A Reality Check on Reality TV

There's a growing culture war over history with efforts throughout western nations to revert to "virtuous origin" stories. IDEAS explores what happens when we sanitize history and remove criticism and doubt from the myth. If we kill history, how can we look to the future? 

Civility is under threat, authoritarianism and autocrats are on the rise and there's an erosion of institutional trust. Three pre-eminent speakers join IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed to discuss how Canada and other countries can promote respect and protect liberal democracy.  

You can’t pay rent with experimental poetry, so Hilary Peach trained as a welder. Twenty-plus years on, she’s now a boiler inspector, poet, and author of an award-winning memoir, Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood. Peach talks about the joys and contradictio ... Show More

This week, Ayana is joined by Sky Hopinka in a conversation that dives deep into the meaning of art and film and the stories and emotions we share between generations. Sky grounds the conversation in his incredible expertise and thoughtful approach to media. Touching on the very ... Show More

What do Friedrich Nietzsche, the Korean War, and Homer's Odyssey have in common?Join the team at the IAI for four articles about the history and philosophy of geopolitics, ranging from Nietzsche's impact on Russia's imperialist strategies to the importance of Ancient Greek traged ... Show More

Lost in storiesIs life a story or a sequence of events?Our narratives enable us to make sense of the complex, often confusing, world that we live in. And yet there is a risk that rather than helping us to truly understand this world, narratives can hide reality from us, providing ... Show More

In December 1999, Sweden's most notorious UFO skeptic sat down for an interview that would challenge everything he believed. Ole K. had spent his career exposing hoaxes and debunking paranormal claims. The being who called herself Lacerta revealed an underground civilization that ... Show More

Darryl Anka, renowned for his four-decade journey channeling Bashar, an extraterrestrial entity, converses with Robert Grant, revealing the profound impact on his worldview. Anka discusses discovering his channeling ability and introduces Bashar's significant role and spiritual t ... Show More

Kirsty Young asks the writer and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell what advice he would give his younger self.Gladwell's writing, in books such as The Tipping Point and Outliers, successfully distil complex ideas for a mass audience, and he has worked as a staff writer for The New Yorke ... Show More

Grammy-winning gospel artist, radio host, and author Erica Campbell said what W.E. already knew: “SJR ain’t no regular girl.” Period! And after bigging up her leadership transition, the two unpack what truly happens when culture sees our faith on display. You see, today’s ministr ... Show More

How does the Bible guide us in applying its truths to our culture?  Of course the Bible applies to our individual lives, but the Bible is also a rich resource for critique of any culture.  Join Scott and Sean with their guest, British philosopher Chris Watkin for a fascinating jo ... Show More

Today we begin by talking about Nietzsche's concept of life-affirmation. Contrasting it with the renunciative, rational traditions of Western thought. The episode then delves into Greek tragedy through the lens of Simon Critchley's work; making a case for how these ancient plays ... Show More

Brenda Beck discusses her lifelong work on a Tamil folk legend, resulting in a graphic novel, an English translation and Hidden Paradigms: Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures (U Toronto Press, 2022) which identifies important symbolic patterns connecting this t ... Show More