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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.
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Episode Summary
The final episode of the series provides a brief overview of the people and events that were featured in the previous nine episodes. James Burke explains that in every period of history, people have believed that their explanations and theories were correct and complete. Burke goes on to make predictions about how the computer will revolutionize the world once again.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
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Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality Part One
*@-0:54: Albert Einstein, Johannes Gutenberg, Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton used flashes of insight to make great discoveries
*@-2:36: A thousand years ago life was run by the magical powers; now we live in a world of science and are exploring the universe
*@-2:50: As late as the 15th century, the earth was still believed to be flat and uncharted, but the study of perspective geography freed mankind to explore
*@-3:42: The 15th century invention of the printing press expanded knowledge more then anything had before it
*@-5:00: The laws of nature were defeated in the 18th century thanks to the invention of the steam engine; 250 years later we have the ability to travel by space shuttle
*@-5:10: All of the technology we have gained has earned us a step closer to figuring out the universe
*@-6:50: At any point in history people's knowledge, incomplete to us, was true in their realities
*@-7:22: James Burke uses an witch trial as an example of something that appeared perfectly normal in the 17th century, but now would seem insane
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Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality Part Two
*@-1:35: Burning a witch in the 17th century was considered a good deed, but would be considered inhumane by today's standards
*@-2:57: James Burke uses optical illusions to show the complexities of the brain
*@-4:34: Without theories, nature is chaos
*@-5:00: Structure evaluates, explains and organizes every experienc, intellectual or physical. It provides beliefs, judgments, morals, ethics and values
*@-6:34: Ancient Greece philosopher Aristotle theorized that mental structure operates on many levels
*@-9:11: Galileo vs. The Vatican is an example of how science sees its biggest challenges when its conclusions seem to contradict the accepted point of view
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Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality Part Three
*@-1:50: Robert Boyle discovered the vacuum in 1660 and unlike Galileo's discovery, the Vatican approved of this one because holes in reality help their claim of angels, Heaven and God's authority
*@-4:13: In 18th century, pre-revolutionary France, the peasants claims of meteors were ignored by scientists. By 1803, meteors were an accepted scientific phenomenon
*@-7:00: The study of geology shows how the continents formed
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Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality Part Four
*@-0:39: The ocean floors moved the continents around and created earthquake zones
*@-0:49: A detailed continental drift chart will show pockets of oil
*@-2:17: Science is a product of what society at the time deems is important
*@-3:06: Other perceptions of the world remain. At the same time the Greeks got started with Western Culture, Buddhism was being preaching that the world does not change
*@-3:56: Buddhism gives the Nepalese rules for every aspect of their lives; everything has a place and nothing changes
*@-5:28: Buddhism is like science because it teaches through symbols. All aspects of a Buddhist's life are explained through Gods instead of theories
*@-9:00: Meditation is key aspect of Buddhism; to become a Buddhist priest, you must meditate 16 hours a day for three years, three months and three days to achieve total denial of self
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Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality Part Five
*@-0:44: James Burke explains that the Buddhist way of the world is not ignorant; it's completely on par with how the West uses science as a way to understand the universe
*@-1:33: Throughout history, people have been expected to conform. Those who disagreed with religion were considered heretics and those who disagreed with the political system were deemed revolutionary
*@-2:14: Burke predicts that a new instrument and system will change history. With this new system the standards of values, standards, ethics and truth all depend on the individual
*@-2:49: A microchip is capable of electronically keeping records of millions of different opinions from everybody in the world
*@-3:14: The computer can remove the representational democracy that was put in place to give people opinions; with computers, everyone can have uncensored access to all knowledge
*@-3:25: The computer could replace the educational system that currently only lets a small percentage be taught
*@-3:36: James Burke (1985): In the future there could be electronic communities where people from the Himalayas to Manhattan could communicate instantly
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The Day the Universe Changed Episode 10 Questions
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