Big Ideas Video

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 17:00:00 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 17:00:00 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 17:00:00 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 17:00:00 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 17:00:00 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 17:00:00 EST

Panelists John Ralston Saul, Margaret MacMillan, Naomi Klein, and Adam Gopnik discuss what constitutes a great leader and why some leaders fail while others thrive.

Thomas King on stories and the Native Canadian experience

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 EST

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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 EST

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

Niall Ferguson on his book Empire

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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.

Janice Stein on the ethics of responsibility and accountability.

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 16:00:00 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.

June Carroll on Modern Genetics

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST

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

John Polanyi on the world that science has built

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 EST

The authors of The 100-Mile Diet and Ecoholic deliver lectures on eating and living more sustainably.

Thomas Homer-Dixon and Chris Turner on the environment

Sat, 30 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

Authors Thomas Homer-Dixon and Chris Turner deliver lectures on a range of environmental issues including climate change, green energy, and creating the foundations of a sustainable future.

Don Tapscott on the ways the Net Generation learn differently

Sat, 23 May 2009 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 EST

John Ralston 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 16:00:00 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 "Stand Against the New Barbarism"

Sat, 18 April 2009 16:00:00 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 ": 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 title of the 2008 Seymour Martin Lipset Memorial Lecture.

David Weinberger on Knowledge at the End of the Information Age

Sat, 7 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".

Margaret Visser on The Gift of Thanks

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Cultural historian and author, Margaret Visser, explores the history and significance of gratitude.

Jordan Peterson on the nature of evil

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Toronto Professor of Psychology Jordan Peterson discusses the nature of evil and its distinction from tragedy in this lecture presented at the 2008 Conference on Personal Meaning.

Thomas Homer-Dixon on climate change

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.

Mark Federman on the impact of the internet on education

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

"No Educator Left Behind" is the title of this lecture by Mark Federman. In it Federman contends that, as a result of the changes the internet has brought to the way students communicate and interact, universities, if they are to remain relevant, must move from the current model of education as skills centered to one that is more focused on connectivity.

Ron Deibert on internet censorship

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 the creative class

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.

Ronald Wright on American identity

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Ronald Wright, the author of , examines the dichotomy between "America's ideals and the realities". Wright discusses how such conflicts as those between Native Americans and the Europeans who came to settle the new world have shaped the American identity.

Mark Kingwell and Malcolm Gladwell on social change

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:00:00 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.

Gabor Mate on addictions

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Drawing on his experience with drug addicted patients from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Dr. Gabor Mate discusses how the medical and legal systems are failing in the so called "war on drugs". Dr. Mate reads from his fourth book, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction", and suggests ways in which society's approach to dealing with drugs and drug addicts could be improved.

Ovide Mercredi on Truth and Reconciliation

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

In light of the Canadian government's recent apology, and as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission commences its work, Ovide Mercredi, chief of the Misipawistic Cree nation and former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, reflects on what true reconciliation means and explains that it will only work if the reconciliation process engages aboriginals as equal partners.

Salman Akhtar on the trauma of dislocation

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Jefferson Medical College professor Salman Akhtar discusses "The Trauma of Geophysical Dislocation", proposing that psychoanalysts need to pay special attention to their immigrant patients. Akhtar suggests that the immigration experience creates disruptions to the waking screen that are too often ignored in therapy and that the objects and landscapes that are left behind have a more significant impact on the immigrant's psychological well being than has generally been recognized.

Strobe Talbott on modern statehood

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., delivers this year's Donner Canadian Foundation lecture drawing upon his recently released book The Great Experiment: The Story of Ancient Empires, Modern States and the Quest for a Global Nation.

Benjamin Barber on consumerism and globalization

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Benjamin Barber's books include , and . Speaking at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Barber explains how the ideal of people as citizens has been undermined by the drive to turn us all into consumers. The title of his talk is, "Consumerism, Globalization and the End of Sovereignty".

William D. Phillips on the universe

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

"Time and Einstein in the 21st Century: The Coolest Stuff in the Universe" is the title of this exceptionally entertaining lecture. Phillips, who works with the 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.

May 31 2008: Michael Eric Dyson

Sat, 31 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

Michael Eric Dyson, the author of "April 4, 1968", discusses the life and death of Martin Luther King as they pertain to race issues in the U.S. and around the world. 40 years after King's assassination, the race for the leadership of the Democratic Party has returned issues of race to the forefront of American politics and Dyson uses his book as a springboard to examine Barack Obama's candidacy and what it means for America.

March 8 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Nick Bontis

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

McMaster University Strategic Management professor Nick Bontis delivers his Best Lecturer competition lecture entitled Knowledge Worker Productivity.

March 15 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Robert Jan van Pelt

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Waterloo Architecture professor Robert Jan van Pelt delivers his Best Lecturer competition lecture entitled Architecture After Auschwitz.

March 15 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Marc Fournier

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Toronto (Scarborough) psychology professor Marc Fournier delivers his competition lecture entitled Dominance and Depression.

March 8 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - John Mitterer

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

Brock University psychology professor John Mitterer delivers his competition lecture entitled Truth and Humility in Professional Practice.

March 1 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Tim Conley

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

Brock University professor Tim Conley delivers his competition lecture entitled Coordinating the Self in Contemporary Poetry.

March 1 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - John Schneeberger

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

Loyalist College professor John Schneeberger delivers his competition lecture entitled Creative Menu Design.

February 9 2008: Rory Stewart

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

State building in Afghanistan is the focus of this lecture by Rory Stewart, a former Coalition Deputy Governor in southern Iraq. Stewart's book The Places In Between chronicles his walk across war-torn Afghanistan. Stewart's dry sense of humour shines through to illuminate many of the problems he sees in the manner in which the West is tackling the problems of state building in the wake of the Taliban.

H. Jay Melosh on what killed the dinosaurs

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 16:00:00 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, . 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.

December 17 2005: Robert Adams - Brick Lane

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:00:00 EST

Robert Adams gives his assessment of by Monica Ali. Short-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize, the novel is a finely textured picture of Bangladeshi immigrants in contemporary London.

October 12 2003: Robert Adams - The Corrections

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EST

Robert Adams offers his opinions on Jonathan Frazen's critically acclaimed novel The Corrections. It tells the story of an American family's disintegration and metamorphosis in modern America.

October 26 2003: Robert Adams - Disgrace

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EST

Robert Adams discusses J.M. Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel, Disgrace.

November 13 2004: Robert Adams - The Kite Runner

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EST

The irrepressible Robert Adams presents an enthralling review of Khaled Hosseini's, The Kite Runner. The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of a friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul.

October 20 2007: Meloy | Carveth

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:00:00 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.

Marc Abrahams on science

Sat, 25 Sept 2007 16:00:00 EST

Marc Abrahams, editor of The Annals of Improbable 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". Highlights of the lecture include discussions of a study that proves that Kansas is flatter than a pancake and a paper investigating The Forces Required to Drag Sheep Over Various Surfaces.

February 18 2006: Clifford Will

Sat, 19 July 2008 16:00:00 EST

Clifford Will delivers a lecture entitled "Was Einstein Right? Can Einstein?s Theories Survive Today?s Scientific Scrutiny?"

Zach Hall on neuroethics

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Zach Hall - Dean of Research at the School of Medicine of University of Southern California discusses, Neuroethics: A Challenge for a New Age.

Lee Smolin on why science works

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Lee Smolin of Perimeter Institute delivers his lecture, Why Does Science Work?

March 11 2001: Wendy Steiner

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST

Wendy Steiner, a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania presents a lecture based on her book The Trouble with Beauty.

February 18 2006: Arthur I. Miller

Sat, 05 July 2008 16:00:00 EST

Arthur I. Miller compares Einstein to Picasso. Miller is the author of a book entitled "Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty That Causes Havoc".

March 22 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Ken Cramer

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Windsor psychology professor Ken Cramer delivers his competition lecture entitled Alfred Adler: The Most Famous Personality Theorist You Likely Never Heard Of.

March 22 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Finney Cherian

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Windsor education professor Finney Cherian delivers his competition lecture entitled Unbinding Baby Elephants.

Leanne Simpson on aboriginal traditional knowledge

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Leanne Simpson of Athabasca University's Centre for World Indigenous Knowledge and Research delivers a lecture entitled, "Can Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Survive in the Modern World?"

June 21 2008: Howard Gardner

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST

Howard Gardner is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is the author of "Five Minds for the Future". In this lecture he discusses his latest theories on cognition and creativity and outlines why he is currently researching what place the "ethical mind" and the "respectful mind" hold in today?s technologically sophisticated and interrelated world.

Richard Lewontin on co-evolution of organisms and environment

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Professor Richard C. Lewontin of Harvard University delivers a lecture on the topic of The Co-evolution of Organisms and the Environment.

Guy Proulx on the aging brain

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Dr. Guy Proulx, Director of Psychology and NeuroRehabilitation at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care delivers a lecture entitled, Wisdom Versus Dementia: A Walk Through the Aging Brain.

Alberto Manguel on Picasso

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Alberto Manguel on the duality of Pablo Picasso's artistic brilliance and personal evil.

Kay Redfield Jamison on understanding suicide

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Kay Redfield Jamison of Johns Hopkins University gives a lecture about suicide drawing on the research from her book, Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide.

May 3 2008: Neil Turok

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

Professor Neil Turok, Chair of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge University, presents his lecture "What Banged?" which examines the possible causes of The Big Bang, the initial singularity that created our universe.

Charles Jencks on post-modernism

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

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

March 29 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Christopher diCarlo

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Ontario Institute of Technology professor Christopher diCarlo (Health Sciences and Criminology) delivers his competition lecture entitled The Relations of Natural Systems.

January 26 2008: Israel-Palestine: 60 Years On

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

An hour-long version of the special series, "Israel-Palestine: 60 Years On", which originally aired on The Agenda with Steve Paikin.

Paul Masson on the International Monetary Fund

Sat, 22 Sept 2007 16:00:00 EST

Paul Masson's lecture entitled The IMF: Institutional Failure or Victim of Its Own Success? Masson is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

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.

March 29 2008: Best Lecturer Finalist - Gerald Cupchik

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EST

University of Toronto (Scarborough) psychology professor Gerald Cupchik delivers his competition lecture entitled Two Faces of Emotion.

Steven Pinker on The Stuff of Thought

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

Harvard psychology professor, Stephen Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought examines how language reveals the way we think by exposing the physics built into our nouns, the temporal characteristics of our verbs and the manner in which our brains react to profanity.

Eric Thurman on microcredit

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST

Microcredit expert and consultant, Eric Thurman, discusses the ideas behind his book, "A Billion Bootstraps".

Bruce Kuwabara on models of urbanization

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.

Susannah Varmuza on epigenetics

Sat, 25 Sept 2007 16:00:00 EST

University of Toronto Zoology researcher Susannah Varmuza who 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.