says it's the top 20 per cent, not the notorious one per cent, who pose a substantial impediment to progress.

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Why progressives may not be as 'woke' as they think

It’s loathed and celebrated, by both the left and right. It's called The Great Reset. To conspiracy theorists, it's a plot by global elites at the World Economic Forum to control our lives. To its supporters, it represents a gentler, more humane form of capitalism. IDEAS contributor Ira Basen lays out the origins, its aims and its potential, for both good and ill. *This episode originally aired on May 23, 2023.

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Why a proposed 'new capitalism' is contested

Rhythm is more than a fundamental feature of music. It's what makes us human. Rhythm begins in the womb and the heartbeat. And neuroscience research reveals that for the rest of our lives, rhythm will continue to have a core impact on our innermost selves: how we learn to walk, read and even bond with others. Rhythm — as one researcher puts it — is life. *This episode originally aired on April 30, 2020.

How rhythm helps us walk, talk — and even love

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