Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

This is a podcast for the curious. Strap yourself in for genuine dialogues with people who think deeply and are ready to tackle the big questions, such as broadcaster Terry O'Reilly, fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay, and journalist Sally Armstrong.

Join Ben Charland to peel back the headlines and ask, what are the forces, people and ideas that shape the human story today? From the Mafia to the Beavertonwomen in politics to women in leadershiphistory to artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship in the digital age to the art of wheelchair fencing, just what on Earth is going on?

Subscribe to the podcast now.


        
        
 

Jul 27, 2018

What is the nature of political power and how is it distributed? What are the pros and cons of a federal system like Canada's, where power is shared between governments? Is it possible that Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump are singing from the same "make our country great again" song-sheets, just on opposite sides of...


Jul 20, 2018

What is the role of art and music in our society? Is art supposed to effect change or simply represent it after the fact? Is all good art subversive, and is all subversive art good? What does it mean for an arts organization to be responsible to its audience: give them what they want, or help them develop newer,...


Jul 13, 2018

"We live in the age of the individual. Every day, we're bombarded with depictions of the beautiful, successful, slim, socially conscious, and extroverted individual that our culture has decided is the perfect self, and we berate ourselves when we don't measure up." So begins the publisher's description of Will...


VR, Cognition and the Illusion of Self

Jul 6, 2018

Listen to Episode 10: History, and a Little Jazz

One of the most compelling subjects I want to tackle on this show is virtual reality. Because VR goggles have been around for decades now, we can see what’s going on behind them as an ongoing fad – we’re told, again and again, that the change will be overwhelming....


Jul 6, 2018

What can we learn from the trials, tribulations and shipwrecks of our collective human past? How does that past shape the human story today? How can we liberate history from its eurocentric roots? And, most importantly, what's the link between history and jazz?

Ben chats with the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of...