Cognition 101: How We Acquire Knowledge, Gain Understanding, and Make Decisions

0.0 (0)
SOCIAL SCIENCES
COMPLETE SERIES

7 days free, then £2.49/month

In this course, you will enrich your daily life with the timeless spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Your guide, Fr. Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., S.T.D., is a renowned Ignatian spiritual leader and brilliant teacher whose expertise will enlighten you. On the path to God, we all experience daily ups and downs. Sometimes prayer comes alive, inspiring us to serve our neighbors and the Church. At other times, our spiritual life seems dry; we grow discouraged, and God feels distant. Now, you can use a five-hundred-year-old method to deepen your awareness of God. In "Ignatian Discernment in Daily Life: Finding God in All Things," you will explore the fourteen rules for the discernment of spirits as laid out in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Fr. Timothy Gallagher helps you apply the rules to daily life, and his accessible lectures are perfect for both newcomers and those versed in Ignatian spirituality. You will begin this course by studying the inspiring life of St. Ignatius, whose conversion story served as a model for his spiritual writings. Then, you will study each rule one-by-one, learning powerful techniques for responding to spiritual consolations and desolations. You will discover detailed commentary on each rule and an abundance of practical examples. Retreat leaders, spiritual directors, priests, counselors, and lay Christians will discover the unique value of these rules today. Fr. Gallagher's clear presentations make a classic spiritual text accessible to all who seek spiritual growth. Ignatius's practical wisdom shows us the way forward. Let his words guide your spiritual life today.

12 Episodes

A gripping and authoritative 24-lecture history course on the Vietnam War from the award-winning professor who cowrote "Argument without End" with Robert McNamara. Using newly available archival and source material from the United States and Vietnam, Vassar College professor Robert K. Brigham helps you grapple with the legacy of the Vietnam War today. Based on more than 100 trips to Vietnam and extensive interviews with key players from all sides, Prof. Brigham weaves vivid biographical sketches and rich anecdotes into recorded history. His masterful storytelling will help you look behind common assumptions about the conflict. Not since the Civil War had the American national consciousness been as strained as it was by the conflict in Southeast Asia. Indeed, the controversies that the Vietnam War spurred on the home front are more familiar to many Americans than the policies and motives that guided the conflict. "Vietnam: The Definitive History of the War" fills that gap. The provocative questions Prof. Brigham raises will help you reexamine the war from today's vantage. Throughout, Prof. Brigham sheds light on the United States and its place in the world today. Under his expert guidance, you will gain fresh understanding of this momentous chapter in American history.

4.2 (5)

HISTORY
No civilization is so intertwined with the history of Christianity, and the greater Western world, as Rome. Now, you are invited to explore ancient Rome's legacy with award-winning professor and prolific author Christopher M. Bellitto. In this fascinating audio course on the Roman monarchy, republic, and empire, you will explore the essentials of Roman civilization: the creation of a city at the center of world history, its political legacy, its architectural and cultural achievements, its treatment of women and slaves, and its tragic flaws. You will begin by placing ancient Rome in world history by looking at its origins and contexts in terms of geography and chronology. You will then explore the overlooked monarchy that ran for over two centuries until it was replaced by a republic that slowly took over the Mediterranean for 500 years. You will follow Rome as it defeated Carthage in three Punic Wars, facing challengers like Hannibal. As you travel from the Republic to the Empire to Rome's eventual ""fall,"" you will encounter such infamous figures as Julius Caesar, Octavian, Marc Antony, Cleopatra, Caligula, and Nero. You will see how paganism, Judaism, and Christianity interacted, often violently, and how Christianity transformed a stumbling empire. Finally, you will ask whether Rome truly fell at all.

5.0 (1)

HISTORY
Stuart Vyse, Ph.D., is the author of "Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition," which received the William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association. A celebrated psychologist and professor as well as a recognized author, he is the perfect guide for this audio series on the power of superstition. This wide-ranging course reveals the method to our madness in everything from finances to Friday the 13th. An expert on irrational behavior, Prof. Vyse discusses what it means to be rational before delving into the many reasoning errors and psychological challenges that lead us astray. In 15 lectures, you will learn to identify the logical fallacies and quirks of our psychology that tempt us to make unwise decisions. While the course is based in theory, it's also teeming with practical advice. You'll examine several popular conspiracy theories before exploring the remarkable staying power of common "bad luck" superstitions: How did these superstitions come to be? Is it always bad to be irrational? At what point do our beliefs veer into the territory of wishful thinking or willful ignorance? Packed with fun examples and everyday pointers, this course leaves you thinking long and hard about how you think. With Prof. Vyse's guidance, you'll learn to better understand your beliefs and make better decisions.

5.0 (2)

SOCIAL SCIENCES
Perhaps the world's leading expert on forgiveness research, Everett Worthington distills decades of wisdom into 15 life-changing lectures. The author or editor of more than 38 books on marriage, family, and forgiveness, Prof. Worthington received the Humanitarian Award from the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. Now you can learn to practice his groundbreaking REACH Forgiveness model through these 15 engaging lectures. At first glance, statements of forgiveness such as ""Love your enemies"" (Matthew 5:44) may seem paradoxical. But in recent decades, scientists have picked up where philosophers and theologians left off—confirming the many benefits that practicing forgiveness will bring you. Studies show that the consistent practice of forgiveness reaps rewards to your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. On a larger scale, forgiveness is a central pillar in promoting peace among groups, organizations, and societies. Drawing on his decades of experience in couples counseling and his prolific research on forgiveness, Prof. Worthington guides you in how to practice forgiveness. As Stephen Post, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University School of Medicine says, "Ev speaks from the heart and soul and mind with a special passion for what forgiveness brings to our lives. He has uplifted a generation." Through this masterful course, you will acquire the tools to think both philosophically and practically about forgiveness. You'll find that the scientific approach to forgiveness will indelibly enrich your life and relationships.

5.0 (1)

RELATIONSHIPS
Join one of the Civil War's greatest living historians in exploring this monumental event through the eyes of those who lived it. Imagine yourself living amid the bloodiest conflict on American soil. An infantry soldier marching into the Gettysburg battlefield in the front lines. A Minnesotan mother whose son responds to Lincoln's call for volunteers. A slave working the fields of a Mississippi plantation when rumors of Emancipation arrive. Drawing on the letters and records of individual soldiers, this compelling audio course invites you to explore the relationship between events on the battlefield and life on the home front. With more than 600,000 casualties, the Civil War cannot be understood by looking exclusively at famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant. As you'll see, ordinary people—volunteer soldiers, runaway slaves, civilians in both the North and South—shaped the course of history. Hearing their stories illuminates the causes, consequences, and course of the war. Your guide is Peter S. Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and author of "The War for the Common Soldier" (2018). Throughout, you'll pay special attention to the men who served in the ranks on both sides. You'll conclude by looking at the diverse ways that Americans continue to find political relevance in their Civil War past.

0.0 (0)

HISTORY
12 brilliant lectures by celebrated Church historian and author Christopher Bellitto. Few events have affected the course of civilization as profoundly as the Crusades, a centuries-long period of violent conflict and competition between Islam and Christianity. The Crusades brought destruction and violence to the third monotheistic faith of Judaism as well. Resurfacing frequently in present-day political conversations about clashes between faiths and cultures, the troubling legacy of the Crusades is undeniable. Join award-winning professor Christopher Bellitto in an exploration of this period of conflict. As you examine the five major crusading movements from multiple perspectives, you'll gain a deeper knowledge of what the Holy Land means to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. You'll come to better understand the concepts of ""just war"" and ""jihad"" that dominated during the Middle Ages. Along the way you'll learn about crusade arts, letters and architecture; military orders like the Templars and Hospitallers; the notion of crusading in popular history throughout the centuries; and the state of Christian-Muslim relations today. Simply put, to understand the Crusades is to gain profound insight into the historical course of Civilization—Western and Eastern—and into the profound contradictions of religious war and human nature itself. You'll be in good hands with Prof. Bellitto, who is known for his ability to bring clarity to complex historical and religious events. Don't miss the opportunity to learn with him today.

0.0 (0)

HISTORY