The Great Courses (Firm)
Series
Great Courses volume 9
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
Sport and spectacle have long been part of human affairs. We associate gladiatorial combat with the Romans, but it actually originated with the Etruscans, who held such combats and chariot races as part of religious observances. Study the exciting world of Etruscan sports and find out the context surrounding different types of games..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
See what measures the American government took during the Cold War to prevent our devolution into a Stasi-like state. While the CIA and the FBI had several unauthorized surveillance programs in the 1950s and 1960s, Congress and the Supreme Court stepped in to oversee the intelligence world with several powerful measures in the 1970s.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The 200 years of Britain’s colonial rule of India was a time of seminal transformation and change - for India, for Britain, and for the world. In A History of British India, explore how the British took power in India, built a massive economic machine, and ruled until India’s 1947 independence. You’ll relive a crucial era in international relations, one with deep and lasting implications.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
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.
Language
English
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
2015.
Language
English
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.
Language
English
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..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Using a balance sheet from Intel as your case study, survey the significance of specific items that typically appear on balance sheets, including current assets and intangible assets. Also learn how to read balance sheets for clues about an organization’s financial stability, risk, and liquidity..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Put your dots-and-boxes machine to work solving long-division problems, making them easy while shedding light on the rationale behind the confusing long-division algorithm taught in school. Then watch how the machine quickly handles scary-looking division problems in polynomial algebra.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
The Christian conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine was a momentous turning point for the faith. Learn about the relationship of the Roman Empire to early Christianity, and the specific reasons why Christians were persecuted by Rome. Grasp Constantine's motives for converting to Christianity and for becoming directly involved in theological controversies.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
For many people, social situations are stressful. But our social relationships can also promote physical and psychological health. Here, learn what role social media plays in how we view relationships, understand the idea of universal irrationality, and appreciate the healing power of experiencing awe and the importance of physical touch.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Learn to draw the human figure using a set of measures, or a canon of proportions, and simple geometric shapes. In doing so, make a study of human proportions in three views, using the height of the head to measure relative proportions of the body. Take account of how artists have viewed human proportions, body posture, and differences between male and female figures..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
It is one thing for God to grant humans the freedom to do evil, but it’s harder to understand the existence of natural evils such as earthquakes and plagues. Evaluate different approaches to this problem, including the suggestion that God exists but didn’t create our universe.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Begin a series of lectures on thunderstorms, which are the key to understanding many types of extreme weather. Learn how thunderstorms are forecast, and explore their formation by following a weather balloon on its data-gathering mission through the atmosphere.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Dr. Bonura leaves you with skills to learn from the stress in your life. Discover why it's important to feel a sense of purpose; how the frequency of positive experiences you have is more important than their intensity; and why it truly is important to appreciate the small things.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
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
2016.
Language
English
Description
One of the most famous people in Ireland’s struggle for independence is Daniel O’Connell, a 19th-century politician who led the charge for Catholic emancipation as well as the effort to repeal Britain’s Act of Union. Learn about his activism, and then see how the Great Famine completely devastated the nation.