LECTURE WATCH: YALE ONLINE COURSES VOL II

So i've stumbled upon an old post in this blog in which the other guy put several of his favorite lectures from Yale online courses. I thought it was a good idea. And i wanted to do it too. The problem was - i've never really watched Yale Online Courses. Sure, the Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot lecture are amongst my favorite of all time, but beyond that - i've never really tipped into a loophole that is Yale Online Courses. Up until the point when I saw that post.

So here's my lectures of choice for you consideration.

***

This Is Your Brain

This one is pretty dense. It is from an Introduction to Psychology and it explain how your brain works and what process makes you do what. I like it for what it is - it takes clinical approach and puts everything together in a very satisfying manner.

***

How to live given the certainty of death

This one for the brooding ones among us. The main idea behind this lecture is to give a philosophical perspective on a subject of dealing with the fact that you are going to die anyway. At times it goes like a stand-up comic routine peppered with some scientific expressionism. But at best - it is somber conversation on a difficult matter.

***

Good life: Happiness

That is also from Introduction to Psychology. It deals with an obscure subject of happiness and the ways of understanding it from a scientific point of view without any flair of romantic tinting.

***

Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Jack Kerouac's On the Road is my favorite novel. It tells a story of a long and winding journey of an author himself with and without his pal Neal Cassidy. For the most part it chronicles their mishaps and misdemeanors in a fascinating, vivid manner - a word jazz of some sorts. This two-part lecture is a perfect starting point. You can listen to it without reading the novel and it will help you to understand the context and time in which the novel was produced much better. 

***

Evolution, Emotion, and Reason: Love

This one is weird. It is about love and the way it works. No further comments are needed.

***

  That's it for now. I'm really hooked on Yale Online Courses. So you can expect me doing some more stuff.