-
The Modern Scholar: Evolutionary Biology, Part 1
- Darwinian Revolutions
- Narrated by: Allen D. MacNeill
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $49.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
-
-
Ridiculously Insightful
- By Liron on 10-25-10
By: Robert Wright
-
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Not an audiobook...
- By J.C. on 06-14-19
By: Don Lincoln, and others
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
The Social Leap
- The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy
- By: William von Hippel
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Social Leap, William von Hippel lays out a revolutionary hypothesis, tracing human development through three critical evolutionary inflection points to explain how events in our distant past shape our lives today. From the mundane, such as why we exaggerate, to the surprising, such as why we believe our own lies and why fame and fortune are as likely to bring misery as happiness, the implications are far-reaching and extraordinary.
-
-
Amazing
- By tiffani on 11-15-18
-
Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
- By: W. Bernard Carlson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: W. Bernard Carlson
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now, you can learn the remarkable stories surrounding monumental inventions - and how consequential these inventions were to history. Taught by Professor W. Bernard Carlson of the University of Virginia, who is an expert on the role of innovation in history, these 36 enlightening lectures give you a broad survey of material history, from the ancient pottery wheel to the Internet and social media. Along with recounting the famous inventions you might expect, this course explores a number of surprising innovations, including beer, pagodas, and the operating room.
-
-
Great content but poor editing on the delivery
- By Michael on 12-22-18
By: W. Bernard Carlson, and others
-
36 Books That Changed the World
- By: The Great Courses, Andrew R. Wilson, Brad S. Gregory, and others
- Narrated by: Andrew R. Wilson, Brad S. Gregory, Charles Kimball, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Certain works of literature, history, science, philosophy, political theory and religion offer powerful examples of how books can spark revolutions, birth great religions, spur scientific advancements, shape world economies, teach us new ways of thinking, and much more. And with this fascinating collection crafted from our extensive library of courses, you can now get a single course that represents 36 of our best lectures on literary works that changed the world.
-
-
too many trees not enough forest
- By Bay Area Girl on 10-11-14
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
-
-
Ridiculously Insightful
- By Liron on 10-25-10
By: Robert Wright
-
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Not an audiobook...
- By J.C. on 06-14-19
By: Don Lincoln, and others
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
The Social Leap
- The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy
- By: William von Hippel
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Social Leap, William von Hippel lays out a revolutionary hypothesis, tracing human development through three critical evolutionary inflection points to explain how events in our distant past shape our lives today. From the mundane, such as why we exaggerate, to the surprising, such as why we believe our own lies and why fame and fortune are as likely to bring misery as happiness, the implications are far-reaching and extraordinary.
-
-
Amazing
- By tiffani on 11-15-18
-
Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
- By: W. Bernard Carlson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: W. Bernard Carlson
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now, you can learn the remarkable stories surrounding monumental inventions - and how consequential these inventions were to history. Taught by Professor W. Bernard Carlson of the University of Virginia, who is an expert on the role of innovation in history, these 36 enlightening lectures give you a broad survey of material history, from the ancient pottery wheel to the Internet and social media. Along with recounting the famous inventions you might expect, this course explores a number of surprising innovations, including beer, pagodas, and the operating room.
-
-
Great content but poor editing on the delivery
- By Michael on 12-22-18
By: W. Bernard Carlson, and others
-
36 Books That Changed the World
- By: The Great Courses, Andrew R. Wilson, Brad S. Gregory, and others
- Narrated by: Andrew R. Wilson, Brad S. Gregory, Charles Kimball, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Certain works of literature, history, science, philosophy, political theory and religion offer powerful examples of how books can spark revolutions, birth great religions, spur scientific advancements, shape world economies, teach us new ways of thinking, and much more. And with this fascinating collection crafted from our extensive library of courses, you can now get a single course that represents 36 of our best lectures on literary works that changed the world.
-
-
too many trees not enough forest
- By Bay Area Girl on 10-11-14
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
The Modern Scholar: Ethics: A History of Moral Thought
- By: Professor Peter Kreeft
- Narrated by: Peter Kreeft
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This course addresses some of the eternal questions that man has grappled with since the beginning of time. What is good? What is bad? Why is justice important? Why is it better to be good and just than it is to be bad and unjust? Most human beings have the faculty to discern between right and wrong, good and bad behavior, and to make judgments over what is just and what is unjust. But why are ethics important to us?
-
-
Surprisingly Good
- By J. Maxwell on 11-02-09
-
The History of Science: 1700-1900
- By: Frederick Gregory, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Frederick Gregory
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The scientific theories that were first discovered and made public in the years 1700-1900 are some of the most pivotal in history. Landmark theories of planetary motion, the workings of nature, and the speed of light were all ideas that took the world by storm. Now you can share in that story of discovery in a series of 36 lectures designed to give you a rock-solid understanding of the great discoveries of Newton, Darwin, Franklin, Pasteur, and so many others.
-
-
6 out of 5 stars :)
- By Mike on 01-16-17
By: Frederick Gregory, and others
-
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition
- By: Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Richard Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics.
-
-
Great primer for hard SF fans and physics laymen
- By David on 01-05-15
By: Richard Wolfson, and others
-
The Modern Scholar: Evolutionary Psychology, Part II
- The Science of Human Nature
- By: Allen MacNeill
- Narrated by: Allen MacNeill
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Why do we do what we do?" In this thought-provoking series of lectures, Allen D. MacNeill examines the surprising - and sometimes unsettling - answers to this most basic of human questions. The remarkable new field of evolutionary psychology takes a scientific approach to the evolution of human nature. Analyzing human behavior in relation to food, clothing, shelter, health care, and sex, Evolutionary Psychology proves an immensely stimulating exploration of human endeavor.
-
-
Worthwhile, but Like 'Angels and Demons'
- By SRdto on 01-21-16
By: Allen MacNeill
-
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
- How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
- By: Steven Novella, Bob Novella - contributor, Cara Santa Maria - contributor, and others
- Narrated by: Steven Novella
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is your map through this maze of modern life. Here Dr. Steven Novella and friends will explain the tenets of skeptical thinking and debunk some of the biggest scientific myths, fallacies, and conspiracy theories - from anti-vaccines to homeopathy, UFO sightings to N-rays. You'll learn the difference between science and pseudoscience, essential critical thinking skills, ways to discuss conspiracy theories with that crazy co-worker of yours, and how to combat sloppy reasoning, bad arguments, and superstitious thinking.
-
-
Buyer Beware
- By Dawn M. Davidson on 01-16-20
By: Steven Novella, and others
-
Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime
- By: Benjamin Schumacher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Benjamin Schumacher
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gravity controls everything from the falling of an apple to the rising of ocean’s tides to the motions of the heavens above. If you’ve ever wondered how this most puzzling force works across our entire universe, you will be delighted by this 24-part course that is accessible to any curious person, regardless of your science education. No other product on the market presents the subject of gravity in as much detail as this course, which will follow the past 400 years of research and experimentation in the field.
-
-
Excellent Lectures about Gravity (Physics)
- By Mandi on 05-05-19
By: Benjamin Schumacher, and others
-
The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes
- By: Benjamin Schumacher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Benjamin Schumacher
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes covers the exciting concepts, history, and applications of information theory in 24 challenging and eye-opening half-hour lectures taught by Professor Benjamin Schumacher of Kenyon College. A prominent physicist and award-winning educator at one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, Professor Schumacher is also a pioneer in the field of quantum information, which is the latest exciting development in this dynamic scientific field.
-
-
Almost perfect. Broad scope with good depth.
- By James S. on 01-02-19
By: Benjamin Schumacher, and others
-
Language Families of the World
- By: John McWhorter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University takes you back through time and around the world, following the linguistic trails left by generations of humans that lead back to the beginnings of language. Utilizing historical theories and cutting-edge research, these 34 astonishing lectures will introduce you to the major language families of the world and their many offspring, including a variety of languages that are no longer spoken but provide vital links between past and present.
-
-
Exactly what I was hoping and searching for
- By Privet on 04-20-19
By: John McWhorter, and others
-
Understanding Russia
- A Cultural History
- By: Lynne Ann Hartnett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lynne Ann Hartnett
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the earliest recorded history of the Russian state, its people have sought to define their place in the world. And while many of us look to make sense of Russia through its political history, in many ways a real grasp of this awe-inspiring country comes from looking closely at its cultural achievements. The 24 lectures of Understanding Russia: A Cultural History survey hundreds of years of Russian culture, from the world of Ivan the Terrible to the dawn of the Soviet Union to the post-war tensions of Putin’s Russia.
-
-
Good American overview of Russia
- By Jeffrey L. Smith, PE on 10-21-18
By: Lynne Ann Hartnett, and others
-
The Pagan World
- Ancient Religions Before Christianity
- By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Hans-Friedrich Mueller
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Pagan World: Ancient Religions Before Christianity, you will meet the fascinating, ancient polytheistic peoples of the Mediterranean and beyond, their many gods and goddesses, and their public and private worship practices, as you come to appreciate the foundational role religion played in their lives. Professor Hans-Friedrich Mueller, of Union College in Schenectady, New York, makes this ancient world come alive in 24 lectures with captivating stories of intrigue, artifacts, illustrations, and detailed descriptions from primary sources of intriguing personalities.
-
-
The Pagan World
- By arnold e andersen md Dr Andersen on 03-28-20
By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, and others
-
Behavioral Economics
- When Psychology and Economics Collide
- By: Scott Huettel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Scott Huettel
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Behavioral economics is the study of decision making, and of the related themes of valuation, exchange, and interpersonal interactions. Using methods from psychology, sociology, neurology, and economics, behavioral economics sheds light one of the most fundamental activities of human life: the decision process. In 24 insightful lectures, you'll learn how behavioral economists look at decision making and explore a set of key principles that offer deep insight into how we evaluate information and integrate different factors to make decisions.
-
-
Recommended for
- By Subodh on 04-05-18
By: Scott Huettel, and others
-
Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
-
-
Many interesting thoughts
- By Jonas Blomberg Ghini on 06-01-19
Publisher's Summary
With Evolutionary Psychology I and II, Allen D. MacNeill of Cornell University led a thought-provoking series of lectures on why people do the things they do. In Evolutionary Biology I, MacNeill addresses a different side of the coin by examining the biological component, from Charles Darwin’s and Gregor Mendel’s “dangerous ideas” to contemporary thought leaders and the forming of the modern synthesis of this vital field of study.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Modern Scholar: Evolutionary Biology, Part 1
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BruceK
- 10-30-13
No Part 2 Audible available ?
This is an interesting and clear book, if a little slow.
It bothered me a little that fully the first 4-5 chapters are so basic and often seem to be covering intelligent design as much as they cover evolution.
You have to get 6 chapters into the book before it even starts to talk about evolution and Darwin, but it does explain well.
Aside from too much emphasis on creationism, even if it is as a negative, or inserted to make the creationists feel better, it does correctly criticism creationism as not scientific.
But I did enjoy that the book goes back into history to the ancient Greeks and shows that there were very advanced ideas back then beginning with the Ionians and their ideas of science. One wonders where we would all be today if these ideas had taken hold and had thousands of years to grow rather than religion and all the wars we have had.
The existence of a Part 1 implies that there is a part 2, but I do not see it in Audible.com.
While I enjoy and have bought many good non-fiction books at Audible, there is a real shortage of good scientific or educational books such as this one that I would love to see corrected. Another book called the "Making Of The Fittest" has more descriptions of evolution and its terms and ideas which I highly recommend.
One thing that bothers me a bit is that whenever they read Darwin the narrator switches to this feeble old high-pitched voiced, like a doddering old man with a fake British accent. It's a small price to have to pay, but I don't really understand why they feel the need to do that, at some times it is almost comedic and can detract from the ideas being presented.
Evolutionary Biology, Part 1: Darwinian Revolutions is both entertaining and educational. I recommend the book, but I am hungry for more, so I really want to see part 2 available as soon as possible. Part 3 anyone?
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Euryleia
- 03-19-13
Interesting content, unfortunate delivery.
The information in this lecture was interesting and well organized but the lecturer delivered every quoted passage- and there were a lot of them- in cringingly bad accents which was, to say the least, distracting.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 05-31-19
More so a history and a philosophical defense.
I bought this because I wanted to learn more about how evolution functioned. I did somewhat, but I learned a great deal more about the history of the modern evolutionary theory synthesis and the various ironies that accompanied it. The author seems to be aware he's lecturing on a touchy subject so he makes a point to make his progressive orthodoxy unmistakable. At the same time, I have to wonder if the choice to place the grisly history of what the theory of evolution has been used to justify after the section on the unmooring philosophical implications of a science based worldview is meant to drive home the gravity of Darwin's intellectual significance, or simply as a way to cover his behind in the event that he is accused of relativism or the ideas he goes on to discuss. He seems to take great issue with the politicization of science (as do I) but he does a better job of defending the legitimacy of evolution than explaining its operation. I wish he had more confidence in the ability of quality science to stand on its own merits instead of apologizing for any unsavory philosophies that could be extrapolated from a naturalistic worldview. Additionally, the narrator would have probably been well advised not to do some many accents. They sounded a little like cartoon versions of the dialects they were intended to reference.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maggie
- 06-17-17
History and Concepts Woven Together
This is a thorough history of the major players and concepts in the development of evolutionary biology , from pre-Darwinian creationist natural history to the Modern Synthesis that combined Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection with Mendelian genetics. In the last lecture, it previews Part 2: everything that has been discovered in evolutionary biology since 1959 (the centennial celebration of Darwin's theories that marked the widespread acceptance of the Modern Synthesis). I can't wait!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jose
- 02-23-12
Attention grabbing
Any additional comments?
There is interesting information in this audio about this great science. However, you might laugh as this scientist denies free will, and argues philosophical questions on a one-sided manner. Good intro though.
3 people found this helpful