The Great Courses (Firm)
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Logic is intellectual self-defense against such assaults on reason and also a method of quality control for checking the validity of your own views. But beyond these very practical benefits, informal logic—the kind we apply in daily life—is the gateway to an elegant and fascinating branch of philosophy known as formal logic, which is philosophy’s equivalent to calculus. Formal logic is a breathtakingly versatile tool. Much like a Swiss army...
Publisher
The Great Courses
Description
We commonly define the Pythagorean theorem using the formula a2 + b2 = c2. But Pythagoras himself would have been confused by that. Explore how this famous theorem can be explained using common geometric shapes (no fancy algebra required), and how it’s a critical foundation for the rest of geometry.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Description
Quantum mechanics gives us a picture of the world so radically counterintuitive that it has changed our perspective on reality itself. In Quantum Mechanics: The Physics of the Microscopic World, award-winning Professor Benjamin Schumacher gives you the logical tools to grasp the paradoxes and astonishing insights of this field.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Begin the first of three lectures on tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones depending on where they occur. Plot the historical tracks of these gigantic storms, sharpen your understanding of how they are named, and focus on tropical cyclones that were so notorious that their names have been retired.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
A number of science fiction stories tackle the concept of religion, which is often at odds with the concepts that define science fiction. Delve into how science fiction approaches religion, from parody, to reimagining familiar biblical stories and characters in the scope of science fiction, to confronting existing religions and inventing new beliefs. You’ll also explore the opposite scenario, in which science fiction is used by religious writers...
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Now turn from the nature of Hell to the nature of Heaven. Here, review Augustine's account of Heaven, his vision of the final fulfilled state of the human, and the realization of God. See how he works to resolve one of theology's key puzzles, the tension between here and there, Earth and Heaven.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Study one of the most complete transformations of reality in history: the new picture of life that emerged from the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Close by tracing their influence on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and on television reality shows..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Today’s networked culture is a dream come true for researchers in fields from marketing to sociology to epidemiology. Learn how big data puts potentially everyone and everything under the microscope of analysis, creating a comprehensive view of the intricate reality in which we are all mere atoms..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Consider how the biological effects of listening to music might affect people with a wide range of medical conditions, from those undergoing surgery to premature infants, stroke victims, and Alzheimer’s patients. Search for the biological mechanisms that make music a powerful balm for the mind and body..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Turn to cases where music cognition breaks down in disorders such as dystimbria and amusia. General Ulysses S. Grant and novelist Vladimir Nabokov appear to have been affected by amusia. Investigate what they and others with similar deficits miss when listening to music, and explore the underlying cause..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
When faced with an uncertain situation, try turning it into a “risky” situation. Risk is probability. Knowledge is power. This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s a surprisingly effective approach, pioneered by University of Chicago economist Frank Knight. See where it applies and does not apply in economic settings..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Begin with an important irregular verb: ir, meaning “to go”. Conjugate ir in the present tense, and learn about its key uses in Spanish. Next, study and practice common Spanish interrogatives—words used in asking questions. Finish by looking at effective ways to remember new words and build vocabulary..
13) Why Study Logic?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Influential philosophers throughout history have argued that humans are purely rational beings. But cognitive studies show we are wired to accept false beliefs. Review some of our built-in biases, and discover that logic is the perfect corrective. Then survey what you will learn in the course.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Discover how African Americans fought racism and violence in the early 20th century. Study the system of white supremacy called Jim Crow, and its economic, social, and political oppression. Review significant civil rights activism and legal victories that laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
A good critique is a necessary way of testing out an idea, but developing a good negative case requires immense creativity to disprove the affirmative argument. Delve into the key arguments available to the negative: the disadvantages of the affirmative case, counterproposals, and critiques of the affirmative's assumptions.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Tour Rome in the era of Augustus at the turn of the Common Era to reveal the Etruscans’ influence on all things Roman. While Etruscan culture officially faded away, you’ll see that without the Etruscans, Rome would lack many of its strongest attributes, from roads and bridges to military armor and togas to religion and sport..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Description
Look at some other sources of value that companies can get out of their transactions and start thinking more broadly about the sources of value a company should seek. The specific focus of this illuminating lecture is on three additional kinds of customer-related value: loyalty value, information value, and communication value..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Encounter the imperative mood—the verb construction used for commands. Study the imperative endings in the present and aorist tenses. Find three aorist commands in Luke 22:36, and even more as you continue your reading of the Iliad with lines 39-47.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2012.
Description
Begin strengthening your cooking techniques with a close look at using the right pan, the right amount of fat, and the right temperature to make crispy and delicious sauteed foods. As you explore the ins and outs of sauteing, you learn how to make a delicious (and simple) dish: Chicken Marsala.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Description
Turn your attention to versatile, inexpensive root vegetables with this lesson on how to select, store, and cook carrots, celery root, and parsnips. Watch as Chef Briwa prepares crudités with tapenade; parsnip chips; celery root tonkatsu with rice and napa cabbage salad; and carrot cake with a parsnip-infused icing.