Michael
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- 55
- helpful votes
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On Call
- A Doctor's Journey in Public Service
- By: Anthony Fauci M.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Fauci M.D.
- Length: 19 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Anthony Fauci is arguably the most famous–and most revered–doctor in the world today. His role guiding America sanely and calmly through Covid (and through the torrents of Trump) earned him the trust of millions during one of the most terrifying periods in modern American history, but this was only the most recent of the global epidemics in which Dr. Fauci played a major role. His crucial role in researching HIV and bringing AIDS into sympathetic public view and his leadership in navigating the Ebola, SARS, West Nile, and anthrax crises, make him truly an American hero.
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Must listen
- By RGB on 06-23-24
- On Call
- A Doctor's Journey in Public Service
- By: Anthony Fauci M.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Fauci M.D.
Bravo.
Reviewed: 12-24-24
The author cares about our best science-based understanding of reality and communicating that understanding as best as he can, and it shows throughout. Highest recommendation.
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Tehanu
- The Earthsea Cycle, Book Four
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Years before, they had escaped together from the sinister Tombs of Atuan - she an isolated young priestess, he a powerful wizard. Now she is a farmer's widow, having chosen for herself the simple pleasures of an ordinary life. And he is a broken old man, mourning the powers lost to him not by choice. A lifetime ago they helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Now they must join forces again to help another - the physically and emotionally scarred child whose own destiny remains to be revealed.
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Delivers on Promise of Tenar and the Tombs
- By JA on 08-30-17
- Tehanu
- The Earthsea Cycle, Book Four
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Unready Before Now
Reviewed: 05-18-24
I wasn’t ready for what the author had to say here before. That’s my fault. I’m sorry, for I needed this a lot sooner. Ursula K. LeGuin was on time, rather like Miles Davis. I was late. Recommended.
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The Scientific Attitude
- Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience
- By: Lee McIntyre
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls "the scientific attitude" - caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science.
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The Ghost in The Scientific Machinery
- By Cade Campbell on 06-20-19
- The Scientific Attitude
- Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience
- By: Lee McIntyre
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
Essential, Clearly Argued
Reviewed: 04-10-24
The author clearly describes the scientific attitude, following empirical evidence, forming hypotheses to fit that evidence, and changing hypotheses in light of subsequent evidence. The author then shows the consequences of the scientific attitude being upheld and flouted alike, making the case for its necessity. Best to get the message directly from the author. Highest recommendation.
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The God Argument
- The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief - all of them - right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments that once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate? Equally important: what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality?
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Fascinating Topic Made Mind Numbingly Dull
- By m.emery on 06-17-15
- The God Argument
- The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: William Roberts
Couldn’t Put It Better Myself.
Reviewed: 03-18-24
Concise, clear, reasoned explanation of the good of humanism based in our best understanding of reality. Highest recommendation.
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We of Little Faith
- Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too)
- By: Kate Cohen
- Narrated by: Kate Cohen
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Even though a growing number of Americans don’t believe in god, many remain reluctant to say so out loud. Kate Cohen argues that not only is it rewarding for those of little faith to announce themselves, it’s crucial to our country’s future. As she details the challenges and joys of fully embracing atheism—especially as a parent—Washington Post contributing columnist Kate Cohen does not dismiss religion as dangerous or silly. Instead, she investigates religion’s appeal in order to explain the ways we can thrive without it.
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Honest, gently forthright, and very much needed
- By Rosencrantz Jones on 10-09-23
- We of Little Faith
- Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too)
- By: Kate Cohen
- Narrated by: Kate Cohen
I’m an Atheist Too
Reviewed: 02-20-24
I agree with the author and this book, and will now do what I can to help. Recommended.
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Black Birds in the Sky
- The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
- By: Brandy Colbert
- Narrated by: Brandy Colbert, Kristyl Dawn Tift
- Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a White mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District - a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America's Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives. In a few short hours, they'd razed 35 square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass?
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Incredible story and sooo well written
- By Deby on 02-17-22
- Black Birds in the Sky
- The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
- By: Brandy Colbert
- Narrated by: Brandy Colbert, Kristyl Dawn Tift
Justice Denied
Reviewed: 02-11-24
This white male American waited too long to listen to this book. Now I apologize, and thank the author for writing these people and events and reminding us how they haunt us still. Recommended.
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What Money Can't Buy
- The Moral Limits of Markets
- By: Michael J. Sandel
- Narrated by: Michael J. Sandel
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Should we pay children to read books or to get good grades? Should we allow corporations to pay for the right to pollute the atmosphere? Is it ethical to pay people to test risky new drugs or to donate their organs? What about hiring mercenaries to fight our wars? Auctioning admission to elite universities? Selling citizenship to immigrants willing to pay?
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Challenging
- By Kendra on 02-25-13
- What Money Can't Buy
- The Moral Limits of Markets
- By: Michael J. Sandel
- Narrated by: Michael J. Sandel
The Vocabulary I Needed
Reviewed: 11-11-23
Michael Sandel articulates the moral discomfort I have had for decades, but didn’t have the language to express intelligibly. I thank him and recommend this book.
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Misbelief
- What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis—from social media to larger political challenges, from casual conversations in supermarkets, to even our closest relationships. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex—far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve—and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth. In Misbelief, preeminent social scientist Dan Ariely argues that to understand the irrational appeal of misinformation, we must first understand the behavior of “misbelief”.
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Horrible narrator
- By Tamara Aviv on 10-02-23
- Misbelief
- What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
Helps Me Think Clearer
Reviewed: 10-14-23
In addition to helping me see when and how I’ve gone off the deep end, this book also shows how and why I’ve been wrong in cutting off other misbelievers I’ve known. Recommended.
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The Woman Who Split the Atom
- The Life of Lise Meitner
- By: Marissa Moss
- Narrated by: Sandy Rustin
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field, like having her name listed on her own research papers. Meitner made groundbreaking strides in the study of radiation, but when Hitler came to power in Germany, she suddenly had to face not only sexism, but also life-threatening anti-Semitism as well. Nevertheless, she persevered and one day made a discovery that rocked the world: the splitting of the atom.
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Bravo.
- By Michael on 09-23-23
- The Woman Who Split the Atom
- The Life of Lise Meitner
- By: Marissa Moss
- Narrated by: Sandy Rustin
Bravo.
Reviewed: 09-23-23
A person and a life that should be at least as well known as that of Marie Curie. Skillfully told, with excellent reading. Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Science Wars: What Scientists Know and How They Know It
- By: Steven L. Goldman, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Steven L. Goldman
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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Choose one: (A) Science gives us objective knowledge of an independently existing reality.... or (B) Scientific knowledge is always provisional and tells us nothing that is universal, necessary, or certain about the world.Made your choice? Welcome to the science wars. This long-running battle over the status of scientific knowledge began in ancient Greece, raged furiously among scientists, social scientists, and humanists during the 1990s, and has reemerged in today's conflict between science and religion over issues like evolution.
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Emancipation from what you think you don't know
- By Larry on 08-08-13
Thoughtful and Thorough
Reviewed: 04-29-23
The speaker makes a thorough, thoughtful case for what science is and is not, how these ideas evolve, and why it matters. Recommended. Thanks
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