Great Scientific Ideas That Changed the World

The Teaching Company's Great Scientific Ideas That Changed the World is an 18-hour, 36-lecture course delivered by Dr. Steven L. Goldman, who holds appointments in both the Philosophy and History departments at Pennsylvania's Lehigh University. Goldman—an engaging, energetic, and articulate guide—offers a historical account of the development of scientific thought and its practical embodiment in new forms of technology, from ancient times to the present. The first three hours cover the Greco-Roman period, while lectures 7-11 focus on the Medieval and Renaissance eras, and the 12th lecture considers the implications of the Copernican view of a heliocentric universe, which leads into presentations on the development of the modern scientific method and associated instruments for conducting experiments (Galileo and Newton are notable here). The next 11 lectures are devoted to the 19th century (and include Darwinian evolutionary thought), followed by seven more on 20th-century science and technology, featuring material on the theory of relativity and quantum physics, the Big Bang, and the information revolution. The final lecture offers a summation of the course's themes. Supplemented with illustrations and title cards throughout the lectures—as well as separately available printed course guides that include outlines, transcripts, timelines, glossaries, biographical entries, and bibliographies—this set provides an excellent introduction for high school and academic libraries (to supplement their own regular or distance ed courses), as well as public libraries serving adult learners. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)