IDEAS schedule for October 2023
* Please note this schedule is subject to change.
Monday, October 2
SHAPE: HIDDEN GEOMETRY
Abraham Lincoln used geometry to make better arguments. Google uses geometry to hide or promote websites. And U.S. political parties use it to tip elections in their favour. In his book Shape, mathematician Jordan Ellenberg exposes the geometric underpinnings of logic, science, and politics. A former child prodigy who aced the SATs at age 12, Ellenberg argues that clever use of math and geometry is helping corrupt American democracy, but mathematicians might still be able to save it. *This episode originally aired on May 11, 2022.
Tuesday, October 3
MOLLY WORTHEN: THE DARK SIDE OF CHARISMA
Charisma — that uncanny ability to captivate people and connect with voters — has always been a huge asset in politics. But writer and scholar Molly Worthen argues that a new kind of charismatic leader has become a dangerous and powerful force in politics. In her 2023 Larkin-Stuart Lecture, Worthen details the historical roots of today's breed of charismatic leaders in anti-establishment religious movements — guru figures who present themselves as revealing hidden truths and having the power to transform lives, transfixing their followers into unquestioning fealty.
Wednesday, October 4
THE CHILE EXPERIMENT
In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a military junta and overthrew the socialist government of President Salvador Allende. And thus began Chile's ambitious, neoliberal experiment. Now, 50 years later the country's neoliberal system is being called into question. Chile's poor feel as though the country's rapid economic growth has passed them by. Protests have since given way to demands for a new constitution, which some have seen as perpetuating an inherently unfair system based on privatized services, from health and education to water availability. After an initial draft of a new constitution was roundly rejected last year, a new referendum is planned for December 2023. It's a chance to replace a charter that was imposed by the military dictatorship, and which has helped to make Chile more pro-market than anywhere else in the world.
Thursday, October 5
NINE MINUTES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
In 1876, the poet Stéphane Mallarmé published a poem entitled The Afternoon of a Faun. He doubted anyone could set it to music successfully. But composer Claude Debussy did exactly that. The resulting music — Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun — runs only about nine minutes long, but it helped give birth to the modern era as we know it. It's more than just a famous piece of music. It stands at the beginning of the world we still live in. It's a guide, in sound, to the political, social, moral and geopolitical changes that ended the 19th century and created the 20th century. And it remains an existential and culturally shape-shifting work of art that offers us clues into who we are today. Contributor Robert Harris and Tafelmusik's Ivars Taurins bring us inside the spellbinding magic of Debussy's imagining.*This episode originally aired May 30, 2017.
Friday, October 6
A TALE OF TWO METLAKATLAS: MY MATRIARCHS, THE MISSIONARIES AND ME
In this documentary, journalist Pamela Post traces the history of her Ts'msyen matriarchs, back over a century, to one moment that changed her family's destiny: an exodus of over 800 Ts'msyen people from Metlakatla B.C., to start a "new" Metlakatla in Alaska. Through the stories of the women in her family, she documents over 100 years of upheaval and the devastating impacts of colonialism. *This episode originally aired on May 29, 2023.
Monday, October 9
INJUSTICE FOR ALL, PART ONE
Our justice system was developed under the assumption that both parties in a dispute would each have a lawyer. But most Canadians can't afford a lawyer — which means that our justice system is tilted in favour of those who can. In this two-part series, IDEAS contributor Mitchell Stuart asks: is a system like that still capable of administering justice? *This episode originally aired on April 19, 2023.
Tuesday, October 10
INJUSTICE FOR ALL, PART TWO
Our justice system was developed under the assumption that both parties in a dispute would each have a lawyer. But most Canadians can't afford a lawyer — which means that our justice system is tilted in favour of those who can. In this two-part series, IDEAS contributor Mitchell Stuart asks: is a system like that still capable of administering justice? *This episode originally aired on April 26, 2023.
Wednesday, October 11
AUSTRALIA'S BOYER LECTURES, PART ONE
Since 1959, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has commissioned an annual series of lectures by distinguished Australian thinkers, The Boyer Lectures. Indigenous community leader, lawyer, and academic Noel Pearson gives this series, focusing on Australia's history and current relationship with Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal peoples. Pearson begins his lectures with an overview of that relationship, leading up to the 2023 referendum on a proposed change to the constitution, known as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Thursday, October 12
NOTES ON AN INVASION WITH ANDREY KURKOV AND MASHA GESSEN
Masha Gessen — Russian-American dissident and author — reports on the Russia-Ukraine war for the New Yorker. Andrey Kurkov (Grey Bees) is the best-known Ukrainian novelist in translation. He writes diaries and dispatches on the experience of this war from home in Kyiv. Together, these impassioned thinkers join Nahlah Ayed onstage to share their insights on the main characters, actions, and public narratives that make up this significant geopolitical moment. This is the PEN Canada Graeme Gibson Talk 2023, and was recorded in September at the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Friday, October 13
CHRIS BROOKES: NON-RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
Chris Brookes was a master radio documentary-maker, who won countless accolades and awards around the world, and influenced generations of audio producers. Yet he was always rooted in a sense of place, specifically his home province of Newfoundland, more specifically, St. John's — and even more specifically, a part of the city known as The Battery, just down the slope from Signal Hill, where the first transatlantic radio signal was made. He called his own production company Battery Radio. In April 2023, Chris was about to travel overseas to visit his friend and fellow documentary-maker, David Zane Mairowitz. But a tragic accident near his home claimed Chris's life. This documentary by David Mairowitze and Malgorzata Zerwe embodies the spirit of Chris's radio work, and is punctuated with excerpts from his documentaries done over years — a fitting tribute to this master craftsman of audio.
Monday, October 16
HERODOTUS: THE POWER AND PERIL OF STORY
Ancient Greek writer Herodotus broke tradition nearly 2500 years ago with his vivid and expansive tome, The History. He was committed to understanding the human causes of conflict and war. He gathered stories — some believable, others not — to show how different cultures understand themselves. The stories he tells hold enduring lessons for us today.
Tuesday, October 17
THE ORIGINS OF US: HUBERT REEVES, PT 1
Hubert Reeves was one of the world's foremost experts on the Big Bang and the origins of time. He lived in France, where the acclaimed astrophysicist had the status of a rock star. In Quebec, where he was born, he is called their Einstein. And yet he's largely unknown in the English-speaking world. Not only was he a brilliant cosmologist; he was also a riveting storyteller and popularizer of science. Not to explain the complex, he said, is undemocratic. Hubert Reeves sadly died on October 13th, 2023. But in 2019, he spoke with producer Mary Lynk at his country home in Burgundy, outdoors and under the stars. *This episode originally aired on May 21, 2019.
Wednesday, October 18
AUSTRALIA'S BOYER LECTURES, PART TWO
Noel Pearson concludes his series of lectures on Australia's history and current relationship with Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal peoples. In these later talks, Pearson views that relationship through the lens of the economy, schools, and cultural identity. He draws attention to the commonalities between Australians of all backgrounds.
Thursday, October 19
WIDOWHOOD, WISDOM AND WORDS: THE IRREPRESSIBLE DONNA MORRISSEY
Fasten your seatbelts. Donna Morrissey is at the mic. What was supposed to be an on-stage interview about the bestselling author's latest and, extraordinary, new novel, Rage The Night, expanded to a conversation about grief, Jung, Nietzche, love and the greed that allowed 133 Newfoundlanders in 1914 to be abandoned on the ice by sealing captains — the theme of her new book. Three weeks prior to the event, Donna's husband died unexpectedly from a massive stroke. But despite her heartbreak, Donna insisted the event go on. And, it was an utterly memorable evening, with the audience leaving in tears and gratitude. Donna Morrissey in conversation with IDEAS producer and friend Mary Lynk.
Friday, October 20
CAMERA LUCIDA
The camera may not lie, but it can produce very convincing fiction. The wedding photograph and the headshot are just some of the ways our everyday world gets defined through the frozen image. Guillermo Verdecchia, Governor General's Award-winning playwright, presents a sound portrait of a very "visual" medium.
Monday, October 23
ARCTIC/AMAZON PROJECT, PART ONE: THE MURAL
Two Indigenous artists, one from the Arctic, and one from the Amazon, meet in Toronto for a unique collaboration — a mural that will grace the campus of Toronto Metropolitan University. The result is a melding of the visual knowledge of two apparently disparate communities that have much in common. A sharing of experiences, spiritualities and traditions. And a piece of public art that proclaims the solidarity of Indigenous peoples north of 60 and south of the equator. In this documentary, Inuk artist Niap, from Nunavik, and Shipibo artist Olinda Silvano, from Peru, describe their inspirations, their dreams, and their collaboration. The mural is part of the Arctic / Amazon project, organized by OCAD University, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Tuesday, October 24
THE BEAUTY OF CHANCE: HUBERT REEVES, PT 2
Hubert Reeves was one of the world's foremost experts on the Big Bang and the origins of time. He lived in France, where the acclaimed astrophysicist had the status of a rock star. In Quebec, where he was born, he is called their Einstein. And yet he's largely unknown in the English-speaking world. Not only was he a brilliant cosmologist; he was also a riveting storyteller and popularizer of science. Not to explain the complex, he said, is undemocratic. Hubert Reeves sadly died on October 13, 2022. This is Part 2 of a 2-part 2019 series. *The episode originally aired on May 28, 2019.
Wednesday, October 25
ROBERT MACFARLANE
Robert Macfarlane says his writing is about the relationship between the landscape and the human heart. He is a modern-day re-interpreter of the sublime — the profound awe, insignificance and terror that the grandeur of the natural world evokes — whether he's writing about following ancient foot trails, traversing perilous mountain glaciers or descending into the mysterious, but wondrous world beneath the Earth's surface. He spoke at a special event at the Royal Ontario Museum, where he accepted the inaugural Weston International Award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to recognize excellence in nonfiction.
Thursday, October 26
MYSTIFIED BY MONEY
There's nothing natural about money. It's an abstract, malleable thing that only works because governments say it works and people believe it works. When money misbehaves, governments and banks make bad monetary decisions. Or when people lose faith in it, it can lead to financial crisis, political upheaval, and international strife. In fact, global stability rests largely on money, but money is an inherently unstable thing. As part of our series New World Disorder, this episode looks at the disorderly history of money. *This episode originally aired on Feb. 2, 2023.
Friday, October 27
MAN UP! MASCULINITY IN CRISIS, PART ONE
Recent books, articles and films point in a similar disturbing direction: "what's wrong with men?", "boys adrift," "patriarchy blues." Social scientists have over the decades noticed this trend: that men are dropping out of the workforce, and their addiction rates are climbing. Men are also three times more likely to commit suicide than women. In Canada, female undergraduates are outperforming males. In Sweden, researchers say there's a pojkkristen or "boy crisis." While scholars agree there is indeed a problem, they don't necessarily agree on the cause. But if we trace the history of conceptions about masculinity, the evidence suggests that masculinity itself has always been in crisis. *This episode originally aired on May 18, 2023.
Monday, October 30
IS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE OVERRATED?
Our brains tell us human intelligence is unique in understanding this complicated world — that our intellects make us superior to all other animals. It allows us to imagine and build remarkable technologies. Write poetry and ponder the stars. But all that brain power has also allowed us to carry out unspeakable atrocities and could lead to our extinction. That realization has led one Canadian scientist to conclude human intelligence is the worst thing to have ever happened to the Earth. *This episode originally aired on June 22, 2023.
Tuesday, October 31
HAUNTED
There is no proof that ghosts exist. Yet some are convinced that they perceive the dead and departed. This episode explores the political, cultural, and personal realities that feed into why people believe they sense or see spirits. Ghosts may be manifestations of what is lost, feared, unvoiced and incomplete in our histories, from a premature family death in Canada, to the razing of an entire neighbourhood in Mumbai. *This episode originally aired October 25, 2022.
