Wayne Northey: Introduction
Below is a clickable list of many of David Cayley’s Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) about 50-minute-long podcasts. They were presented between 1980 and 2012, the latter date when he retired.
Who is David Cayley? To quote theologian Brad Jersak, Clarion Journal‘s curator: I think he’s truly among Canada’s greatest thinkers. Few who know his work would take issue with Brad’s assessment.
And to cite the Wikipedia article:
David Cayley is a Toronto-based Canadian writer and broadcaster, who is known for documenting the philosophy of prominent thinkers of the 20th century—Ivan Illich, Northrop Frye, George Grant, and Rene Girard. His work has been broadcast on CBC Radio One’s programme Ideas.
An expanded list of Cayley’s Works is to be found on his website here. The list includes the podcasts itemized, but is not clickable. I will encourage David, whom I’ve happily known since the early 1990s, to make everything clickable.
David possesses a rare ability to make some of the most convoluted yet brilliant thinkers understandable! He does that invariably with all whom he interviews. His mellifluous tones and straightforward arrangement of interview material on his broadcasts beguiles a “Renaissance Man” at work. (He would likely not accept such a view–then point to any number of whom he thinks are/were such.)
He has just published a massive 560-page volume: Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey. (And right now (February 2021), Penn State University Press is offering a 30% discount.) David by the way has interviewed and written about Illich over many years.1
Indeed: every person or subject Cayley turns broadcast/written attention to is elevated for all willing to be taken on a grand “intellectual journey.” But he is a broadcaster, not an academic of the sort who writes mainly for his/her own peers or in his/her circumscribed field. His range of inquiry is astounding. For instance:
- His 24 hours of broadcasts on How To Think About Science, is fascinating throughout. (Yes, I listened to them all.) You may also read his subsequent book: Ideas on the Nature of Science.
- His final two 12-part broadcast series, planned initially as one unit, “The Myth of the Secular (2012) CBC Radio; and “After Atheism: New Perspectives on God and Religion” (2014) CBC Radio (also on his website), present some fascinating perspectives by leading thinkers. (Yes, I listened to them all too.)
- In my area of career interest, he did a 10-part series: Prison and Its Alternatives. It too developed into a book: The Expanding Prison: The Crisis in Crime and Punishment and the Search for Alternatives. (Yes, I also listened to them all.) A Canadian criminologist at the time, noted for her Restorative Justice work, Liz Elliott, told me there was nothing finer in the Restorative Justice Field. I agreed. (And no doubt something akin could be said of his work in many fields he probed.)
All Cayley’s books had their genesis in his broadcasts. His latest on Illich is only in part an exception.
Cayley comes out of the Anglican tradition. I told him a few times over the years that he should be awarded an honorary Doctorate of Theology. He always laughed, and said that would indeed have made his parents happy . . . Then it happened in 2010, when he received an Honorary Doctorate in Sacred Letters from Thornloe University, an Anglican Church of Canada affiliated institution.
Finally, go also for sure to his website, where you may browse and linger to your heart’s content! It is introduced by him thus:
For more than thirty years (1980-2012) I made radio documentaries for CBC Radio’s Ideas series. The most recent of the more than 250 programmes remain available on the Ideas website, but the rest languish unknown, unheard and inaccessible in the CBC Archives. Because the means are now available to keep these public broadcasts in circulation, I have developed this site in order to share this work with students, scholars and interested members of the public. From time to time I will post and introduce a new series until all this work is archived and available.
The podcast index lists the interviewees in every programme on the site. Links will connect you to the series that remain available from Ideas. Under Works you can find a catalogue of my books, articles and lectures, along with a complete and chronological inventory of my broadcasting work since 1980.
The Blog presents current reviews, lectures, and other occasional writings. The Transcripts page has transcriptions of most of the series I’ve posted. The CBC began making and selling transcripts of Ideas series in 1982 and gradually phased out this business after 2006, so there are some series from before and after these dates that are unavailable. There are also a few that I have only in hard copy. I will scan these and add them, as time allows.
Everything below is clickable. Enjoy your foraging and ruminating. A nurturing feast wherever you turn!
The Rebellions of 1837, Part Three
Posted: 19 Mar 2016 01:15 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Rebellions of 1837, Part Four
Posted: 19 Mar 2016 01:12 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism, Part Two
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism, Part Three
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Loyalists
Posted: 28 Feb 2016 02:37 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Loyalists, Part Two
Posted: 28 Feb 2016 02:35 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Literacy: The Medium and the Message
Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Literacy: The Medium and the Message Part Two
Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Literacy: The Medium and the Message Part Three
Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Legacy of Harold Innis
Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:13 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Legacy of Harold Innis Part Two
Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:13 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Legacy of Harold Innis Part Three
Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:12 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Charles Taylor: The Malaise of Modernity
Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:53 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Malaise of Modernity Part Two
Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:53 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Malaise of Modernity Part Three
Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:52 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Malaise of Modernity Part Four
Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:52 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Malaise of Modernity Part Five
Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:51 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
History Beneath the Skin
Posted: 03 Oct 2015 01:08 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
History Beneath the Skin Part Two
Posted: 03 Oct 2015 01:03 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:19 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions Part Two
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:19 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions Part Three
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions Part Four
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions Part Five
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Beyond Institutions Part Six
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
To Hurt or To Heal
Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:51 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
To Hurt or To Heal Part Two
Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:49 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
To Hurt or To Heal Part Three
Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:47 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
To Hurt or To Heal Part Four
Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:45 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
To Hurt or To Heal Part Five
Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:41 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:26 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Two
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:10 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Three
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:10 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Four
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:09 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Five
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Six
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Seven
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Eight
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Nine
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:07 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Prison and Its Alternatives Part Ten
Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:07 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The God Who May Be
Posted: 23 May 2015 09:20 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The God Who May Be Part Two
Posted: 23 May 2015 09:19 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The God Who May Be Part Three
Posted: 23 May 2015 09:18 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Between Two Ages
Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Between Two Ages Part Two
Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Between Two Ages Part Three
Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Between Two Ages Part Four
Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Between Two Ages Part Five
Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Life As Idol
Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:19 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Two
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Three
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Four
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Five
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Six
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Seven
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Eight
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Nine
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Ten
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Eleven
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Twelve
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Thirteen
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Origins of the Modern Public Part Fourteen
Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:41 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Two
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:40 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Three
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:39 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Four
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:38 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Five
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:37 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Six
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:36 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Myth of the Secular Part Seven
Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:35 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
On Violence and Religion
Posted: 14 Mar 2015 12:32 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
On Violence and Religion Part Two
Posted: 14 Mar 2015 12:32 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion
Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthopology of Violence and Religion Part Two
Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion Part Three
Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthopology of Violence and Religion Part Four
Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion Part Five
Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
John McKnight: Community and Its Counterfeits
Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
John McKnight: Community and Its Counterfeits Part Two
Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
John McKnight: Community and Counterfeits Part Three
Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:50 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity
Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity Part Two
Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity Part Three
Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
William Blake: Prophet of a New Age
Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:43 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
William Blake: Prophet of a New Age Part Two
Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:42 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
William Blake: Prophet of a New Age Part Three
Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:40 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Crime Control As Industry
Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:39 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Crime Control As Industry Part Two
Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:38 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Crime Control As Industry Part Three
Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:38 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater
Posted: 09 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Two
Posted: 09 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Three
Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:59 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Four
Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:58 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Doctoring the Family
Posted: 27 Dec 2014 12:10 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Doctoring the Family Part Two
Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:50 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Doctoring the Family Part Three
Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:47 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Doctoring The Family Part Four
Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:13 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Corruption of Christianity: Ivan Illich on Gospel, Church and Society
Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:20 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Corruption of Christianity Part Two
Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:10 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Corruption of Christianity Part Three
Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:00 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Corruption of Christianity Part Four
Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:50 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Corruption of Christianity Part Five
Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:39 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman: Conversations with Ivan Illich
Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:46 AM PST Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman: Conversations with Ivan Illich This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 2
Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:45 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 3
Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:44 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 4
Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:43 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 5
Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:40 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Enlightened By Love: The LIfe and Thought of Simone Weil
Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:05 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Enlightened by Love Part 2
Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:04 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Enlightened By Love Part 3
Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:03 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Enlightened By Love Part 4
Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:01 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Enlightened By Love Part 5
Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:00 PM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Markets and Society: the Life and Thought of Karl Polanyi
Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Markets and Society Part 2
Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:03 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Markets and Society Part 3
Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:02 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Markets and Society Part 4
Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:01 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Markets and Society Part 5
Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:00 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Footnotes
- You may ask as well: Who is Ivan Illich? Penn State University Press has this to say:
In the eighteen years since Ivan Illich’s death, David Cayley has been reflecting on the meaning of his friend and teacher’s life and work. Now, in Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey, he presents Illich’s body of thought, locating it in its own time and retrieving its relevance for ours.
Ivan Illich (1926–2002) was a revolutionary figure in the Roman Catholic Church and in the wider field of cultural criticism that began to take shape in the 1960s. His advocacy of a new, de-clericalized church and his opposition to American missionary programs in Latin America, which he saw as reactionary and imperialist, brought him into conflict with the Vatican and led him to withdraw from direct service to the church in 1969. His institutional critiques of the 1970s, from Deschooling Society to Medical Nemesis, promoted what he called institutional or cultural revolution. The last twenty years of his life were occupied with developing his theory of modernity as an extension of church history. Ranging over every phase of Illich’s career and meditating on each of his books, Cayley finds Illich to be as relevant today as ever and more likely to be understood, now that the many convergent crises he foresaw are in full public view and the church that rejected him is paralyzed in its “folkloric” shell.
Not a conventional biography, though attentive to how Illich lived, Cayley’s book is “continuing a conversation” with Illich that will engage anyone who is interested in theology, philosophy, history, and the Catholic Church.[↩]
Comments