Redefining Reality cover art

Redefining Reality

The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science

Preview

Free with 30-day trial
A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

Redefining Reality

By: Steven Gimbel, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Steven Gimbel
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

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.

©2015 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2015 The Great Courses
Metaphysics Occult Physics Inspiring Modern Philosophy

What listeners say about Redefining Reality

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    65
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    57
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    60
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mind blowing

A fantastic insight into scientific revolutions and how they test and change the nature of reality. Great delivery, interesting anecdotes and makes some complex topics very accessible. Covers right from Greek theories to modern day and digital trends. Very comprehensive but not overwhelming.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended as a starting point

This is an ambitious series - deftly combining science, history and philosophy. If you had no prior knowledge of these fields, this would be an incredible series. The delivery and narrative is fun. The major loose arguments, threads and themes are wound together, across lectures and millenia.

Personally, I didn't learn a lot. There is only a cursory investigation into each topic, given the breadth of content. Yet, the way in which this content is brought together is creative and inspiring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen to expand your thoughts

Good narration and subject flow.
Challenging ideas and concepts, with modern contexts.
Well worth a listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant and insightful

I’ve listen to this series of lectures a number of times over the past six years and each time I am reminded of just what it means to be a person in the world and what it is that we can call the world, as it shifts and morphs through the ages. Fantastic lectures and brilliant performance!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Breadth of Content

An excellent survey of the big ideas that have shaped our thinking.

Dr Gimbel does an excellent job examining a broad array of disciplines and the consequence of their ideas on our world today. Across theology, philosophy; the physical sciences, sociology; economics, and modern technology; you'll gain an appreciation of how the brain makes sense of the world and have plenty to ponder on.

This is the second course I've listened to by Dr Gimbel and I have enjoyed his narration, content and light humour on both occasions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and informative

Well presented in a clear well organised format.A very good introduction and accessible to all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow, just wow

I was worried this lecture series would be too focused on some incomprehensible quantum theory. I was delighted by the broad scope and easily digestible content.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the only problem

the only problem with this audiobook is that it finished. it was intriguing and left you wanting more

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.