The Day the Universe Changed is a ten-part documentary television series presented by science historian James Burke. The series tells a series of stories of how specific scientific and technological advances have shaped the Western way of life. The series posits that when one's view of the universe changes, the universe itself effectively changes.
Episode Overview
The first episode of the series details how the rational thought and incessant questioning that typified Ancient Greek philosophers shaped the Western way of thinking, living and interacting with the world around us. Inherent in the Western way of life is constant change brought about by compounding knowledge and new discoveries, processes that stem from the Ancient Greek practice of endlessly questioning the world around them.
It Started with the Greeks Part One
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- @-0:40: James Burke introduces the series The Day The Universe Changed
- @-3:37: Inside Cheyenne Mountain, Burke finds the North American Air Defense center
- @-4:57: Norad could be wiped out within ten minutes if targeted by a nuclear submarine
- @-5:17 In the nuclear age, defense spending means protecting your way of life
- @-5:27 The Soviet Union test launches 5,000 missiles each year (1985)
- @-6:16 Pilots are specifically trained to protect against any nuclear attack within seconds
- @-7:00: The West justifies its defense spending to protect Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Movement and Freedom of Self Expression
- @-7:33: James Burke urges you to follow him in this series to look back in history and see how our views have changed as what we knew changed
- @-8:08: James Burke Introduces some examples that will be explored in the series
It Started with the Greeks Part Two
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- @-1:10: The Western culture continued to change because it's the kind of people we are. We are curious to find out how things work
- @-2:11: We won't stop getting answers unless we stop asking questions
- @-2:42: Why did we start asking questions?
- @-3:00 We have knowledge thanks to Philosophical thinking which began in Ancient Greece
- @-4:39: Even if you don't speak the language, you know the code
- @-5:12: Quick view of the Parthenon
- @-6:00: The way we are in the Western culture can be traced back 2700 years to when the Ionians colonized the eastern Mediterranean
- @-7:39: Thales of Miletus used knowledge to study nature rather then magic
- @-8:10: Thales of Miletus delivered the geometrical knowledge of Ancient Egypt to Greece after a trip down the Nile River
- @-8:39: Thales of Miletus made several discoveries in the study of geometry
It Started with the Greeks Part Three
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- @-0:26: The Ancient Greeks where not afraid to debate any question
- @-2:26: Steam power solved many of the 18th Century problems cause by increasing population
- @-3:28: Telescopes Map the sky
- @-3:42: The Andromeda Galaxy neighbors the Milky Way Galaxy
- @-4:15: During the 15th Century, affluent merchants went to Greece to get some Classical Era education
- @-5:23: The Jodrell Bank Observatory is situated at the University of Manchester
- @-6:08: James Burke notes that education has been institutionalized
- @-7:00: The Ritual Institution of marriage is another way to maintain societal order
- @-9:50: Government, banking, taxes and Sewage have all been institutionalized
It Started with the Greeks Part Four
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- @-1:45: James Burke explains how if the institutions fail to keep order, it would be the end of civilization
- @-2:45: Buddhist Monks who worship Buddha do not seek knowledge because all their questions have been answered and these answers are set in theological concrete
- @-4:55: science labs have institutionalized the pursuit of change
- @-7:27: James Burke predicts that a microchip the size of his fingernail will allow people to work from home
- @-8:34: James Burke boards the famous San Francisco Trolley
It Started with the Greeks Part Five
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- @-0:35: In our life right now we work to buy the latest model, there is more change and less time to adapt
- @-1:44: The only constant in life is change
- @-2:28: James Burke reveals that today we are defending a way of life that is constantly changing, we are defending a question mark
- @-3:00: Mankind not only will question how the world works, but develop new ways to make it work.
Jump to Episode
- It Started with the Greeks
- Medieval Conflict: Faith and Reason
- Scientific Imagination in the Renaissance
- Printing Transforms Knowledge
- Science Revises the Heavens
- The Factory and Marketplace Revolution
- Social Impacts of New Medical Knowledge
- Darwin's Revolution
- The New Physics: Newton Revised
- Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality
What is your favourite James Burke clip?(1 Answer)
A:
I like The Day the Universe Changed more than the Connections, because I am interested more in the Science field than history. In my point of view, the ...
