Albert Einstein: Physicist, Philosopher, Humanitarian

By: Don Howard, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Don Howard

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

These 24 lectures present a wide-ranging intellectual exploration of this iconic scientist, genius, and champion of social justice. More than just a biography of Einstein's life, Albert Einstein provides you with an inside look at how this brilliant thinker arrived at his various revolutionary breakthroughs.

According to Professor Howard, retracing the thought processes that led to Einstein's ideas is the key to understanding them. Guided by him, you'll reason your way to historic insights such as these: Light has both wave- and particle-like properties; absolute space and absolute time are meaningless concepts; and gravity is caused by the curvature of space-time. Each of these ideas sparked a scientific revolution. The first led to quantum physics; the second and third are conclusions from the special and general theories of relativity, which this lecture series explains in nontechnical detail.

In addition to the groundbreaking scientific concepts, you'll learn how Einstein's dynamic life reflected a range of interests and passions that extended into fields like religion, international relations, and social justice. Indeed, as you'll discover, Einstein frequently engaged with many of the leading social and political issues of his day.

These lectures are the perfect introduction to Einstein, putting his scientific discoveries into the context of his personal life, his philosophical views, and his outlook on the world. By the final lecture, you'll have become better acquainted with the whole Einstein: his ideas, his thought processes, and his impact on both his own time and ours.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great Courses

Albert Einstien-Moses of the Twentieth Century

Lucky are we to have had this independent,compassionate visionary lead us through the perilous period when man needed him most. May we stand on his shoulders to help us navigate, understand and preserve our place in the universe. Many thanks to Don Howard for illuminating this giant's contribution to science and mankind.

Not what I expected

As an academic, I can appreciate such studies. But this one seems to be a haphazard collection of semi-related topics about how the professor personally interprets Einsteinian philosophy (if that is even its own distinct topic). If you are interested in a post-mortem analysis of Einstein's socioethical philosophies, then this might be of interest to you. If you are interested in learning about Einstein and also be reasonably entertained, then there are far superior biographies that fit the bill. I found my mind drifting nearly continuously and a painstaking chore to stay even slightly focused on this. In general, I find "The Great Course" exceedingly good, but this is not anywhere near their best offering.

Wonderful! Educational!

A very comprehensive look at Einstein's life, his impact on science, history, and culture. The professor was passionate and articulate. Einstein's theories were explained so the common man could understand them. I hated to come to the end of this lecture series. Well done!

Einstein is much more than relativity

E = mc2 is a potent and marvelous contribution. However, Einstein the pacifist, the socialist, the man who thinks in God and the human being who wanted war to be eliminated is far more important—especially after the Trump nightmare.

A great story

An absolutely comprehensive overview of Albert Einstein’s life. I strongly recommend it to get a better view of the whole man.

Remarkable! The whole of E=mc2 in 24 lectures

I put this course aside thinking of was a popularizing sycophant's love story to AE. Wrong. Absolutely remarkable insight into every part of a complex man's life's work with genuine understanding of his physics. Truly 5 STAR!

A great book about a great man...

I really enjoyed this book. I learned so many things about this great man that I never new before. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Enjoyed & Learned

So much enjoyable new-to-me information on this incredible man. I highly recommend this for anyone who has even the smallest interest in physics. I reccomend it even more highly for anyone who has even the smallest (and hopefully greater than that) interest in humanitarianism.

There is a lot in this story!

I have always simply thought of Einstein as a great physicist, but it's amazing to learn about the menu dimensions of this extraordinary man! Really, really interesting listen!

WORST NARRAT0OR EVER

I could hardly understand the story. The narrator had no stye, slurred his words and was -pathetic

An amazing, vivid account of Einstein's life.

This audio book is amazing. It paints a vivid picture of Albert Einstein's life and theories. I found the book easy to listen to, interesting, and very educational. It's a great audio book!

Superb

What did you like most about Albert Einstein: Physicist, Philosopher, Humanitarian?

That it uncovered so many things I didn't know about this truly great human being.

What does Professor Don Howard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His enthusiasm and fascination for the subject matter are things you get a real sense of, and definitely add to the experience.

Gripping

Would you consider the audio edition of Albert Einstein: Physicist, Philosopher, Humanitarian to be better than the print version?

The audio is better because it keeps your attention more than reading direclty

Any additional comments?

So much I didn't realise about Einstein - the man , and his impact

I made the right choise

I didnt know which book to read on Einstein, this book told me everything. the intelligence of the author permeates though every chapter and compliments Einstein's genius perfectly.

I just finished my degree at university of Manchester and never have I heard lectures as good as these. inspirational

Very interesting and thorough

Goes into the physics in depth which some might find challenging. Possibility of teleportation has been disproven though possibly that wasn't known when written. Very thorough and lengthy. Not a light read and took a while to get through it but glad I did. Very interesting and informative.

fulfils the three expectations raised by the title

I found this a great series of lectures. The theoretical chapters are not easy, that's not possible, but Dr. Howard makes the ideas clear. His lectures complement other great courses in physics – Sean Carrol and Wolfson - they mutually clarify one another.