Synopsis
Big Ideas offers lectures on a variety of thought-provoking topics which range across politics, culture, economics, art history, science.... By nature of its lecture format, pacing and inquisitive approach, it is the antithesis of the prevailing sound-bite television norm. The simple, bold concept is a victory of substance over style. Big Ideas airs Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00 PM EST on TVO - Canada's largest educational broadcaster.
Episodes
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Islam
25/09/2010 Duration: 28minSomali-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.
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Ruth Wisse on Getting Serious about Jewish Humor - 2004
17/09/2010 Duration: 01h02minRuth Wisse delivers her lecture entitled Getting Serious about Jewish Humor recorded at Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Toronto, in November, 2004.
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Gerard t'Hooft on Science Fiction and Reality
11/09/2010 Duration: 53minGerard 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
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Simon Blackburn on Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed - 2005
03/09/2010 Duration: 52minSimon Blackburn discusses his book Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed. The lecture was delivered at the University of Toronto, in May, 2005
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Daniel Pink on his book A Whole New Mind - 2005
27/08/2010 Duration: 30minDaniel 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.
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Jonathan Berger on the Social Ethics of Music
21/08/2010 Duration: 44minStanford 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.
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Ralph Wood on JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis - 2004
13/08/2010 Duration: 57minRalph Wood delivers a lecture entitled Tolkien and Lewis: Friends and Combatants. It was delivered at Yorkminster Baptist Church in Toronto, in September, 2004.
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Irene Khan on poverty and human rights
08/08/2010 Duration: 42minIrene 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.
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Kay Redfield Jamison on her book Exuberance - 2004
30/07/2010 Duration: 44minKay Redfield Jamison discusses her book Exuberance: The Passion for Life - 2004
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Nick Mount on Eden Robinson's novel Monkey Beach
23/07/2010 Duration: 57minNick Mount discusses Eden Robinson's debut novel Monkey Beach which was nominated for both the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award.
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George Steiner on the history of Literacy - 2002
23/07/2010 Duration: 57minAuthor George Steiner, speaking at the Living Literacies Conference (November 2002) at York University in Toronto, delivers a lecture on the history of literacy.
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Gerald Cohen on Rescuing Conservatism
17/07/2010 Duration: 43minPolitical philosopher Gerald Cohen presents the 2008 Centre for Ethics Public Lecture (University of Toronto). His topic is "Rescuing Conservatism: A Defence of Existing Value".
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Malcolm Gladwell on Blink - 2005
09/07/2010 Duration: 33minMalcolm Gladwell discusses his bestselling book Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking
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Mel Hurtig on The Truth about Canada
03/07/2010 Duration: 52minMel 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.
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Susan Sontag on modern literacy - 2002
25/06/2010 Duration: 01h05minAuthor Susan Sontag, speaking at the Living Literacies Conference (November 2002) at York University in Toronto, delivers a lecture on modern literacy.
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Brian Schmidt on The Universe from Beginning to End
18/06/2010 Duration: 50minBrian 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.
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Brian Schmidt Q&A - The Universe from Beginning to End
18/06/2010 Duration: 08minBrian Schmidt of the Australian National University answers questions following his lecture entitled The Universe from Beginning to End
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Edward Shorter on the history of sex - 2005
11/06/2010 Duration: 28minEdward 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.
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Charles Sabine & Sydney Brenner on The Personalized Genome
04/06/2010 Duration: 25minCharles Sabine & Sydney Brenner speak at the Gairdner Symposium on The Personalized Genome in Toronto (October 30, 2009)
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Robert Adams on Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger
28/05/2010 Duration: 01h18minTeacher, 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.