Redefining Reality
The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science
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Narrated by:
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Steven Gimbel
About this listen
No subject is bigger than reality itself, and nothing is more challenging to understand, since what counts as reality is undergoing continual revision and has been for centuries. For example, the matter that comprises all stars, planets, and living things turns out to be just a fraction of what actually exists. Moreover, we think that we control our actions, but data analytics can predict, with astonishing accuracy, when we will wake up, what we will buy, and even whom we will marry.
The quest to pin down what's real and what's illusory is both philosophical and scientific, a metaphysical search for ultimate reality that goes back to the ancient Greeks. For the last 400 years, this search has been increasingly guided by scientists, who create theories and test them in order to define and redefine reality. And we have developed the power to alter our own reality in major ways - to defeat diseases, compensate for disabilities, and augment our intellect with computers. Where is that trend going?
Experience the thrill of this exciting quest in 36 wide-ranging lectures that touch on many aspects of the ceaseless search for reality. From the birth of the universe to brain science, discover that separating the real from the illusory is an exhilarating intellectual adventure.
Scientists and philosophers are not alone in grappling, at an intellectual level, with reality. Some of the most accessible interpretations are by painters, novelists, filmmakers, and other artists whose works not only draw on the latest discoveries but also sometimes inspire them. Explore examples such as Alice in Wonderland, pointillism, cubism, surrealism, and reality TV.
And since dealing with reality is an experience we all share, this course is designed for people of all backgrounds.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
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Dr. Catherine Kleier invites us to open our eyes to the phenomenal world of plant life and to the process she calls “Natura Revelata”, the joy of celebrating and learning from the secrets of nature. As Dr. Kleier shares her knowledge with contagious excitement for her subject, she emphasizes the middle ground: Instead of focusing on cell microbiology or the study of ecosystems and habitats, she stresses the basic biology, function, and the amazing adaptations of the plants we see all around us.
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Needs accompanying documentation and visual aides
- By Ryan on 04-04-19
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Cosmic Queries
- StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- By: James Trefil, Lindsey N. Walker - editor, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In this illuminating audiobook, Tyson and coauthor James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia - How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone? - and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.
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Not worth it
- By Daniel Earl on 03-15-21
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Audible’s Best Science Offering, A Gem
- By MikeB on 12-08-18
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The Quantum Universe
- (And Why Anything That Can Happen, Does)
- By: Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw approach the world of quantum mechanics in the same way they did in Why Does E=mc2? and make fundamental scientific principles accessible - and fascinating - to everyone.The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning any number of profound misunderstandings, journeys into Eastern mysticism, and woolly pronouncements on the interconnectedness of all things. Cox and Forshaw's contention? There is no need for quantum mechanics to be viewed this way.
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Not suitable as an audio book
- By SPN on 03-29-22
By: Brian Cox, and others
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Not appropriate for audio-only
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Little mistakes here and there
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Fun across the universe
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Feel good and be good
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A Hard Review to Write
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The performance was not the problem
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A comprehensive overview of the Qumran Scrolls
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Your nervous system is you. All the thoughts, perceptions, moods, passions, and dreams that make you an active, sentient being are the work of this amazing network of cells. For many centuries, people knew this was true. But no one was sure how it happened. Now, thanks to the exciting new field of neuroscience, we can chart the workings of the brain and the rest of the nervous system in remarkable detail to explain how neurons, synapses, neurotransmitters, and other biological processes produce all the experiences of everyday life, in every stage of life.
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Release date!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-03-19
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Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science
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Understanding our humanity - the essence of who we are - is one of the deepest mysteries and biggest challenges in modern science. Why do we have bad moods? Why are we capable of having such strange dreams? How can metaphors in our language hold such sway on our actions? As we learn more about the mechanisms of human behavior through evolutionary biology, neuroscience, anthropology, and other related fields, we're discovering just how intriguing the human species is.
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Somewhat Interesting but not Quite as Advertised
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Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy
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The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.
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Weak philosophy loaded with misapplied facts and personal bias
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What listeners say about Redefining Reality
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Primoz
- 08-10-15
Magnificent
One oh the best books I've read on audible (app. 100 until now, mostly non-fiction). Everything a well-rounded and informed person should know about the history of science and contemporary world. Professor Gimbel is a unique and brilliant mind with the ability to explain, apply and connect the most intricate and complex scientific data to the bigger picture of the "system" called reality. Thank you prof. Gimbel and Audible! Primoz Mavric, Slovenia
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16 people found this helpful
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- Irena
- 10-25-15
Informative, thought provoking and entertaining.
This course explores how each significant discovery, each scientific revolution causes us to redefine our understanding of reality. Steven Gimbel is an excellent narrator. He examines the widest range of scientific disciplines (physics, cosmology, mathematics, chemistry, biology, genetics, cybernetics, psychology, sociology), illustrating the emerging pattern: our view of the world develops from a simplified atomistic picture(studying properties of discrete objects) to the study of relations between the objects and then to the holistic picture(studying the whole interconnected system as the ultimate model of reality). "Redefining Reality" is one of the most thought provoking, entertaining and informative courses I've ever listened to.
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10 people found this helpful
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- SCantu
- 08-01-15
Excellent course
Great job by professor Steven Gimbel. The topics are clearly explained and easy to understand.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Aaron Bonn
- 07-27-15
From 'A' to 'Z'
Where does Redefining Reality rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the most comprehensive books I have ever run across. Read or listened to.
What does Professor Steven Gimbel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I have listened to a number of educational courses over the years (I'm 61 years old) so quite a number. When listening to some of these I couldn't help but notice at some points the instructor reverted to just 'reading' the material instead of 'instructing'. I always thought this was because the instructor was tired or actually wasn't quite clear himself about the material.
This Steven Gimbel knows what he is talking about the hole way through. Impressive.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
That talking to babies in 'baby talk', something I always hated myself, is actually good for the growing child. Of course there is much more than that. The book covers a huge range of topics.
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3 people found this helpful
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- The Goyo
- 09-08-15
Interesting
Wasn't what I expected, but that's a good thing every chapter lead me to think.
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1 person found this helpful
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- SJ Lucero
- 07-27-15
A Great Lecture Series!
The was a great "Great Course"! Expansive, informative, and interesting, but accessible to all levels.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Zach
- 12-16-16
I absolutely love to this course
Narrated by Professor Steven Gimbel this great course was a universal deep dive into the fundamental reality is of the universe reaching out into all aspects of our lives and going far beyond the physics alone. The stroll through history and the scientific references we're extremely well done and captured the imagination completely. I devoured this course and ended with a much wider and richer perspective, I'm truly thankful for that. I highly recommend it to anyone.
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- Michael Armstrong
- 09-24-19
Wow...
This is definitely a very interesting listen. This is about my tenth or so audio book and I have to say it really stands out. This guy is very clear and has a nice disposition, but most notably A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE. I’m actually going to look him up because I’m very curious to learn how he became so widely educated. I’ve never heard anyone speak so insightfully on such a wide range of topics. Remarkable.
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- Steve Goppert
- 09-11-18
Exceptional - new concepts, entertaining
Rarely do I find a novel or movie or other form of entertainment so compelling I didn’t want it to end. Even rarer is a college level course so compelling I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next. This course was like that; I wanted to hear the next chapter and wished the course to go on longer.
Typically, I know from experience and theory, ratings are generally inflated because management insists on top ratings. Therefore, giving this course 5 places it in the “pretty good” category. I found the course so outstanding that I think the rating should be increased form “pretty good” to “superior” or a 7. This is based on Gimbel’s presentation style, clarity in conveying concepts and, most importantly, by creating a unique perspective for the student.
Gimbel’s style is enthusiastic and unique enough to garner my attention. He uses very unique turns of phrase and metaphors. Some of which border on audacious irreverence for typical PhD-speak. Most refreshing. In describing Aristotle’s earth centered universe Gimbel says “he was simply making the true claim that “dirt falls straight down”. Versus something like “any physical object that has mass will fall toward the geological mass center of the earth.” Gimbel speaks of “circus mirrors” distortion of our image rather than a distortion of caused by an irregular curvature in a reflective surface. These expressions make the course so much more interesting to listen to.
I have only one critique of his style. He uses the word “but” as a loud staccato punctuation to switch to alternate viewpoints. It is an effective technique. I only object to the loudness. The blast of noise mellows over the course to a still effective but less vehement tone.
Clarity of presentation was also superior. I understood concepts I had prior knowledge about, such as the Theory of Relativity in a new way.
Concepts of metaphysics are explained briefly and in a way I can understand. I had taken another course in metaphysics that explained concepts in such a convoluted (to me) manner that my head spun and I did not finish the course. Gimbel avoided explaining the derivation of the concepts. Instead he presented the outcome and the implications of the metaphysical concepts. His approach was like a statistics professor I had who told us he was going avoid all the proofs of the statistical too and instead teach us what the tool is used for and the strengths and weakness of each.to teach us. Because Gimbel used this approach, I am beginning to “get” metaphysics in the same way do statistics. To me this is useful knowledge.
Most importantly, Gimbel clearly ties the implications of scientific break throughs. For example, Newtonian physics and Darwin’s evolution, led Freud to view a person as integrated whole and to consider inherited drives in his revolutionary psychology. Personally, I had not perceived the interaction of science and intellectual philosophy to be so significant in areas beyond the obvious such as Copernicus’ sun-centered universe on the earth-centered Aristotelian absolutes of the Catholic Church. This integration made the whole course worthwhile.
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- Dhruv Raman
- 04-21-18
Beautiful.
This was absolutely lovely. I really enjoyed the voice and the content by Professor Gimbel.
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