Episodes
Psychiatrist and author Allen J. Frances
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.
Dr. Iain McGilchrist
Psychiatrist and author, Iain McGilchrist, looks at the battle between our brain's right and left hemispheres.
Author and naturalist Graeme Gibson
Graeme Gibson explores the importance of our human connection to nature.
Art historian Francis Broun
Francis Broun discusses the work of the 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi.
Philosopher Ian Hacking
Ian Hacking looks at how much of who we are is determined by biology versus our social environment.
Related Resources
- Biography of Ian Hacking
- Big Ideas video: Ian Hacking on The Mathematical Animal
Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis
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.
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Daniel Kahneman on The Machinery of the Mind
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.
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- Daniel Kahneman on TedTalks discussing experience versus memory
- Big Ideas video: Malcolm Gladwell on Blink
George Dyson on the Origins of the Digital Universe
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.
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John Duffy on The Emerging Politics of Technology
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?
Related Resources
- John Duffy at StrategyCorp
Sean Martindale on Playful Interventions: Urban Environments
Toronto-based public-space artist, Sean Martindale on Playful Interventions: Engaging Our Urban Environments. Martindale discusses public art projects including his Poster Pocket Planters and the extensive use of repurposed materials in such works as his cardboard sculptures.
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