Big Ideas (Audio)

Robert Adams on the novel Herzog by Saul Bellow.

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:30:00 EST

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the 1964 novel Herzog by Saul Bellow.

Simon Winchester on A Crack in the Edge of the World

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:30:00 EST

Simon Winchester on his book A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906.

Robert Adams on the novel No Great Mischief

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:30:00 EST

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the novel No Great Mischief by Alastair MacLeod.

Philosopher Slavoj Zizek on ,Until the End of the World"

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:30:00 EST

Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek delivers his contribution to the Nuit Blanche symposium inspired by Wim Wenders film, Until the End of the World.

Robert Adams on the novel The Corrections

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:30:00 EST

Robert Adams, author of A Love of Reading, discusses the novel The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.

Jordan Peterson on Slaying the Dragon Within Us

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Jordan Peterson on Slaying the Dragon Within Us. Peterson, a University of Toronto professor of psychology, talks about fear of the unknown and fear of dealing with problems.

Salmon Akhtar on The Trauma of Geographical Dislocation

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Salmon Akhtar on The Trauma of Geographical Dislocation, how immigration can affect a person's mental health.

Steven Pinker on The Blank Slate

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Harvard University psychology professor, Steven Pinker, dicusses his book The Blank Slate.

Marc Abrahams, editor of The Annals of Improbably Research

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Marc Abrahams, editor of The Annals of Improbably Research and one of the organizers of the annual Ig-Nobel Prize ceremonies at Harvard University, discusses the work of scientists and academics that, "first makes you laugh, and then makes you think".

Julia Belluz on social media's impact on health decisions

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Journalist Julia Belluz looks at the impact of social media on decisions about health in the Annual Hart House Hancock Lecture. Her lecture, entitled Who Lives and Who Dies: Will Social Media Decide?, was delivered at the Hart House Great Hall on October 31, 2012.

Maude Barlow on Water: The Most Pressing Women's Issue

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:30:00 EST

Maude Barlow, National Chair of the citizens' advocacy organization The Council of Canadians, on Water: The Most Pressing Women's Issue of All.

Ken Cramer on Alfred Adler

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:30:00 EST

Ken Cramer - Psychology, University of Windsor -on Alfred Adler: The Most Famous Personality Theorist You Likely Never Heard Of

Kwame McKenzie on Immigration Sickness

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:30:00 EST

Kwame McKenzie, Medical Director of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, on Immigration Sickness. What psychological and social attributes help us predict who will be a good at being an immigrant?

Nick Mount on T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto English professor, Nick Mount, explores T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land.

Susannah Varmuza on the evolving field of Epigenetics

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto Zoology researcher, Susannah Varmuza, discusses the evolving field of Epigenetics and what research into such things as mouse coat colour is telling scientists about the age-old "nature versus nurture" debate.

Clare Hasenkampf on Chromosomes Dividing

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:35:00 EST

Clare Hasenkampf of the Biology Department at University of Toronto Scarborough presents her lecture Chromosomes Dividing: How It Is Done and Why It Matters.

Lt. General (ret.) Andrew Leslie on Lessons From Afghanistan

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

Lieutenant General (retired) Andrew Leslie, the Former Chief of Transformation for the Canadian Armed Forces, discusses the lessons that can be learned from the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan. He explores how these lessons need to be applied to the Canadian Force's priorities in the face of future budget cuts.

Richard Kearney on Narrative Imagination and Catharsis

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

In his lecture entitled "Narrative Imagination and Catharsis", philosopher Richard Kearney takes the examples of Joyce's Ulysses, Homer's Odyssey and Shakespeare's Hamlet to illustrate his thesis on the healing power of art. His lecture was part of an event called Imagination's Truths and was recorded at the Isabel Bader Theatre on October 13, 2012.

Oliver Sacks on Musicophilia

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

Neurologist and best-selling author, Oliver Sacks, discusses his book Musicophilia. and the ways our brains interact with and understand music.

Noam Chomsky on The Imperial Presidency

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

American author and political activist, Noam Chomsky, speking at a benefit for Canadian Dimension Magazine, delivers a talk entitled The Imperial Presidency. Recorded at University of Toronto on Nov 21/04.

Jesse Hirsh, Lee Rainie - Is Social Media Good for Democracy

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

The 2012 Keith Davey Forum on Public Affairs, moderated by Steve Paikin and featuring Lee Rainie and Jesse Hirsh. They address the question, Is Social Media Good for Democracy?

Philip Ball on How Science Became Interested in Everything

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 23:30:00 EST

Science writer Philip Ball on his book Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything. Ball explores how the history of science was influenced by the cultural accetance or rejection of human curiosity.

Samantha Nutt - interviewed by Carol Off

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Samantha Nutt, Founder and Executive Director of War Child, is interviewed by Carol Off following her talk at the Grandest Challenge symposium.

Stephen Lewis - interviewed by Gillian Findlay

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Stephen Lewis of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, is interviewed by Gillian Findlay following his talk at the Grandest Challenge symposium.

David Weinberger:Knowledge at the End of the Information Age

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:00:00 EST

The author of "Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder", David Weinberger, delivers a lecture entitled "Knowledge at the End of the Information Age".

Jordan Peterson on Music and the Patterns of the Mind and W.

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:00:00 EST

Jordan Peterson on Music and the Patterns of the Mind and World. Peterson, a University of Toronto professor of psychology, discusses the way in which music is perceived by humans. He compares the way we respond to visual arts, particularly the paintings of Picasso, to our perceptions of music in an effort to show how our brains respond differently to varied art forms.

Jill Tarter on the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:00:00 EST

Dr. Jill Tarter, Director at the Centre for SETI Research, discusses the ongoing Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence and how new tools including the Allen Telescope Array and the Keplar Spacecraft are helping to make the search much more likely to succeed.

Stephen Lewis on Climate Change

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Stephen Lewis, social sciences scholar in residence at McMaster University, delivers a talk entitled, Climate Change; the New Big Thing.

Samantha Nutt, Founder and Executive Director of War Child

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Samantha Nutt, Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada, and author of the book Damned Nations speaks at The Grandest Challenge Symposium.

Stephen Lewis of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Stephen Lewis of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, and author of Race Against Time speaks at The Grandest Challenge Symposium.

Jordan Peterson on Redemption and Psychology in Christianity

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto Psychology Professor, Jordan Peterson, on Redemption and Psychology in Christianity. Dr. Peterson's lecture was the keynote address at the 2012 Meaning Conference held in Toronto.

Rupinder Brar on Relativity, Einstein, and How to Stay Young

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:00:00 EST

Rupinder Brar lectures on the topic of Einstein's special relativity theory and it's explanation of time dilation and simultaneity. The lecture is entitled Relativity, Einstein, the Speed of Light and How to Stay Young.

Julian Barbour on Does Time Exist?

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:30:00 EST

Julian Barbour, visiting professor at the University of Oxford and the author of The End of Time, addresses the question, Does Time Exist? Barbour explores the history of scientific thought on the concept of time and presents his own interpretations of what time is.

Margaret Atwood: Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:00:00 EST

Preeminent author, Margaret Atwood, delivers the 2008 Massey Lecture, "Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth".

Tyler Cowen and Andrew Coyne on The Great Stagnation

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

Tyler Cowen discusses his book The Great Stagnation: How America Ate All the Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick and Will (Eventually) Feel Better. Andrew Coyne (National Post) presents a rebuttal and the pair discuss Cowen's thesis focusing on issues of productivity, innovation and government policy (moderated by Wendy Dobson).

Senator Hugh Segal on Fighting Poverty in Canada

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

In a lecture entitled "Fighting Poverty", Senator Hugh Segal explains why we need a new national approach to tackling poverty arguing that the costs and consequences of poverty are much larger than direct spending on social programs. Segal has been a long-time proponent of establishing a Guaranteed Annual Income. This lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

John Hancock on Our Capitalist Revolution

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

John Hancock, Senior Counsellor at the World Trade Organization, delivers a lecture entitled "Our Capitalist Revolution". Together with rapid growth, dazzling technologies and widening circles of development, global capitalism is delivering a turbulent, unequal, out-of-control world, which - Hancock argues - is just what we demanded. His lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Louis A. Perez, Jr. on Cuban culture and revolution

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

Louis A. Perez, Jr. of the Department of History at the University of North Carolina, speaks about Cuban culture and revolution.

Jacalyn Duffin on the History of the Stethoscope

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:00:00 EST

Jacalyn Duffin of the Department of Medicine at Queen's University on History of the Stethoscope and the Meaning of Life.

Douglas Thomas on A New Culture of Learning

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

Douglas Thomas, author of A New Culture of Learning, delivers a lecture on the intersections of technology, culture and education. This lecture is part of Learning 2030, TVO's special series on the future of education and was recorded on October 28, 2012.

Grandest Challenge Symposium Pt 2 featuring James Orbinski

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:35:00 EST

Our second installment of The Grandest Challenge Symposium features James Orbinski, author of An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-First Century. Following Dr. Orbinski's lecture he is joined in conversation by moderator Gillian Findlay.

Dr. James Maskalyk, author of Six Months in Sudan

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

Dr. James Maskalyk, author of Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village, speaks at The Grandest Challenge Symposium and is interviewed by moderator Carol Off.

Abdallah Daar and Peter Singer on The Grandest Challenge

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:30:00 EST

Taking it's name from the book The Grandest Challenge: Taking Life-Saving Science from Lab to Village, this symposium features the book's authors, Dr. Abdallah Daar and Dr. Peter Singer.

Doug Richards on Stretching: The Truth

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:00:00 EST

Doug Richards from the Physical Education & Health department at University of Toronto St. George on Stretching: The Truth. Richards discusses the science and the fiction of the benefits of stretching prior to exercise.

Iain McGilchrist on the divided brain's impact on our world

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a renowned psychiatrist and author. Drawing from his book, "The Master and his Emissary", McGilchrist explores how the divided brain is shaping modern civilization. His lecture was delivered at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, on March 7, 2012.

Don Kurtz on Stellar Seismology

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

Don Kurtz, of the University of Central Lancashire, discusses asteroseismology in a lecture entitled Songs of the Stars: The Real Music of the Spheres. He explains how sound waves are helping to locate distant Earth-like planets, study solar storms and explain what happens in the core of stars.

Rebecca MacKinnon on Internet Freedom and Security

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices, discusses her book Consent of the Networked which examines issues of internet freedom and security. MacKinnon looks at Internet regulation in China, how Social Media affected the Arab Spring and the fight over SOPA.

William D. Phillips: Time and Einstein in the 21st Century

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

William D. Phillips, who works with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, demonstrates the cooling potential of liquid nitrogen, the laser-based technique known as "optical molasses" and shows how magnetic bottles can help science built more accurate atomic clocks.

Northrop Frye on An Approach to the Bible

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

Renowned literary theorist Northrop Frye presents the first lecture in his course on The Bible and Literature. The lecture is entitled "An Approach to the Bible".

Northrop Frye on The Shape of the Bible

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST

Renowned literary theorist, Northrop Frye, delivers the second lecture in his famous course on The Bible and Literature. The lecture is entitled "The Shape of the Bible".

Michael Persinger on Psychotropic Drugs

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:00:00 EST

Dr. Michael Persinger, (Laurentian University - Neuroscience) winner of the 2007 Best Lecturer Competition, on Psychotropic Drugs.

Chris Turner on How to Thrive in the Sustainable Economy

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:30:00 EST

Chris Turner discusses his book The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy. Citing German energy policy and business examples such as Walmart, Turner explains how sustainability makes excellent business sense.

Andrew Coyne Q & A

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:30:00 EST

Following his lecture on Post-Economic Politics in Canada, National Post columnist Andrew Coyne fields questions from the audience. This event was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada (LRC).

Leon Kass on Why Not Immortality?

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 23:30:00 EST

Dr. Leon Kass, Chair of the President's Council on Bioethics, examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding stem cell research. Dr. Kass addresses the philosophical question: Why not immortality?

Arthur Herman: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:30:00 EST

Arthur Herman on his book "To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World".

Leroy Hood: From Reactive to Proactive Medicine

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:30:00 EST

Leroy Hood, of the Institute for Systems Biology, on Emerging Technologies and the Transformation from Reactive to Proactive Medicine.

Liam Kennedy on The Irish Famine and the Jewish Holocaust

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

Liam Kennedy of the School of History at Queen's University (Belfast) delivers a lecture entitled, Cry Holocaust: The Great Irish Famine and the Jewish Holocaust.

Vaclav Smil on Energy Transitions

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

Vaclav Smil of the Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Manitoba, discusses Energy Transitions in this lecture which was part of the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI)Equinox Summit, hosted by the Perimeter Institute.

Jane Goodall on Chimpanzee and Human Emotions

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

Primatologist Jane Goodall delivers a lecture on the similarities between chimpanzee and human emotions, preserving the environment, and hope.

Nick Mount on Nabokov's "Lolita"

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto English Professor Nick Mount on Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita". The lecture was part of his Literature for Our Time series and was delivered at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, on Feb. 12th, 2009.

Ian Buruma on Death of Metropolis

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

Writer and academic, Ian Buruma on Death of Metropolis: Why are Some Hostile to Cities?

H. Jay Melosh on What Killed the Dinosaurs

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST

What killed the dinosaurs? And is humanity headed for a similar fate? These questions are addressed by H. Jay Melosh, a Professor of Theoretical Geophysics at the University of Arizona, in this lecture entitled, Death of the Dinos: Giant Impacts and Biological Crises. With the help of sophisticated computer simulations Melosh presents his "hot" new theory on the KT extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago.

Natalia Toro on Fundamental Physics at the LHC

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST

Natalia Toro explains how complex collision data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being digested and examined and how it may set the course for the science of the future. Her lecture was delivered at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, on September 18, 2011.

Seth Lloyd on Programming the Universe

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST

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.

Adam Gopnik on Christian Writers and Liberal Readers

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST

Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, discusses W. H. Auden, William Emerson and Lewis Carroll in a lecture entitled, The Morning Star is the Evening Star: Christian Writers and Liberal Readers.

Alain de Botton on Status Anxiety

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST

Alain de Botton discusses his book Status Anxiety which examines our fears over what others think about us and about how we are judged to be either a success or failure.

Robert Morrison on Islam and Science

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:30:00 EST

Robert Morrison, Associate Professor of Religion at Bowdoin College, on Islam, Science and the Importance of History. Morrison cites Islamic religious scholars from historical times and from the present in order to show how Islam and science are compatable.

Paul Steinhardt on Impossible Crystals

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 23:30:00 EST

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

Andrew Coyne on Post-Economic Politics in Canada

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:30:00 EST

National Post columnist, Andrew Coyne, presents a lecture entitled Post-Economic Politics in Canada. In Coyne's opinion, the state of the economy, contrary to popular belief, will not be the defining issue in our public policy debates. His lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada and was delivered at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto on May 14th, 2012.

Simon Winchester on his book The Meaning of Everything

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 23:30:00 EST

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

Marc D. Lewis Questions and Answers

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:30:00 EST

Marc D. Lewis answers questions following his lecture based on his book Memoirs of an Addicted Brain.

Dr. Marc D. Lewis on Memoirs of an Addicted Brain

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:30:00 EST

Dr. Marc D. Lewis discusses the story and the science behind his book Memoirs of an Addicted Brain. Lewis is a professor at the Behavioral Science Institute, part of Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Lewis's book documents the years he spent addicted to drugs including morphine and heroin, and links his first-hand drug experiences to his current behavioral science research into the interaction between drugs and brain chemistry.

Lisa Harvey-Smith on the SKA mega-telescope

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:30:00 EST

Lisa Harvey-Smith of CSIRO discusses the mega-telescope known as the Square Kilometre Array. CSIRO, the Australian Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, is part of the continent-spanning next-generation radio telescope project which is due to be completed in 2019.

Allen J. Frances on the overdiagnosis of mental illness

Fri, 11 May 2012 23:30:00 EST

Psychiatrist and author, Allen J. Frances, believes that mental illnesses are being over-diagnosed. In his lecture, Diagnostic Inflation: Does Everyone Have a Mental Illness?, Dr. Frances will outline why he thinks the DSM-V will lead to millions of people being mislabeled with mental disorders. His lecture is part of Mental Health Matters, an initiative of TVO in association with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The lecture is followed by a short Q & A.

Dr. Iain McGilchrist on The Divided Brain

Fri, 04 May 2012 23:30:00 EST

Renowned British psychiatrist and author, Iain McGilchrist, delivers a lecture entitled Our Mind at War. Drawing from research in his latest book, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, Dr. McGilchrist explains how an overreliance on ways of looking at the world characteristic of the left hemisphere may be partially responsible for the increase in mental illnesses globally, including depression. His lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Marc Fournier on Domination and Depression

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Psychology professor, Marc Fournier, on Domination and Depression. His lecture was delivered at University of Toronto-Scarborough as part of the 2008 Big Ideas Best Lecturer competition.

Zach Hall on Neuroethics

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Zach Hall, Dean of Research at the School of Medicine, University of Southern California, on Neuroethics: A Challenge for a New Age. His lecture was delivered at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto on November 12, 2003.

Kay Redfield Jamison on Understanding Suicide

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison on Understanding Suicide. Her lecture, drawing on research from her book, Night Falls Fast, was delivered at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto in the year 2000. It first aired on Big Ideas on February 3, 2001.

David Healy on Psychopharmacology

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Psychiatrist David Healy with his lecture Gripped by a Python: How Pharmaceutical Companies Control the Medical Marketplace. The lecture was delivered at Bethune College in Toronto on February 27, 2003.

Dr. Norman Doidge on neuroplasticity

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and best-selling author, Dr. Norman Doidge, on his book, The Brain that Changes Itself, an examination of the most important breakthrough in neuroscience: the discovery of neuroplasticity. His lecture was delivered at the University of Toronto on March 29th, 2008.

Graeme Gibson on our human connection to nature

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:30:00 EST

Graeme Gibson, author of The Bedside Book of Beasts, and recipient of the Order of Canada, explores the ways we humans relate emotionally, imaginatively, and physically to the natural world. Entitled Echoes of a Working Eden, his lecture also addresses the damage done to us by our abandonment of Nature. It was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Francis Broun on Artemisia

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:30:00 EST

Art historian Francis Broun discusses the work of the 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi. In this podcast, Broun explores why Artemisia, who was widely respected in her own time, was forgotten and why she has recently been returned to her rightful place as a groundbreaking painter.

Ian Hacking on The Biosocial Being

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:30:00 EST

Philosopher Ian Hacking delivers the 2011 Ioan Davies Memorial Lecture entitled Who Are You? The Biosocial Being. The lecture took place at York University on November 14, 2011.

Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis on Child Soldiers

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:30:00 EST

Drawing on their vast experiences and first-hand knowledge, distinguished humanitarians Senator Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis, enter into a dialogue about the issues that they have committed their lives to: the eradication of the use of child soldiers and stopping the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Their discussion, moderated by journalist Anna Maria Tremonti, was organized by PEN Canada.

Daniel Kahneman on The Machinery of the Mind

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:30:00 EST

Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, on The Machinery of the Mind. Kahneman is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and the winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics.

Darin Barney on Citizenship in the Technological Republic

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST

McGill University professor, Darin Barney, delivers the 2007 Hart House Lecture entitled One Nation Under Google. His lecture looks at many important issues, including how we are used by technology and how technology challenges citizenship. Barney is the Canada Research Chair in Technology & Citizenship.

George Dyson on the Origins of the Digital Universe

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:30:00 EST

Science historian and author (Darwin Among the Machines) George Dyson on the Origins of the Digital Universe. The talk focuses on the work done at The Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton New Jersey by such renowned scientists as John von Neumann and Kurt Godel.

Alberto Manguel on The Screen of Hal

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:30:00 EST

Alberto Manguel delivers the final lecture in the 2007 Massey Lecture series, entitled The Screen of Hal.

John Duffy on the emerging politics of technology

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:30:00 EST

John Duffy, advisor to former Prime Minister Paul Martin and founder of StrategyCorp, tackles the subject of The Emerging Politics of Technology in a lecture produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada. Duffy has spent years pondering the role of technology in our thinking about policy and politics. And he believes that the politics of technology is at the forefront of Canada's public policy debates. But is technology beyond political and democratic control? And if not, how can we ensure that the cost and benefit of new technological developments do not deepen the already growing inequalities in our society?

Graham Farmelo on Paul Dirac and Mathematical Beauty

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:30:00 EST

Adjunct Professor of Physics at Northeastern University in Boston, Graham Farmelo, on Paul Dirac and the Religion of Mathematical Beauty. Apart from Einstein, Paul Dirac was probably the greatest theoretical physicist of the 20th century. Dirac, co-inventor of quantum mechanics, is now best known for conceiving of anti-matter and also for his deeply eccentric behavior. For him, the most important attribute of a fundamental theory was its mathematical beauty, an idea that he said was "almost a religion" to him.

Charles Taylor on Religion and Violence

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST

Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University, Charles Taylor, on Religion and Violence.

Steven Pinker on Thinking About Our Society

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST

Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature, delivers a lecture entitled Thinking About Our Society: Why Violence Has Declined. Pinker (Psychology - Harvard University) explores the essence of human nature and what lies behind the statistically unmistakable reduction in violence over the past few centuries.

Charles Taylor and Jonathan Sacks on The Future of Religion

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST

Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University, Charles Taylor and Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks discuss The Future of Religion in a Secular Age. The New Atheists, the state of marriage, the dangers of religion in the political sphere and the difference between religious thinking and magical thinking are all discussed.

Ray Jayawardhana on Alien Planets

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST

Author and astronomer Ray Jayawardhana discusses Alien Planets and his latest book Strange New Worlds. The lecture focuses on techniques for detecting planets orbiting distant stars.

Robert J. Sawyer on Humanity 2.0

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST

What will it mean to be human in the future? Uploading consciousness into virtual worlds and prolonging life through biotechnology are already being contemplated. Canada's leading science fiction writer, Robert J. Sawyer, offers his insights in a lecture entitled Humanity 2.0, produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Clay Shirky on Cognitive Surplus

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:30:00 EST

Author, teacher and activist, Clay Shirky, discusses the visionary insights of Marshall McLuhan as well as his own ideas about the effects of new media and social networking on our society. Shirky's latest book Cognitive Surplus explores how new technology is unleashing a wave of creative production that he believes is transforming the world. Following the lecture, Shirky sits down for an interview with broadcaster Jesse Hirsh. The event was part of the McLuhan 100 series at the International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront Centre.

David Brooks on The Social Animal

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:30:00 EST

In a lecture entitled How Success Happens, New York Times columnist and author, David Brooks, draws from the research in his latest book The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement. His lecture was delivered at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Julie Payette, Canadian Space Agency Perspectives from Space

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:30:00 EST

The Canadian Space Agency's Chief Astronaut, Julie Payette delivers a lecture entitled Canadian Space Agency Perspectives from Space: Research and Diplomacy.

Thomas Homer-Dixon Q and A-Civilization Far From Equilibrium

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Thomas Homer-Dixon answers questions following his lecture entitled Civilization Far From Equilibrium: Energy, Complexity and Human Survival.

Palestine and the Arab Spring - Bonus audio

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Bonus audio - Moderator Mark Kingwell and panelists Michael Ignatieff and Ramin Jahanbegloo discuss Palestine and The Arab Spring as viewed through the writings of political philosopher Isaiah Berlin

Keith Devlin on Leonardo and Steve: How Fibonacci Beat Apple

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Keith Devlin, Executive Director of the H-STAR Institute at Stanford University, discusses Leonardo and Steve: How Fibonacci Beat Apple to Market by 800 Years

Steve Paikin on The Personal Price of a Political Life.

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Steve Paikin, anchor and senior editor of TVO's series The Agenda with Steve Paikin, delivers the 20th annual Bell lecture entitled, The Personal Price of a Political Life. The lecture was recorded at Carleton University in Ottawa on November 16th, 2011.

John Ibbitson on the Collapse of the Laurentian Consensus

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

John Ibbitson, Ottawa bureau chief for The Globe and Mail, delivers a lecture on The Collapse of the Laurentian Consensus and the Rise of Ontario as a Pacific Province. This lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Liberty and the Arab Spring: Exploring Isaiah Berlin's Ideas

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Moderator Mark Kingwell and panelists Michael Ignatieff and Ramin Jahanbegloo discuss the writings of political philosopher Isaiah Berlin as they pertain to Liberty and The Arab Spring

Armine Yalnizyan and William Watson on economic disparity

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:30:00 EST

Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and William Watson, McGill economics professor, debate Inequality: A Threat to Democracy? This is the 2011 Keith Davey Forum on Public Affairs, moderated by political scientist Jeffrey Kopstein.

Gaspar Tamas on The Failure of Liberal Democracy

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

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.

Gabor Maté on The Human Face of Addictive Behavior

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

Drawing on his experiences with addicted patients from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Dr. Gabor Maté discusses how the medical and legal systems are failing in the so-called war on drugs. He reads from his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, and suggests ways in which our approach to dealing with drugs and drug addicts could be improved.

Hod Lipson on Programmable Matter: Shape of Things to Come

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

Hod Lipson of Cornell University discusses the future of 3-D printing in his lecture entitled, Programmable Matter: The Shape of Things to Come

Ronald Pruessen on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

University of Toronto history professor, Ronald Pruessen, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Janice Stein on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, Janice Stein, provides a summary and closing remarks at the event entitled 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Ron Levi on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

Academic Director for the Munk School of Global Affairs, Ron Levi, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Margaret MacMillan on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

Oxford history professor, Margaret MacMillan, with her contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Bill Graham on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

Bill Graham, Chancellor of Trinity College, University of Toronto, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Michael Ignatieff on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

Writer, teacher, and former politician, Michael Ignatieff, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Natalie Zemon Davis on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

University of Toronto history professor, Natalie Zemon Davis, with her contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Ron Deibert on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

University of Toronto political scientist Ron Deibert, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Elspeth Brown on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

University of Toronto history professor Elspeth Brown with her contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Louis Century on 9/11: Reflections after Ten Years

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST

University of Toronto graduate student, Louis Century, with his contribution to 9/11: Ten Reflections after the Passage of Ten Years: An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember. It was recorded on September 13, 2011. The event was produced by the Munk School of Global Affairs in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of the United States.

Alex Himelfarb on the consequences of tax cuts

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

How Did Taxes Become a Bad Word? The Former Clerk of the Privy Council, Alex Himelfarb, discusses why we should be investing more, not less, in our future. While today's political leaders exalt the benefits of increased tax-cutting, Himelfarb argues that further tax cuts will come with serious consequences, including cuts to services and deeper inequality. According to Himelfarb, what we need is nothing less than a re-think about what our future is worth. His lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Leonard Susskind on The World As Hologram

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

Leonard Susskind of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics discusses the indestructability of information and the nature of black holes in a lecture entitled The World As Hologram.

Noam Chomsky on the State-Corporate Complex

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:30:00 EST

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.

Thomas Homer-Dixon on Civilization Far From Equilibrium

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:30:00 EST

Thomas Homer-Dixon presents his lecture Civilization Far From Equilibrium: Energy, Complexity and Human Survival at the Equinox Summit - Energy 2030.

John Gray on The Immortalization Commission

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:30:00 EST

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.

Freeman Dyson on Living Through Four Revolutions

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:30:00 EST

Freeman Dyson, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University delivers a lecture entitled, Living Through Four Revolutions. Dyson discusses Space Technology, Nuclear Energy, the Genome and the Computer Revolution.

Tariq Ramadan on Western Muslims after Oslo

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:00:00 EST

Tariq Ramadan, the well-known, Swiss-born and controversial Muslim philosopher, offers a critique of the discriminatory nature of popular attitudes towards Muslims living in Europe and North America. His lecture was delivered at the Palais des Congres de Montreal on September 8, 2011.

Jeff Melanson on The Evolving Role of the Arts in Canada

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EST

What makes our cultural institutions thrive, what new challenges do they face, and how can we best support them? Arts administrator, Jeff Melanson, explores The Evolving Role of the Arts in Canada. His lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada and was recorded at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto on May 24, 2011

David Keith on Technology, Energy and Nature

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EST

David Keith, speaking at the Equinox Summit, discusses Technology, Energy and Nature - Human Values and Open Choices. Professor Keith holds the Canada Research Chair in Energy and the Environment.

Nick Mount interviews novelist Sam Lipsyte

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EST

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

Andrei Markovits on European Anti-Americanism

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EST

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

Nick Mount on Sam Lipsyte's novel Home Land

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:30:00 EST

English professor, Nick Mount, provides insight into Sam Lipsyte's novel Home Land. The lecture was part of the Literature for Our Time series at the University of Toronto.

Alexander Nehamas -individual character and ideas of beauty

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:30:00 EST

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

Eric Mazur on Stopping Time

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:30:00 EST

Eric Mazur, the Dean of Applied Physics at Harvard University, delivers a lecture entitled, Stopping Time. In it he breaks time down into it's smallest measureable components via photography and developments in laser technology.

Michael Hardt on The Politics of Love and Evil

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Duke University Literary Theorist, Michael Hardt, discussing The Politics of Love and Evil

Joseph Emerson on The Quantum Tamers

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Joseph Emerson of the Department of Applied Math at the University of Waterloo on the documentary The Quantum Tamers which he co-produced at the Perimeter Institute

John O'Leary on Popular, Informal Education

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents John O'Leary, the President of Frontier College on Popular, Informal Education: From the Archives of Frontier College

The Age of Unequals: An Evening with Richard Wilkinson

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

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

Robert K. Logan on The Origin and Evolution of Language

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto Physics professor Robert K. Logan on The Origin and Evolution of Language and the Emergence of Concepts

Marcus Chown on 10 Bonkers Things About the Universe

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

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

Kevin B. Anderson, Janet Afary on The Seductions of Islamism

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

Kevin B. Anderson and Janet Afary on their book The Seductions of Islamism: Revisiting Foucault and the Iranian Revolution

Renate Loll on the Quantum Origins of Space and Time

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EST

Renate Loll from Utrecht University's Institute for Theoretical Physics delivers a lecture on Searching for the Quantum Origins of Space and Time. The lecture was recorded at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, on May 5, 2010.

Alan Middleton on the History of Branding

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents York University professor of Marketing, Alan Middleton, on The History of Branding

Arne Kislenko on Southeast Asia and the Cold War (Part 2)

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Arne Kislenko, winner of the 2005 Best Lecturer Competition, as he delivers part 2 of his lecture on Triumph and Tragedy: Southeast Asia and the Cold War

Cory Doctorow Q and A on computer regulation

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EST

Cory Doctorow answers questions following his lecture, Why it's a Bad Idea to Regulate Computers the Way We Regulate Radios, Guns, Uranium and Other Special-Purpose Tools

Peterson and de Sousa debate Living Without the Sacred

Fri, 27 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Philosopher Ronald de Sousa and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson debate Living Without the Sacred: Should John Lennon's Imagine Become Our Reality? The debate was hosted by the University of Toronto Secular Alliance, and sponsored by TVO's Big Ideas and the Centre for Inquiry Ontario.

Noam Chomsky on Academic Freedom

Fri, 20 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Noam Chomsky is one of America's leading scholars and intellectuals. He is a professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His lecture on Academic Freedom and the Corporatization of Universities was delivered at the University of Toronto Scarborough on April 6, 2011.

Charles Foran on Mordecai Richler and Nationalism

Fri, 13 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Novelist and critic, Charles Foran, delivers a lecture on Mordecai Richler and Canadian Cultural Nationalism. Mr. Foran recently won the 2011 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction for his book Mordecai: The Life & Times.

Arne Kislenko on Southeast Asia and the Cold War

Fri, 13 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Arne Kislenko, winner of the 2005 Best Lecturer Competition, on Triumph and Tragedy: Southeast Asia and the Cold War

Michael Persinger on No More Secrets

Fri, 06 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Michael Persinger, winner of the 2007 Best Lecturer Competition, on Just Suppose You Could Know What Others Are Thinking: No More Secrets

Armine Yalnizyan on Economics, Equality and Democracy

Fri, 06 May 2011 23:30:00 EST

Senior economist Armine Yalnizyan examines how growing economic inequality and injustice is affecting our democracy. Her lecture, entitled Economics, Equality and Democracy, was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Christopher W. diCarlo on The New Ethics

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Christopher W. diCarlo, winner of the 2008 Best Lecturer Competition, on The New Ethics: A Synthetic Approach to Understanding Good and Evil.

Cory Doctorow on Why it's a Bad Idea to Regulate Computers

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Cory Doctorow on Why it's a Bad Idea to Regulate Computers the Way We Regulate Radios, Guns, Uranium and Other Special-Purpose Tools

Rod Carley on Theatre in the 21st Century

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas preents Rod Carley, winner of the 2009 Best Lecturer Competition, on Theatre in the 21st Century: Touchstone to Humanity

Rupinder Brar on The Impact of Astronomy

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents 2010 Best Lecturer Competition winner Rupinder Brar on The Impact of Astronomy on Humankind's Perception of the Universe

Robert Adams on Elie Wiesel's The Forgotten

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Popular Welsh-born storyteller Robert Adams reviews Elie Wiesel's novel, The Forgotten, the profoundly moving story of an ailing Holocaust survivor who lives with disturbing memories and entrusts his son with a mysterious mission. Adams' talk was delivered at the Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue on November 2nd, 2010, as part of Holocaust Education Week.

Sara Seager on Exoplanets the Search for Habitable Worlds

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Sara Seager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discussing Exoplanets and the Search for Habitable Worlds

Michael Adams on The Boomer Impact

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:30:00 EST

Environics co-founder, leading pollster, and author, Michael Adams, delivers a lecture on the Boomer Impact, drawing on the insights and research in his latest book Stayin' Alive: How Canadian Boomers Will Work, Play and Find Meaning in the Second Half of Their Adult Lives. This lecture was produced in collaboration with the Literary Review of Canada.

Hod Lipson on The Robot Scientist: Mining Experimental Data

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Hod Lipson of Cornell University exploring his work in such areas as evolutionary robotics and programmable self-assembly, Lipson delivers a lecture entitled The Robot Scientist: Mining Experimental Data for Scientific Laws, from Cognitive Robots to Computational Biology.

Ian Hacking on The Mathematical Animal

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Winner of the prestigious Holberg International Memorial Prize, University of Toronto philosophy professor, Ian Hacking, presents a lecture entitled The Mathematical Animal.

Nick Mount on It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents University of Toronto English professor, Nick Mount, on the graphic novel It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken by Seth.

David Sloan Wilson on Religion and Other Meaning Systems

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Professor David Sloan Wilson, author of Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society, delivers the annual Wiegand Memorial Foundation lecture entitled Religion and Other Meaning Systems. He examines how the experience of the religious believer differs from the secular thinker and argues that both can be understood in terms their particular meaning systems.

Robert Adams on The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents author and book reviewer Robert Adams as he discusses the novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Richard Wilkinson on The Age of Unequals

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST

One of Britain's leading social epidemiologists, Richard Wilkinson, looks at what it means to live in a new age of inequality. Wilkinson is the co-author of the groundbreaking, international bestseller The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone.

Seth Lloyd on Quantum Life

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Seth Lloyd of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology on Quantum Life, how organisms have evolved to make use of quantum effects.

Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott on his life and work

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST

English professor, Christian Campbell, interviews Caribbean poet and playwright, Derek Walcott, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. Walcott discusses issues of identity, culture, and language in this illuminating conversation, filmed at Hart House Theatre on November 23, 2010.

PZ Myers on Science and Atheism: Natural Allies

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:30:00 EST

Biology professor and well-known blogger, PZ Myers, on Science and Atheism: Natural Allies. This lecture was delivered at the Humanist Canada/Atheist Alliance International 2010 Convention in Montreal.

Daniel C. Dennett on What Should Replace Religions?

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:30:00 EST

Daniel C. Dennett, Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, on What Should Replace Religions?

Brian Dalton on Mr. Deity podcasts & the morality of atheism

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:30:00 EST

Big Ideas presents Brian Dalton on his Mr. Deity podcasts, the amorality of Christianity and the morality of atheism

Chris Hedges on Death of the Liberal Class

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:30:00 EST

Journalist and author Chris Hedges delivers a lecture based on his book Death of the Liberal Class. Hedges argues that there are five pillars of the liberal establishment - the press, liberal religious institutions, labor unions, universities and the Democratic Party - but that these institutions have failed the constituents they purport to represent.

Jordan Peterson on The Necessity of Virtue

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:30:00 EST

University of Toronto professor and clinical psychologist, Jordan Peterson, delivers the 2010 Hancock Lecture entitled The Necessity of Virtue. He discusses virtue from a contemporary perspective that both encompasses and extends beyond moral and religious contexts. Through compelling stories and research, Dr. Peterson illustrates the necessity of virtue both for the individual and for society at large.

Simon Winchester on The Man Who Loved China

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST

Journalist, broadcaster, and bestselling author, Simon Winchester, tells the remarkable story of Joseph Needham, an eccentric English chemist who wrote a vast book on Chinese science which remains the longest book about China ever written in the English language. Winchester 19s lecture on The Man Who Loved China was delivered at the Royal Ontario Museum on October 14, 2010.

Camille Paglia on The Future of Education

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST

Educator and author, Camille Paglia, discusses The Future of Education at the 2010 Globe and Mail Open House Festival in Toronto. The event moderator is broadcaster, Valerie Pringle.

Sean M Carroll on Origin of the Universe & the Arrow of Time

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:30:00 EST

Sean M. Carroll of CalTech discusses how the direction of the arrow of time was defined by the Big Bang. He also speculates about what might have come before the Big Bang. The lecture is entitled The Origin of the Universe & the Arrow of Time.

Werner Bohleber on The Phenomenon of Adolescent Violence

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

German psychoanalyst, Werner Bohleber, on The Phenomenon of Adolescent Violence.

Craig Kaplan on Mathematical Art and Artistic Mathematicians

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

Craig Kaplan discusses origami, tiling patterns and other areas of art where mathematics and computers have had a significant impact. The lecture, entitled Mathematical Art and Artistic Mathematicians, was deliverd at the Quantum to Cosmos Festival.

Art historian Francis Broun on The Art of Sir Edwin Landseer

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

Art historian Francis Broun presents his lecture entitled Genius Denied: The Art of Sir Edwin Landseer. It was recorded at the Women's Art Association in Toronto on May 24th, 2010.

William R. Newman on Why Did Isaac Newton Believe in Alchemy

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST

Indiana University professor of History and Philosophy of Science, William R. Newman presents his lecture, entitled Why Did Isaac Newton Believe in Alchemy? Through historical documents and experiments that demonstrate alchemical processes, this lecture explains why one of the most insightful scientists in history was convinced that alchemical transformations were scientifically plausible. It was delivered at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, on October 6th, 2010.

Climate Reality

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST

A panel discussion on climate science and climate justice with the world 19s foremost climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, as well as Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, and Clayton Thomas-Muller, the Indigenous Environmental Network's Tar Sands Campaigner. The event moderator is Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux.

James Hansen on Human-Made Climate Change

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST

Dr. James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute delivers a lecture on Human-Made Climate Change: A Moral, Political, and Legal Issue.

S. James Gates, Jr. on Does Reality Have a Genetic Basis?

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST

S. James Gates Jr., Director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland, discusses the question "Does Reality Have a Genetic Basis?"

Nick Mount on Sylvia Plath's Ariel

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:00:00 EST

As part of the Literature for Our Time series, University of Toronto English Professor Nick Mount examines Ariel, Sylvia Plath's posthumously published collection of poems

Stewart Brand on his book Whole Earth Discipline

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:00:00 EST

Stewart Brand delivers a lecture focusing on his book Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto.

Bhikhu Parekh on secularism and the role of religion

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EST

Lord Bhikhu Parekh is Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy at the Universities of Westminster and Hull and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author of several books in political philosophy including Rethinking Multiculturalism and A New Politics of Identity. This lecture on Secularism and the Role of Religion in Public Life was hosted by the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto on April 6, 2010.

John Mighton on The Ubiquitous Bell Curve

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

John Mighton of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences delivers a lecture on The Ubiquitous Bell Curve: What It Does and Doesn't Tell Us. The talk focuses on JUMP Math and Mighton's work helping teachers learn how to excite students about mathematics.

Robert Adams on The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Robert Adams discusses Mohsin Hamid's 2007 novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which was short listed for the Booker Prize.

Terry Eagleton on Marxism as a Theodicy

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

British literary and cultural theorist, Terry Eagleton, delivers a lecture at York University entitled Is Marxism a Theodicy?

Terry Eagleton on the metaphysics of terror

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Big Ideas presents British cultural theorist, Terry Eagleton, on The Metaphysics of Terror. This archival lecture was originally part of a 4-part series and recorded at the University of Toronto in January 2004.

Chris Lintott on The Galaxy Zoo

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford discusses The Galaxy Zoo, an internet-based program for enlisting the help of amateur astronomers in cataloguing other galaxies.

Tariq Ramadan

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

The Swiss-born Muslim philosopher gives a lecture based on his recent book In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad.

Jeff Rubin and Andrew Nikiforuk on the future of oil

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Authors Jeff Rubin and Andrew Nikiforuk discuss The Future of the Oil Economy, with moderator Paul Waldie. This panel was part of the 2010 Globe and Mail Open House Festival.

Jeremy Rifkin on The Empathic Civilization

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on Economic Trends, and author of The Empathic Civilization, spoke on global environmental issues at the Tulip Festival in Ottawa on May 16, 2010.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Islam

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST

Somali-born author Ayaan Hirsi Ali delivers the 2010 Donner Canadian Foundation Lecture. Her lecture is based on her book Nomad: From Islam to America, A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations.

Ruth Wisse on Getting Serious about Jewish Humor - 2004

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST

Ruth Wisse delivers her lecture entitled Getting Serious about Jewish Humor recorded at Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Toronto, in November, 2004.

Gerard t'Hooft on Science Fiction and Reality

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST

Gerard t'Hooft, a Nobel Laureate from Utrecht University, delivers a lecture on Science Fiction and Reality at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario on May 7, 2008

Simon Blackburn on Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed - 2005

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST

Simon Blackburn discusses his book Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed. The lecture was delivered at the University of Toronto, in May, 2005

Daniel Pink on his book A Whole New Mind - 2005

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST

Daniel Pink delivers a lecture discussing his book A Whole New Mind at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, in June, 2005.

Jonathan Berger on the Social Ethics of Music

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST

Stanford University professor, Jonathan Berger, presents a range of compositions, including his piece called Jiyeh, written in response to an ecological disaster arising from an act of war, in this profoundly moving lecture (and accompanying auditory soundscape) reflecting on the idea of socially responsible music.

Ralph Wood on JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis - 2004

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST

Ralph Wood delivers a lecture entitled Tolkien and Lewis: Friends and Combatants. It was delivered at Yorkminster Baptist Church in Toronto, in September, 2004.

Irene Khan on poverty and human rights

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST

Irene Khan, former Secretary General of Amnesty International, argues that economics solutions alone cannot end the problems of poverty. She believes that poverty is first and foremost a problem of human rights, and therefore to tackle global poverty we need to focus on the human rights abuses that keep people poor.

Kay Redfield Jamison on her book Exuberance - 2004

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EST

Kay Redfield Jamison discusses her book Exuberance: The Passion for Life - 2004

George Steiner on the history of Literacy - 2002

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EST

Author George Steiner, speaking at the Living Literacies Conference (November 2002) at York University in Toronto, delivers a lecture on the history of literacy.

Nick Mount on Eden Robinson's novel Monkey Beach

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EST

Nick Mount discusses Eden Robinson's debut novel Monkey Beach which was nominated for both the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award.

Gerald Cohen on Rescuing Conservatism

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:00:00 EST

Political philosopher Gerald Cohen presents the 2008 Centre for Ethics Public Lecture (University of Toronto). His topic is "Rescuing Conservatism: A Defence of Existing Value".

Malcolm Gladwell on Blink - 2005

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EST

Malcolm Gladwell discusses his bestselling book Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

Mel Hurtig on The Truth about Canada

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EST

Mel Hurtig delivers a lecture based on the findings in his book, The Truth about Canada, which illuminates some of the truths and myths about Canada.

Susan Sontag on modern literacy - 2002

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST

Author Susan Sontag, speaking at the Living Literacies Conference (November 2002) at York University in Toronto, delivers a lecture on modern literacy.

Brian Schmidt Q&A - The Universe from Beginning to End

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST

Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University answers questions following his lecture entitled The Universe from Beginning to End

Brian Schmidt on The Universe from Beginning to End

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST

Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University delivers his lecture entitled The Universe from Beginning to End. The lecture explores the geometry and age of the universe to give us a picture of the effects of Dark Energy.

Edward Shorter on the history of sex - 2005

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST

Edward Shorter delivers a lecture discussing the history of sex and his book Written in the Flesh at Hart House at the University of Toronto - September, 2005.

Charles Sabine & Sydney Brenner on The Personalized Genome

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST

Charles Sabine & Sydney Brenner speak at the Gairdner Symposium on The Personalized Genome in Toronto (October 30, 2009)

Robert Adams on Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger

Fri, 28 May 2010 07:00:00 EST

Teacher, writer and critic, Robert Adams, reviews Aravind Adiga's Booker prize-winning novel, The White Tiger. Corruption, murder, and a series of letters composed by a former chauffeur allow the novel to explore India's caste system and how it's been affected by the country's economic miracle.

Vaclav Smil on the future of the planet.

Fri, 21 May 2010 07:00:00 EST

Can one planet survive the impact of a human population of close to 9 billion people? Environment writer, Andrew Revkin, interviews author and distinguished professor, Vaclav Smil, about the promise and perils of the next fifty years. This talk was part of the Q2C festival at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo in October 2009.

Jordan Peterson on Reality and the Sacred

Fri, 14 May 2010 07:00:00 EST

In his lecture entitled Reality and the Sacred, psychology professor, Jordan Peterson, explores the human search for meaning in a chaotic world and how our perceptions and beliefs shape our sense of reality.

P. Sainath on India in the Age of Inequality

Fri, 07 May 2010 07:00:00 EST

Award-winning journalist Palagummi Sainath delivers a lecture at York University entitled Slumdogs versus Millionaires: India in the Age of Inequality.

Cory Doctorow, on Copyright vs. Universal Access

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EST

Author, activist, journalist and blogger, Cory Doctorow, delivers a lecture on Copyright vs. Universal Access. Subtitled, The State of Play in the Global Copyfight, this lecture was part of the Q2C Festival at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo.

Nick Mount on T.S. Eliot

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EST

English professor Nick Mount analyzes T.S. Eliot's modernist masterpiece, The Waste Land.

Rupinder Brar on Exoplanets: The Search for Other Earths

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:00:00 EST

Rupinder Brar from the Science and Physics Department at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology presents his competition winning lecture entitled Exoplanets: The Search for Other Earths.

David Gray on Open Economy Macroeconomics

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 06:00:00 EST

David Gray from the Economics Department at the University of Ottawa presents his competition lecture entitled Open Economy Macroeconomics

Nadia Habib on Reflections on Gender and Sexuality

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:00:00 EST

Nadia Habib from the Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Department at York University presents her competition lecture entitled Reflections on Gender and Sexuality.

Monika Havelka on Why Sex? The Evolution of a Paradox

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Monika Havelka from the Biology Department at the University of Toronto Mississauga presents her competition lecture entitled Why Sex? The Evolution of a Paradox.

Bruce Meyer lecture

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Bruce Meyer from the English Department at Laurentian University at Georgian College presents his competition lecture entitled The Four Phases of Yeats.

Virginia Walker lecture audio podcast

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Virginia Walker lecture audio podcast

Best Lecturer 2010 nominee Rupinder Brar

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Rupinder Brar from the Faculty of Science at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology presents his competition lecture entitled Exoplanets: The Search For Other Earths.

Best Lecturer 2010 nominee Karolyn Smardz Frost

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Karolyn Smardz Frost from the History Department at York University presents her competition lecture entitled Fugitive Sources: Uncovering Toronto's Underground Railroad Connections.

Best Lecturer 2010 nominee Sohail Rashid

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Sohail Rashid from the Psychology Department at Ryerson University presents his competition lecture entitled Birth Order and Personality.

Steve Joordens on Teaching Critical Thinking

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Steve Joordens from the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto Scarborough presents his competition lecture entitled You Can Lead Students to Knowledge, But How Do You Make Them Think?

Eleanor MacDonald on Are We Postmodern?

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Eleanor MacDonald from the Political Studies Department at Queen's University presents her competition lecture entitled Are We Postmodern?

BIG IDEAS: Nick Mount audio podcast

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST

As part of his Literature for Our Time series, English professor Nick Mount discusses Virginia Woolf?s novel To the Lighthouse.

Michael Ruse asks Is Darwinism Past its Sell-By Date?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST

At the 2009 Darwin conference entitled Origin of Species at 150, philosophy professor Michael Ruse asks Is Darwinism Past its Sell-By Date?

Francis Broun

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST

Art historian, Francis Broun, delivers an informative and entertaining lecture on the sculptures of Michelangelo. Broun is a professor in the Faculty of Liberal Studies at the Ontario College of Art

Dambisa Moyo on Innovating Away from Aid

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST

In her best-selling book, Dead Aid, economist Dambisa Moyo, argues that aid to Africa breeds corruption and dependence and should be replaced with more innovative ways of financing, including capital markets and microfinance. Her lecture, Innovating Away from Aid, was delivered at the University of Waterloo.

Sean B. Carroll

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

The theory of evolution is credited to Charles Darwin but important contributions were also made by Henry Walter Bates and Alfred Wallace. The stories of these three adventurers are chronicled by Sean B. Carroll, author of the book Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species.

Harold Kushner

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Author Harold Kushner on his latest book Conquering Fear

Wade Davis

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Anthropologist and author, Wade Davis, delivers the 2009 Massey Lecture The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. Davis explores the importance of the myriad and diverse cultures of the world and the impact on all of us when a culture disappears.

Peter Diamandis on promoting radical scientific breakthroughs through his X Prize foundation

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Dr. Peter Diamandis is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, a non-profit initiative focused on designing and launching large incentive prizes, such as the Google Lunar X PRIZE, to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. This lecture entitled The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent it Yourself! was delivered at the Quantum to Cosmos science festival at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo.

Nick Mount on Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

University of Toronto English professor Nick Mount discusses Samuel Beckett?s controversial play Waiting For Godot.

Robert Adams on the Booker Prize winning novel Mister Pip

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

The author of A Love of Reading, acclaimed book reviewer Robert Adams, discusses the Man Booker Prize winning novel Mister Pip by New Zealand author Lloyd Jones.

Nathan Glazer on democracy and diversity

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

Harvard sociologist and noted public intellectual, Nathan Glazer, presents the 2009 Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture entitled Democracy and Diversity: Dealing with Deep Divides.

Howard Gardner on excellence in education

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

Harvard psychologist and author, Howard Gardner, best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, delivers a lecture based on his book Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet.

Shel Israel on Twitterville

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Influential blogger, Shel Israel, shares insights from his book Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighbourhoods.

Michael Shermer on why people believe weird things

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Editor of Skeptic Magazine, Michael Shermer, delivers an entertaining lecture on his book Why People Believe Weird Things.

Liaquat Ahamed on his book Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

The author of Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, Liaquat Ahamed, discusses the connections between the world's financial decision makers in the period leading up to the Great Depression and their counterparts in the current global financial crisis.

Camille Paglia on religion

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Describing herself as an atheist who defends religion, academic and author, Camille Paglia, argues that an understanding of world religions and their symbols is essential to fully understanding human civilization and our place in the universe.

Michael Marrus (Pt. 2) on great moments in great trials

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

The second part of the lecture entitled Justice and Theatre: Great Moments in Great Trials examines Nicolae Bukharin and the Moscow Show Trials and the 1945 Nuremberg Trials.

Michael Marrus on great moments in great trials

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

The first of this two-part lecture entitled Justice and Theatre: Great Moments in Great Trials looks at the libel trial of Oscar Wilde in 1895.

Richard Leakey on Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Richard Leakey, professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University in New York is best known for his paleontological work in Africa. His lecture, entitled Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth deals with wildlife conservation and was recorded at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on May 30th, 2009.

Leonard Mlodinow on randomness and his book The Drunkard's Walk

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Leonard Mlodinow, of the California Institute of Technology is the author of The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. His lecture on the subject of randomness was presented by the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario on May 6th, 2009.

Lawrence Krauss on dark matter, dark energy and the end of the universe as we know it

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Lawrence Krauss is a professor in the Department of Physics at Arizona State University. His lecture entitled Life, the Universe and Nothing was recorded at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto on March 27th, 2009.

Christopher Hitchens on The Ten Commandments

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, delivers a lecture at the Royal Ontario Museum entitled The Three New Commandments in conjunction with the exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

J Ralston Saul, Naomi Klein and others, on leadership

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

John Ralston Saul, Margaret MacMillan, Naomi Klein and Adam Gopnik reflect on what constitutes a good leader and why some leaders thrive while others fail.

Thomas King on stories and the Native Canadian experience

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

The author of The Truth About Stories, Thomas King, delivers his 2003 Massey Lecture entitled, What Is It About Us that You Don?t Like?

Noam Chomsky on international policy continuity in the wake of 9-11

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

MIT professor of Linguistics, Noam Chomsky, delivers his 2002 lecture on international policy continuity in the wake of 9-11.

Leonard Susskind on the Black Hole Wars

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Stanford University professor of Physics, Leonard Susskind, on ?The Black Hole Wars?, the scientific disagreement between Susskind and Stephen Hawking.

Elizabeth Abbott on her book A History of Mistresses.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Author Elizabeth Abbott on her 2003 book A History of Mistresses.

Elaine Dewar on her book The Second Tree: Of Clones, Chimeras and Quests for Immortality.

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Author Elaine Dewar delivers her 2002 lecture about her book The Second Tree: Of Clones, Chimeras and Quests for Immortality.

Margaret MacMillan on her book Paris 1919

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

The author of Paris 1919, Margaret MacMillan, delivers her 2003 lecture Making Peace is Harder than Making War.

Niall Ferguson on his book Empire

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Harvard University professor of History, Niall Ferguson, delivers his 2002 lecture on the lessons the US ought to learn from the British Empire experience in the Middle East.

Saskia Sassen on citizenship in the age of globalization

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Columbia University professor of Sociology, Saskia Sassen, delivers her 2003 lecture on the concept of citizenship in the age of globalization.

Maynard Olson on The Genome and Your Future (Part 2)

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Professor of Genome Sciences and of Medicine, Dr. Maynard Olson delivers his 2003 lecture, companion piece to the Francis S. Collins lecture The Genome and Your Future.

Francis S. Collins on The Genome and Your Future (Part 1)

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

The leader of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Francis S. Collins delivers his 2003 high school lecture entitled The Genome and Your Future.

Steven Pinker on his book The Blank Slate

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Harvard University Psychology professor, Steven Pinker delivers a lecture on the modern denial of human nature with a specific focus on his 2003 book The Blank Slate.

Lawrence Freedman on his book A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Lawrence Freedman is a professor of War Studies at King?s College London and the author of A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East. The lecture was recorded at Toronto?s Munk Centre for International Studies on March 31st, 2009.

June Carroll on Modern Genetics

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Dr. June Carroll of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto delivers her 2003 lecture on Modern Genetics.

Janice Stein on the ethics of responsibility and accountability

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

The Director of the Munk Centre for International Studies, Janice Stein, delivers her 2002 lecture on the ethics of responsibility and accountability in North American society.

John Polanyi on the world that science has built

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, University of Toronto professor John Polanyi delivers his 2002 lecture on the world that science has built.

Alexander Wendt on why a one state world is inevitable

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Ohio State Political Science professor Alexander Wendt delivers his 2002 lecture on why he believes a one state world is inevitable.

Philip Ball on Chemistry and Colour in Art

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Philip Ball outlines how developments in chemistry have impacted painters and the art world throughout history.

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

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

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

J.B. Mackinnon, Alisa Smith, and Adria Vasil on the environment

Sun, 31 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

The authors of The 100-Mile Diet and Ecoholic deliver lectures on eating and living sustainably, in Part 2 of The Green Summit.

Thomas Homer-Dixon and Chris Turner on the environment

Sat, 30 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Authors Thomas Homer-Dixon and Chris Turner deliver lectures on issues including climate change, green energy, and creating the foundations of a sustainable future, in the first of the 2-part special, The Green Summit.

Don Tapscott on the ways the Net Generation learn differently

Sat, 23 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

The author of Grown Up Digital, Don Tapscott, refutes the belief that the internet is turning today's youth into "the dumbest generation". Tapscott illustrates how the net has changed the way people learn and offers suggestions on how to tap into the expertise that the Net Generation possesses.

John Ralston Saul on what defines Canada as a nation

Sat, 16 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

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

Gwynne Dyer on global warming and his book Climate Wars

Sat, 09 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Journalist and historian, Gwynne Dyer, discusses his book Climate Wars, outlining the impact that climate change is likely to have on international relations. Dyer focuses particularly on the military conflicts that he sees resulting from global warming.

Leo Panitch on the lessons of Marxism

Sat, 02 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Leo Panitch delivers this year's Phyllis Clarke Memorial Lecture entitled "Still a Marxist After All: Lessons and Insights for our Time".

Hazel Carby on the British slave trade and the question of identity for people of West Indian heritage in the U.K.

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST

In her lecture, Belonging to Britain, 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. Carby is a professor of African American Studies and American Studies at Yale University.

Bernard-Henry Levy's

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST

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

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

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

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?

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

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

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.

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

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

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".

Darryl Davies - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Explaining Crime

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Darryl Davies from the Sociology and Anthropology department at Carleton University in Ottawa delivers his competition lecture entitled "Explaining Crime".

Shawn Lehman - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Primate Infanticide: Adaptation or Social Pathology?

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Shawn Lehman from the Anthropology department at the University of Toronto St. George delivers his competition lecture entitled "Primate Infanticide: Adaptation or Social Pathology?"

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

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

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

Doug Richards - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Stretching: The Truth

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Doug Richards from the Physical Education and Health department at the University of Toronto St. George delivers his competition lecture entitled "Stretching: The Truth".

James Allard - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Frankenstein: Five Ways

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

James Allard from the English Language and Literature department at Brock University in St. Catharines delivers his competition lecture entitled "Frankenstein: Five Ways".

Anton Allahar - Best Lecturer Finalist - on Why Isn't the Whole World Developed?

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Anton Allahar from the Sociology department at the University of Western Ontario in London delivers his competition lecture entitled "Why Isn't the Whole World Developed?"

Matthew Bellamy - Best Lecturer Finalist - on A Watershed Moment: Canada and the Second World War

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Matthew Bellamy from the History department at Carleton University in Ottawa delivers his competition lecture entitled "A Watershed Moment: Canada and the Second World War".

Toby Miller on electronic waste

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, Toby Miller, examines the environmental impact of our obsession with technology.

Jean Bethke Elshtain on religion and democracy

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

"Religion and Democracy: Antagonists or Allies?" is the topic of the 2008 Seymour Martin Lipset Memorial Lecture.

David Weinberger on Knowledge at the End of the Information Age

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

The author of "Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder", David Weinberger, delivers a lecture entitled "Knowledge at the End of the Information Age". In this talk Weinberger argues that the internet is both profoundly weird, and deeply familiar. He claims that, by changing the way we receive information from the broadcast era's one-way monologue into a multi-directional conversation, the internet has humanized information.

Maude Barlow on the global water crisis

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Barlow argues that access to safe drinking water should be a basic human right and makes a compelling case for why the global water crisis will be the greatest environmental and human crisis of this century.

Lewis Lapham on education

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Lewis Lapham laments the state of the American education system.

Umberto Eco on Beauty and Ugliness

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Internationally renowned author and philosopher, Umberto Eco, gives "An Illustrated Presentation on the History of Beauty and Ugliness", based on his two recent books "On Beauty" and "On Ugliness".

Margaret Atwood's 2008 Massey Lecture

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Author Margaret Atwood delivers the 2008 Massey Lecture, "Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth".

Ernesto Spinelli on death anxiety

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Dr. Ernesto Spinelli delivers a lecture "Exploring Death Anxiety" at an International Conference on Personal Meaning

Kirk J. Schneider on the mystery of being

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Dr. Kirk Schneider explores therapeutic approaches to the mystery of being in a lecture delivered at an International Conference on Personal Meaning.

Thomas Homer-Dixon on the stresses that could lead to the breakdown of world economies and political systems

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Author and scholar, Thomas Homer-Dixon, explores the convergence of natural, social, and economic stresses that could lead to the breakdown of world economies and political systems.

Ron Deibert on Hacking Back: The Battle for Human Rights Online

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Political science professor Ron Deibert looks at the issue of internet censorship and surveillance around the world.

Richard Florida on how the creative class is impacting cities and society at large

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Best-selling author, Richard Florida, describes how the creative class is impacting cities, business and society at large.

Mark Kingwell and Malcolm Gladwell on social change

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST

University of Toronto philosophy professor and author, Mark Kingwell, and journalist Malcolm Gladwell square off in a lively debate about social change and how best to achieve it.

Norman Doidge on The Brain That Changes Itself

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and best-selling author, Dr. Norman Doidge, discusses the findings in his latest book, The Brain that Changes Itself, an examination of brain neuroplasticity.

Hamida Ghafour on The Sleeping Buddha: Portraits of a Changing Afghanistan

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST

Journalist Hamida Ghafour on her book "The Sleeping Buddha: Portraits of a Changing Afghanistan".

Marina Nemat on her book Prisoner of Tehran

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

A lecture by Marina Nemat, author of "Prisoner of Tehran".

Charles Jencks on Critical Modernism: Where is Post-Modernism Going?

Sat, 24 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Architect and author, Charles Jencks, presents a lecture based on his recent book "Critical Modernism: Where is Post-Modernism Going?"

Paul Collier on The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

Sat, 17 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Paul Collier, Professor of Economics at Oxford University, delivers the 2008 Lionel Gelber Public Lecture on his award-winning book, ?The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It?.

Margaret MacMillan on History: The Next Secular Religion Part 2

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Author and historian Margaret MacMillan delivers this year's Trinity College Larkin-Stuart Lecture. The topic of her 2-part lecture is "History: The Next Secular Religion?"

Margaret MacMillan on History: The Next Secular Religion Part 1

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Author and historian Margaret MacMillan delivers this year's Trinity College Larkin-Stuart Lecture. The topic of her 2-part lecture is "History: The Next Secular Religion?"

John English on Trudeau’s World: The Making of an Internationalist

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST

In his lecture entitled "Trudeau's World: The Making of an Internationalist", historian and author John English, discusses Trudeau's path to political prominence and influence, particularly in the domain of international affairs.

Daniel Bell on China’s New Confucianism

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST

Daniel Bell, Professor of Philosophy at Tsinghua University in Beijing presents a lecture on "China's New Confucianism".

Oliver Sacks on his book Musicophilia

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

World-famous neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks, discusses his latest book, Musicophilia, a look at how music can impact on the brain. Sacks' love of music is well known, and now he turns his attention to his patients for whom music can be both treatment and affliction. He describes the power of music to move us, to heal, and to haunt us.

Steven Pinker on The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

Harvard psychology professor, Steven Pinker, presents a talk on his latest book, The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature.

Ariel Garten on the neuroscience of conflict

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:00:00 EST

Psychotherapist and artist, Ariel Garten, explores the neuroscience of conflict.

Bruce Kuwabara on emerging models of urbanization and sustainability

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST

Award-winning architect, Bruce Kuwabara, discusses emerging models of urbanization and sustainability that are transforming Toronto and other major Canadian cities.

J. Reid Meloy and Donald Carveth on A Psychoanalytic View of the Psychopath

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST

J. Reid Meloy discusses A Psychoanalytic View of the Psychopath. Meloy's research draws upon his experience working with incarcerated killers as well as with the families and victims of psychopaths. Donald Carveth critiques Meloy's paper.