Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science

2.6 2.6 out of 5 stars | 8 ratings

Price: 49.9

Last update: 01-31-2025


About this item

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.


Top reviews from the United States

  • 1
    1.0 out of 5 stars Landfill
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2016
    Pure garbage after the physics lectures.
  • Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chewy
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2023
    Chewy…as in lots to chew on. At a minimum, I now have a much better idea of the interaction between culture and scientific thought. Very interesting & challenging.
  • NJ
    3.0 out of 5 stars It is a good collection of many physical and social science "101" course ...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2016
    Redefining Reality is not what it claims to in the blurb. It is a good collection of many physical and social science "101" course summaries.

    Imagine if you wanted to know what you are going to learn in Relativity 101 - you get a 30-inute summary here. Same for Quantum Physics. And Astronomy. And Evolution. And Medicine. And Genetics. And Psychology. And Sociology. And Market Economics. And ....

    Each summary is quite basic. Full of claims which appear nothing more than assertions in any religious texts. Of course, there is no room in this course for the author to discuss nuances of almost anything let alone the counter-theories or criticisms.

    Positively, this book that brings together Newton to Einstein, Darwin to Freud, Kant and Keynes, Weber or Marx, even Godel and Turin has a smooth narrative style while going through a vast landscape.

    An easy listen overall of questionable value.
  • High Expectations
    5.0 out of 5 stars ... and yet so clearly explained that a layman can easily understand This is a series of 36 half-hour audio ...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2016
    So broad and yet so clearly explained that a layman can easily understand
    This is a series of 36 half-hour audio lectures accompanied by a 280-page set of lecture notes with pictures and diagrams. Because so many topics are covered, it's easy to listen to a couple of related chapters and then come back in a day or two for more, or even to choose the chapters that most interest you. I'm trained as an aerospace engineer and computer scientist, but I learned a lot from the very clear explanations of topics outside my immediate field ranging from some of the unique characteristics of mathematics; to the Theory of Relativity and The Big Bang; to our changing understandings of the components of the Universe including atoms, quantum physics, chaos theory, and dark matter and energy; to genes and identity, the studies of Jung and the Behaviorists, the mid/body problem, and the sources of empathy; to the sociology of competition/cooperation, race, and the ideas of progress; to theories of the origins of life including the potential for extraterrestrial life, genetic engineering, cloning, and trans-humans; and even artificial intelligence and virtual reality. WOW! So broad and yet so clearly explained. Like any good college course, this course takes some thought and effort but it never felt boring or labored. Even if you are a heavy duty techie in one of the covered topics, you can greatly broaden your perspective about unrelated technical topics.
  • Nicholas Cook-Rostie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Whirlwind through the major scientific discoveries
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017
    I found The Great Courses on Audible and have picked up numerous different courses to listen to while walking to class or going for a run. As a biochemistry major and medical student, I have taken a lot of the introductory or advanced courses that Dr. Gimbel lectures about however he brings in the rich history and social/culture context with which the scientific discoveries were found and the greater impact on society. For example, he talks about how quantum field theory influenced artists such as the surrealist. Due to the breadth of topics, many of the lectures left me wanting to learn more, and the accompanying pdf has additional resources and questions that can be discussed with peers. Dr. Gimbel talks with clarity that makes tough topics easier to understand and the short lectures allow you to combine different subjects drawing insights that I did not get when taking the courses in college. With the current attack on science in the United States, I think this is a great course that more people should listen to and better understand the impact that science has on our daily lives and the importance of scientific endeavors.
  • wbiro
    5.0 out of 5 stars Broad- A Lot of Science History and a Lot of Contempory Science for the Layman
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
    I've listened to a lot of layman science books and, though I've already heard a lot of what is covered here several times, there was a lot of new information since the book covers a very broad area (a lot of work went into it - or a lifetime of broad reading), especially near the end where the latest (and unusual) areas are covered, including economics. the book's purpose was to illustrate paradigm shifts that resulted from new scientific discoveries, but you may not get around to focusing on that until the third listen - it isn't heavily emphasized - the author becoming carried away with the details of the discoveries themselves rather than delving deep into detailed features of the paradigm shifts. Amusing for me was when the narrator mispronounced the cosmologist George Gamow's last name (it gets narrators almost every time). A good book will stimulate further reading (listening), and rom this book I acquired further interest in Boson's, the details of Einstein's theories, exoplanets, and economics.
  • Cecilia Marcano
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow the content of this course is simply amazing, so far professor Steven Gimbel has taken me ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2015
    Wow the content of this course is simply amazing, so far professor Steven Gimbel has taken me into a journey through the history of philosophy, math, physics and astronomy; a fun tale of how humankind had changed several times the paradigm of reality... Aristotle, Newton, Einstein... Then the course changes completely into other subjects like economy, education, biology, life on other planets and the origin of life on earth. I haven't finished it and I know I will listen to it again. The reader keeps you interested and complex ideas are easy to follow, Dr. Gimbel must be one of the best teachers in the world.
  • titus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015
    Excellent in breadth and lucidity. This is truly an education on to itself.

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