modern mysticisms
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This lecture completes the first half of the semester by analyzing three functional groups in terms of the interaction of localized atomic or pairwise orbitals. Many key properties of biological polypeptides derive from the mixing of such localized orbitals that we associate with "resonance" of the amide group. The acidity of carboxylic acids and the aggregation of methyl lithium into solvated tetramers can be understood in analogous terms...more
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Work by Wöhler and Liebig on benzaldehyde inspired a general theory of organic chemistry focusing on so-called radicals, collections of atoms which appeared to behave as elements and persist unchanged through organic reactions. Liebig's French rival, Dumas, temporarily advocated radicals, but converted to the competing theory of types which could accommodate substitution reactions. These decades teach more about the psychology, sociology, ...more
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This lecture explains what an economic model is, and why it allows for counterfactual reasoning and often yields paradoxical conclusions. Typically, equilibrium is defined as the solution to a system of simultaneous equations. The most important economic model is that of supply and demand in one market, which was understood to some extent by the ancient Greeks and even by Shakespeare. That model accurately fits the experiment from the last...more
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In this lecture, Professor Kagan continues to discuss the constitution of Athens. In particular, he explores the judicial workings of Athens. He describes in detail the effort of the Athenians to create a system of justice that would not only minimize tampering, in order to insure justice, but also maximize citizen participation. After this discussion, Professor Kagan comments on the role of women in Athens by looking at two types of sourc...more
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Just twenty percent of the members in any group or social system own eighty percent of the assets, indicative that scale indicates a growing concentration of power. The top 2,000 companies employ and influences a million people in the modern world, says author David Rothkopf. With cross-ownership and networking in all circles - business, military, religion, and the Internet among them - a few succeed, but the majority of participants withi...more
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Sheer brainpower, strength in numbers, and good old fashioned networking is how the nature of world influence is established. Skewed and disproportionate, modern power structures that regulate global problems happen only when the elite meet, says author David Rothkopf. And decisions made based on these meetings often do not adequately represent the people or the interests that they are meant to serve.
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There is a distinct possibility that humans are currently part way through an evolutionary transition between individuals and groups. The conflict between these two units of selection and levels of organization, between biology and culture, may explain some of the tensions in modern human life. Examples of selfishness and altruism exemplify how these types of selection act on humans.
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Lecture 8 of Leonard Susskind's Modern Physics concentrating on General Relativity. Recorded November 10, 2008 at Stanford University.
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Lecture 6 of Leonard Susskind's Modern Physics concentrating on General Relativity. Recorded October 27, 2008 at Stanford University.
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Lecture 8 of Leonard Susskind's Modern Physics course concentrating on Classical Mechanics. Recorded December 17, 2007 at Stanford University.
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Lecture 8 of Leonard Susskind's Modern Physics course concentrating on Special Relativity. Recorded June 9, 2008 at Stanford University.
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Lecture 8 of Leonard Susskind's Modern Physics course concentrating on Quantum Mechanics. Recorded March 3, 2008 at Stanford University.
