Robert Adams

Rohinton Mistry

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the novel Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry.

Robert Adams on the novel Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry.

Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, on The Three New Commandments.

Christopher Hitchens on The Three New Commandments

Khaled Hosseini

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Robert Adams on the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Hazel Carby

Hazel Carby looks at the historic relationship between England and Jamaica, including the history of the slave trade in Bristol and the complex question of identity for those of mixed British and West Indian heritage.

Hazel Carby on Belonging to Britain

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.

Robert Adams on Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Thomas Merritt

Thomas Merritt, Canada Research Chair in Genomics and Bio-informatics at Laurentian University 19s department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, on the extent to which our genetic makeup is responsible for our talents and aptitudes.

Thomas Merritt on genetics, talents and aptitudes

Michael Shermer

The editor of Skeptic Magazine, Michael Shermer, delivers a lecture on his book Why People Believe Weird Things.

Michael Shermer on Why People Believe Weird Things.

Michael Fullan

Michael Fullan of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education delivers a lecture entitled Schools in Need of Re-Education

Michael Fullan on Schools in Need of Re-Education

Christopher Hitchens voices his opinion on the subject of the Hart House Debating Club debate: Be it resolved: Freedom of speech includes the freedom to hate.

Christopher Hitchens on Freedom of Speech

Michael Ruse

Michael Ruse is professor of the philosophy of biology at Florida State University. In this lecture he addresses the question Is Darwinism Past its Sell-by Date?

Michael Ruse on Is Darwinism Past its Sell-by Date?

Big Ideas offers lectures on a variety of thought-provoking topics which range across politics, culture, economics, art history, science.... By nature of its lecture format, pacing and inquisitive approach, it is the antithesis of the prevailing sound-bite television norm. The simple, bold concept is a victory of substance over style.

I loved this program, it was winderful until they started including fslse arguments and logicsl fallicies as part of their &#34;fairness of big ideas&#34;. My latest example from them would be the idiot named Bhikhu Parakh. I am not a very smart person which is why I listen to this program. This guy(Bhikhu Parakh) is a dunce compared to me, He makes his own evidence and uses the fact that he said something as a validation of is truth. He argues that it&#39;s okay to judge/prosecute people only by their beliefs. He argues(that with simplistic logic) it is okay to murder any women who looks at a man ina ny kind of misconstrude manner. Every arguement by rhis guy is very easily addressed with very basic knowledge. I find it disturbing that Itunes would ever consider listening to this monster. It is okay to do and oppress as you believe? No it is not EVER!

Wow what a fall

The depth and variation of Big Ideas is excellent. One week a leading physicist will explore quantum theory, perhaps the next an atheist will argue his perspective on religion. The speakers are always at the top of their field of expertise and nearly always gifted speakers. Each lecture is about an hour, which gives the speaker time to provide ample background and explore the subject. I love these lectures while i fly or work around the house.

An intellectual's espresso

Big Ideas (Video)

Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester discusses his book The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Simon Winchester on his book The Meaning of Everything

Marcus Chown

Marcus Chown of New Scientist Magazine on his Top 10 Bonkers Things About the Universe

Marcus Chown on 10 Bonkers Things About the Universe

Alexander Nehamas

Big Ideas presents Princeton University professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature, Alexander Nehamas, on how individual character defines our ideas of what is beautiful

Alexander Nehamas -individual character and ideas of beauty

Robert Fulford

Canadian author, journalist and broadcaster Robert Fulford delivers his 2003 lecture A World Reconfigured: Politics and Perceptions Since 9-11

Robert Fulford on A World Reconfigured: Politics and Perceptions Since 9-11

Gaspar Tamas

Hungarian philosopher, Gaspar Tamas,on The Failure of Liberal Democracy in Eastern Europe and Everywhere Else.  His lecture was delivered at the Munk School of Global Affairs on September 20, 2011.  Tamas is a prolific writer of essays with a wide-ranging and distinguished career in academics and government.  He was also a leading figure in the East European dissident movements.

Gaspar Tamas on The Failure of Liberal Democracy

Philip Ball

Philip Ball - Question and Answer session following the lecture based on his book, Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything

Philip Ball Q and A following his lecture on Curiosity

John Ralston Saul

John Ralston Saul argues that Canada is a Metis nation, critically influenced and shaped by aboriginal ideas.

John Ralston Saul on what defines Canada as a nation

Clare Hasenkampf

Clare Hasenkampf from the Biological Sciences department at the University of Toronto Scarborough delivers her competition lecture entitled "Chromosomes Dividing: How It Is Done and Why It Matters".

Clare Hasenkampf - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Chromosomes Dividing: How It Is Done and Why It Matters

Paul Stevens

Paul Stevens from the English department at the University of Toronto St. George delivers his competition lecture entitled "Milton's Satan".

Paul Stevens - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Milton's Satan

Sam Lipsyte

Nick Mount

University of Toronto English professor, Nick Mount, in conversation with author Sam Lipsyte.  The interview was taped following Mount's lecture on Lipsyte's novel Home Land

Nick Mount interviews novelist Sam Lipsyte

Ivan Semeniuk, Chief of Corespondents for Nature leads a discussion centered on the ideas and thoughts of Stephen Hawking. Neil Turok, Julie Payette, Rebecca Saxe and S. James Gates, Jr. cover topics including unfied theory, cosmology and colonization of space.

Stephen Hawking: The Power of Ideas

Noam Chomsky

Academic, author and political activist, Noam Chomsky, on the State-Corporate Complex: A Threat to Freedom and Survival.   Chomsky's lecture was delivered at the Hart House Great Hall at the University of Toronto on April 7, 2011.

Noam Chomsky on the State-Corporate Complex

Rod Carley

Top ten finalist, Professor Rod Carley, from the Communication Arts department at Canadore College in North Bay is profiled and delivers his competition lecture entitled, Adapting Shakespeare Within a Modern Canadian Context.

Rod Carley - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Adapting Shakespeare within a Modern Canadian Context

Merv Mosher

Merv Mosher from the Kinesiology and Health Science department at York University in Toronto is profiled and delivers his lecture entitled, Statistics: What's the Point?

Merv Mosher - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Statistics: What's the Point?

Paul Steinhardt

Physicist Paul Steinhardt discusses the creation of  "Impossible crystals": quasi-crystals with five-fold symmetry previously believed impossible.

Paul Steinhardt on Impossible Crystals

John Gray

Philosopher and author, John Gray, on The Immortalization Commission: Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death.  In the late nineteenth century and as a consequence of Darwinism, many thinkers turned to science to solve the riddle of death.  Gray explores humankind's dangerous striving toward a scientific version of immortality.

John Gray on The Immortalization Commission

Andrei Markovits

Big Ideas presents University of Michigan professor, Andrei Markovits, on European Anti-Americanism

Andrei Markovits on European Anti-Americanism

Philosopher and journalist Bernard-Henri Levy critiques present-day leftist politics for its anti-liberalism, anti-Americanism, and for being soft on radical Islamism.

Bernard-Henry Levy's 

Seth Lloyd

Seth Llyod is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His talk, "Programming the Universe", is about the computational power of atoms, electrons, and elementary particles.

Seth Lloyd on Programming the Universe

Richard Wilkinson

Armine Yalnizyan, Jordan Peterson, and Matthew Mendelsohn join epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson to discuss why equality is better for everyone, the theme of Wilkinson's book, The Spirit Level

The Age of Unequals: An Evening with Richard Wilkinson

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Best Episodes on Relationships & Love

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!