Podcast
Ideas
Hosted by CBC · EN
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.
84episodes
Episodes
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The time when a guest said, "I love you!"
2d ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeThat's not something you expect to hear in an interview. But the Harvard historian and author of All That She Carried, Tiya Miles did not hesitate to say these words to IDEAS host, Nahlah Ayed. What prompted the bold statement comes down to a question — seemingly for Miles the perfect one to ask.Their conversation resonated with many listeners, including a potter in Australia who shares how this story sustains him after the loss of his wife. Also in this podcast, we find out how IDEAS inspires everything from sonnets, to art, and to recreating historic feasts. *This is the second episode in our 60th anniversary series. It originally aired on Dec. 2, 2025.There's more to listen to here:How an IDEAS episode on traffic changed a doctor's practiceCBC Massey Lecturers reveal how the talks changed them How IDEAS saved a listener from sending a regrettable emailThe best — and worst — ideas of the last six decades
Transcribe →How an IDEAS episode on traffic changed a doctor's practice
3d ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeNot many people like to think about traffic but Joanna Oda says this very topic on IDEAS in 2005 permanently changed the way she views medical care as a doctor. "It helped me understand how things that make sense for you as an individual contribute to a collective problem." She adds, the episode introduced her to the idea that one car has a big impact.This episode is the first episode in our special week-long series to mark our 60th anniversary. It originally aired on Dec. 1, 2025. Listen to other episodes in this series:The time when a guest said, "I love you!"CBC Massey Lecturers reveal how the talks changed themHow IDEAS saved a listener from sending a regrettable emailThe best — and worst — ideas of the last six decades
Transcribe →The most important numbers in the universe
1w ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeNumbers get their due credit in this podcast. Even if we're not aware of them, numbers are essential to how we experience the world. IDEAS explores the most bizarre, surprising, mind-blowing and fundamental numbers in the universe.This panel discussion was recorded live at The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.Guests in this episode:Asimina Arvanitaki is a particle physicist and the aristarchus chair in theoretical physics at the Perimeter Institute.Ben Webster is an associate professor in the pure mathematics department at the University of Waterloo, and he’s also an associate faculty member at the Perimeter Institute.Matthew Johnson is a professor of physics and astronomy at York University, and he's also an associate faculty member at the Perimeter Institute.
Transcribe →Can we have new pipelines and curb climate change, too?
1w ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeFor the past decade, Canadians have been split 50/50 on new pipelines — that's 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. *This episode originally aired on Oct. 7, 2025.If you liked this episode, you may want to listen to this podcast: A machine that could save us from war — and global warming
Transcribe →How port cities like Alexandria shaped the world
1w ago00:54:08Tap to summarizeAlexandria has been the source of invention, innovation, and beauty for millennia — capturing the imagination of Napoleon, the Prophet Muhammad and, of course, Alexander the Great. He envisioned a place that thrived on cultural, intellectual, economic, political and religious exchange. IDEAS examines the big ideas of this port city in Egypt with Islam Issa, author of Alexandria: The City That Changed the World.Part three in our ongoing series about how port cities shaped the world as we know it.Listen to Part Two: How port cities of Elmina shaped the worldListen to Part One: How port cities like Singapore shaped the world
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The Billionaire Age Pt 2 | Disney heiress on the dangers of extreme wealth
1w ago00:54:08Tap to summarizeIf you inherited $120 million dollars, could you give away 75 per cent of your wealth? Abigail Disney did. She's an heiress to the Disney fortune. The philanthropist, filmmaker and activist offers an insider perspective into the twisted perils of extreme wealth — on society and the human psyche.Part two in a series called The Billionaire Age. Listen to Part One: How did we get here?*Please note: Part three will be available as a podcast on June 8 at 5 pm.Guest in this episode:Abigail E. Disney is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, philanthropist, and activist. Her films include The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, the Emmy Award-winning The Armor of Light — both co-directed with Kathleen Hughes — and Pray the Devil Back to Hell. As a philanthropist and activist, she has championed peacebuilding, gender justice, and systemic cultural change.She is Chair and Co-Founder of Level Forward, an ecosystem of storytellers, entrepreneurs, and social change-makers dedicated to balancing artistic vision, social impact, and stakeholder return. She also founded Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses storytelling to advance social movements, and the Daphne Foundation, which supports organizations working for a more equitable, fair, and peaceful New York City.She is currently working on a book about wealth, power, and privilege.
Transcribe →The real reasons why more young women freeze their eggs
1w ago00:54:08Tap to summarizeEgg freezing is considered a kind of "fertility insurance" for the future — a way to buy more time to make a decision about having a family. However, as IDEAS contributor Alison Motluk discovers, uncertainty around parenthood is just one of many reasons why egg freezing is one of the fastest-growing reproductive technologies in the world. She explores those reasons and digs into the social politics, gender realities, and big business of egg freezing.*This episode originally aired Oct. 22, 2025. If you liked this episode, you might want to listen to Birth gives us life. But do you know its history?
Transcribe →What does it mean for a river to be ‘alive’?
2w ago00:58:21Tap to summarizeRenowned natural history writer Robert Macfarlane traveled to Ecuador, India and Quebec, pondering the question of whether rivers are living beings — the premise behind much of the movement to legally recognize the rights of nature. He found that the answer to that question is more complicated and wondrous — and more life-altering and world-changing — than he could have imagined. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 3, 2025.
Transcribe →Why there's no place like Oz
2w ago00:54:08Tap to summarizeEven if you aren't a fan of Frank L. Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, you know about the Tin man, the ruby red shoes and that the dog is named Toto. The classic story was an instant bestseller in 1900 and its popularity is still going strong with not one but a two-part prequel. For over 125 years, there have been derivative works of Oz, from Broadway musicals, films, comic books and more. IDEAS follows the proverbial yellow brick road to uncover how this seemingly simple story of friendship, self reliance and longing for home continues to speak to us. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 9, 2025.If this episode has left you curious about Matilda Joslyn Gage, the suffragist who was a big influence on Frank L. Baum's feminism, listen to this podcast. There's a reason you likely have never heard of her.
Transcribe →Escaped slaves, pirates and 'free love' in ancient history?
2w ago00:54:08Tap to summarizeAncient history just got an upgrade. Forget the ruins, empires and great thinkers of the Classical period and make way for escaped slaves, subversive pirates, and freethinking religious sects. These nonconformist communities rejected hierarchy and political order in favour of creating a more equitable society.Author, religious scholar and historian Christopher Zeichmann offers an alternative lens on the Greco-Roman era in his book called Radical Antiquity: Free Love Zoroastrians, Farming Pirates, and Ancient Uprisings.
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