The Great Courses (Firm)
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
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
Language
English
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
Language
English
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.
Language
English
Description
Tai chi is both moving meditation and movable meditation-you can perform the form anywhere, and you carry the mental aspects with you in every situation. This exemplifies the principle of tranquility within movement, and movement within tranquility. Continue your study of the form with turn and pat the foot and ride the tiger.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Learn to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect middle/passive tenses on the basis of the fifth principal part. Study examples in Matthew and Luke. Then read lines 33-37 of the Iliad, which includes a stirring scene "along the shore of the much-roaring sea.”
6) Obelisks
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
1999.
Language
English
Description
Obelisks are a purely Egyptian invention. Quarrying, transporting, and erecting one is perhaps an even greater engineering feat than the building of a pyramid. Learn the origins and religious significance of obelisks.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Professor Benjamin introduces the ABCs of math appreciation: The field can be loved for itsapplications, itsbeauty and structure, and itscertainty. Most of all, mathematics is a source of endless delight through creative play with numbers.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Delve into Bertrand Russell's profoundly simple paradox that undermined Cantor's theory of sets. Then follow the scramble to fix set theory and all of mathematics with a new set of axioms, designed to avoid all paradoxes and keep mathematics consistent - a goal that was partly met by the Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
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
2014.
Language
English
Description
Contemplate the remarkable history of this hybrid religious structure, a medieval cathedral built entirely within a majestic former mosque. Explore the striking Islamic archways and scalloped dome, leading to the Renaissance/Gothic cathedral with its imposing vaulting, sumptuous decoration, and monumental wood-carved choir - a compelling and unforgettable juxtaposition of cultures.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Grasp how Arthur became a cultural touchstone early in Welsh history. In texts such as the Black Book of Carmarthen and the Triads of the Island of Britain, uncover key references to the Arthurian saga. In the tales of the Mabinogion, observe the portrayal of Arthur as an exalted royal personage..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
At its height around 400 AD, Teotihuacan was the most populous city in the western hemisphere. Explore this vibrant metropolis, focusing on its still-extant pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the role they played in the violent ritual life of the Classic Maya period.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
In robotics, the most important problem mobile robots must solve is how to navigate, or move with purpose, in the world. Here, learn how simultaneous localization and mapping (using internal models, beacons, and dead reckoning navigation) is the key to a robot’s autonomy in both structured and exploratory situations..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Taught by Professor Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University, this course shows how ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, and other cultures saw the sky. You learn how the Sun, Moon, and stars were their clock, calendar, and compass; constellations encoded their mythologies; and the heavens inspired religious and philosophical ideas, laying the foundation for modern science.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Focus on the dominant source of electricity in the U.S. today: coal. Begin by reviewing concepts from thermodynamics that explain how power plants work. Then follow the processes that turn a hopper full of coal into abundant electrical power, extracting the maximum amount of energy along the way..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Darwin believed that musical behavior arose because it gave our early ancestors a biological advantage. But what advantage? Investigate Darwin’s theory and other adaptationist explanations for the evolution of music. Then look at two alternatives: invention theories and gene-culture co-evolution theories..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Professor Johnson poses the last big question of the course: Can we answer the ultimate question? Draw on the many insights you’ve gained from these lectures, together with your experience thinking philosophically, to probe the meaning of life from several points of view.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
Drawing on your experience solving quadratic functions, analyze the parabolic shapes produced by such functions when represented on a graph. Use your algebraic skills to determine the parabola's vertex, its x and y intercepts, and whether it opens in an upward "cup" or downward in a "cap."
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Survey the U.S. intelligence community as a whole. Find out how it is structured, how it functions, and how it relates to the rest of the government. Review its methods of gathering and analyzing intelligence, including some of the key challenges in the process.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
The excavation of Masada—the ancient mountain stronghold of Jewish rebels against Rome—was a milestone for archaeology. Explore the discoveries at the site, hear the harrowing story of its defense, and contemplate the controversy surrounding the use of a first-century historical account in interpreting the archaeological evidence.