IDEAS for the week of May 24

IDEAS airs Monday to Friday on CBC Radio One
at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) and 4 a.m. (4:30 a.m. NT)

The story of the chicken’s relationship with humankind is long and intertwined. It holds a mirror up to our ingenuity, to the bonds we form and to the cruelties we commit. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

* Please note this schedule is subject to change.

MONDAY, MAY 24

An Evening with Chickens

Chickens have followed humankind around the world, giving us eggs and meat, and also spiritual and social comfort. And it's the living animal who stars in this episode by IDEAS producer, Tom Howell. Spend an hour with this helpful creature and hear its tales of adventure from dinosaur times to the modern city. *This episode originally aired on October 19, 2020.

TUESDAY, MAY 25

Good News for Nihilists

It turns out that abandoning one's belief that we can extract any meaning from life can be the ticket to a productive, ethical, and even hopeful existence. Philosophers Tracy Llanera and James Tartaglia offer their cheerful defence of nihilism, the easy-to-carry, portable, multi-purpose, and aerodynamic attitude to life, the universe, and pretty much everything. To achieve it, they take up the classic objections to nihilism in turn, and attempt to make each of them disappear into... nothingness!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26

Around the World in 80 Plays: The Parliament of the Birds

The Parliament of the Birds is a 12th century Persian poem written by Farid ud-Din Attar. In it, the birds of the world come together to choose their king. The wisest bird of all, the hoopoe, leads a group on a perilous journey through seven great valleys — a journey filled with terror, confusion, and sacrifice, at the end of which the birds finally reach their destination and enlightenment. In collaboration with Soulpepper Theatre Company, and their audio drama series, Around the World in 80 Plays , this episode of IDEAS brings you the The Parliament of the Birds and the search for the divine within.

THURSDAY, MAY 27

The Last Bohemian

When poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti died earlier this year at the age of 101, he left behind a storied and subversive life story, and a literary career full of innovation and impact. Add to that his famous San Francisco bookstore, City Lights, which has continued to be a cultural centre for readers and progressive thinkers from all over the world. In 2003, IDEAS contributor Bob Chelmick made a pilgrimage to that North Beach shop, and talked with writers, visitors, and Ferlinghetti himself, about how Beatniks, radicals, punks, and outsiders of all kinds find community, inspiration, and life-changing books.

Ron Deibert is the founder and director of Citizen Lab, a research centre based at the University of Toronto, which studies technology, surveillance and censorship. His 2020 Massey Lectures examines the societal impact of the internet and social media. (House of Anansi Press)

FRIDAY, MAY 28

Reset Revisited: Panel and Q&A

In his 2020 CBC Massey Lectures, Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society Ron Deibert surveyed the traps, the quicksands and the dark corners of the internet and social media. Today, Ron looks back at the questions he raised, in the company of the team of people who were commentators in the original series. What's changed over the last year or so? What new dangers are ahead — and are there any bright lights? Bonus feature: a discussion of questions sent in by listeners.

Listen whenever you want.
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The humanities nurture the foundations of a healthy liberal democracy. Or at least, that should be their role, according to novelist, essayist and executive director of the Writers' Trust of Canada, Charlie Foran. (James Lahey)

IDEAS IN THE AFTERNOON

MONDAY, MAY 24 at 2 p.m.

Saving Liberal Democracy: How the humanities can help humanity

Liberal democracy is in trouble. But the liberal arts — the humanities — can help save it, according to novelist and essayist Charlie Foran. He argues the humanities strengthen the defining dynamics of a vibrant democracy.