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Human Evolution: Learn Where You Come From
Macken Murphy
What makes our species special? Why are we the way we are? This course will tell the human story in all its wonder, from our humble origins as shrewlike organisms to the most powerful animals in history. Along the way, you'll learn about the evolved roots of our essential traits, such as our peculiar lack of body hair, our opposable thumbs, bipedalism, and, of course, our big brains. You'll also discover more about our relatives, from neanderthals to chimpanzees. Learn where you come from in this epic Listenable course. Bibliography: https://bit.ly/2SRUQLG
Quantum Computing for Everyone
Barry Luijbregts
In this course, I'll explain – in plain English – what quantum computing is, how it works and why you should care. If you ever wanted to know what quantum computing is and how it works, without needing to be a quantum physicist, this course is for you. Quantum computing is a very exciting, new field of technology. It seems like science fiction, but it isn't, and it will revolutionize many industries.
Free Will
Lottie Pike
In this course, you will learn all about the debate surrounding free will: the different approaches, the relevant contributions to it from neuroscience and the implications – moral, religious, and political – of determinism.
Basics of Stoic Philosophy and Practice
Gregory Sadler
Ancient Stoic philosophy and practices provide a coherent path to a happier and more productive life. This course introduces you to the key Stoic authors, their most important ideas and insights, and useful techniques and practices.
Human History and the First Civilizations
Brian Fagan
What happened in history before ancient Greeks and Romans? In this course, we’ll cover the story of humanity, from our origins in East Africa to the world’s first pre-industrial civilizations. Over ten audio lessons, you’ll learn about human origins some three million years ago, explore the origins of modern humans, ourselves, and our colonization of the Old World and the Americas. We’ll also explore the origins of agriculture and animal domestication and explain why the changeover from hunting and gathering took place. After listening to this course, you’ll have an entirely new perspective...
Brain-Twisting Paradoxes
John Robin
There are paradoxes in our world that are so complicated, they can make your brain change shape. This course covers ten of the most challenging, brain-twisting paradoxes, collected across thousands of years of history from our greatest minds. Some even seem impossible—or at least, they tell us just how truly difficult certain truths are to grapple with. Take the challenge! Not only will you come out having tackled some of the world’s most mysterious problems, you’ll think differently about the world and bring these skills into your daily life.
Understanding Your Brain
Betsy Herbert
This course will give a broad introduction to the fundamentals of neuroscience, covering just what exactly the brain is, what it’s made of, and how its individual components work together to orchestrate the astonishing range of feats we experience every day. We will begin by learning the grand anatomy of the brain, introducing each component part by part. Next, we will delve into the principles of neuronal communication, learning how information is transmitted in the form of electrical signals. We’ll then go on to explore how sensations from the outside world are experienced as perceptions...
Technologies That Transformed Humanity
Richard L. Currier, PhD
Although we usually think of technology as unique to modern times, our prehistoric ancestors actually created primitive tools and weapons—the first human technologies—millions of years ago. In this course, you will learn how the fashioning of weapons, the mastery of fire, and the invention of clothing and shelter led to revolutionary changes in the human body, enabling us to walk upright, shed our body hair, and triple the size of our brains. You will also learn how the invention of symbolism, agriculture, and technologies of transportation made the first civilizations possible, how the...
The Philosophy of Happiness
Dr. Will Buckingham
What is happiness? How can we find a path to happier lives? Is there a single secret to happiness? Or does happiness mean different things to different people? For generations, questions about human happiness have preoccupied philosophers across the world. “The Philosophy of Happiness” looks at philosophers from Ancient China and Greece to the present day. It explores the varied approaches that philosophers have taken to thinking about what happiness means; looks at what some of the greatest minds in history have said about why happiness matters; and asks how we might be able to attain...
Shaken, Not Stirred: The Unusual History of Fertility & Childbirth Practices
Melanie Dellas
In this course on ancient fertility and childbirth practices, you will learn about the interesting methods ancient people used in determining fertility, caring for pregnancies, easing labor, and helping newborns. You’ll also learn about the many superstitions relating to fertility and childbirth, along with the demons that lurk in the birthing area waiting to pounce.