Our Declaration • 2015 • episode "S1E2" • Curiosity Retreats: 2015 Lectures

Category: People

You may think you know who wrote the Declaration of Independence and what it says -- but do you really? Political theorist Danielle Allen looks at the document's origin and originators to give us a picture of the men and the moment in time that shaped the United States of today.

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Curiosity Retreats: 2015 Lectures • 2015 • 9 episodes •

Chasing Quantum Realities

Chasing Quantum Realities

What does quantum mechanics tell us about our world -- or are there many worlds due to probability waves? How does the general theory of relativity mesh with quantum mechanics? If you've wished you understood quantum mechanics (or at least grasped the basics) physicist Brian Greene can help!

2015 • Physics

Our Declaration

Our Declaration

You may think you know who wrote the Declaration of Independence and what it says -- but do you really? Political theorist Danielle Allen looks at the document's origin and originators to give us a picture of the men and the moment in time that shaped the United States of today.

2015 • People

The Art of Discovery

The Art of Discovery

It is hard to imagine a sky without an airplane in it. But David McCullough takes us back to the first days of aviation. We learn about the Wright Brothers, not only through their achievements, but by discovering who they were as people and the early family influences that shaped their characters.

2015 • People

Digital Transcendence

Digital Transcendence

Jason Silva is a positive futurist who wants us to be excited about "the adjacent possible" and the ways we need to embrace the coming technological changes -- the "tools" that will change us as a people and alter humankind.

2015 • Technology

Conscious Capitalism

Conscious Capitalism

How has Capitalism affected the world? Raj Sisodia, economic analyst, takes us back to pre-Industrial Revolution to show how our standard of living has improved. But now , he feels, it is time for another kind of capitalism - conscious capitalism - based on a value system deeper than profits.

2015 • Economics

Creator Economy

Creator Economy

Paul Saffo looks at the development of the US economy through the 20th and into the 21st century. What are the trends that have shaped the economy? How are innovations in technology and communications making the 21st century an entirely different landscape for producers and consumers?

2015 • Economics

The Creative Brain

The Creative Brain

How does the creative brain work? Nancy Andreasen, neuroscientist and neuropsychiatrist, has spent her life studying the relationship between brain function, mental illnesses and the emergence and continuance of creativity.

2015 • Brain

The Human Face of Big Data

The Human Face of Big Data

In the 21st century devices create more data than humans do. Rick Smolan, author of The Human Face of Big Data, shows the positive force of the collection of data in worldwide examples of the uses of medical data, personal data and business data to enrich people's lives.

2015 • Technology

Wonders of the Ocean

Wonders of the Ocean

Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and author, discusses the need to preserve and protect the amazing global eco-system of the oceans.

2015 • Nature

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The Babushkas of Chernobyl

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An affectionate portrait of a group of women who, after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and evacuation, returned to the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant and have resided there - semi-officially, for years.

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Jemeker Thompson: Crack Queen of L.A.

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Once the undisputed crack queen of LA, Jemeker Thompson speaks about her unorthodox reign and how her maternal instinct led to her downfall.

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Diamonds

A diamond is forever. But why is that? Dig into how these mined pieces of carbon became both a status symbol and a sparkly sign of everlasting love.

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The Brain Creates Religion

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Believing in God generates soothing "juices" in the brain that make us feel good.