Try free for 2 months

A 2 month free trial (limited time offer).
1 credit/month—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.
The Joy of Science cover art

The Joy of Science

By: Robert M. Hazen,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Robert M. Hazen
Free with 2 month trial

AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $66.99

Buy Now for $66.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Science is humanity's greatest achievement. It ranges from the study of the universe itself to the smallest particles of matter contained within it - and everything in between. It explores everything from the big bang to theories about the end of the universe.

If you want to better understand our physical world, as most of us do, gaining a basic understanding of science itself is profoundly important - yet many are intimidated by the breathtaking scope of such an endeavor.

Now an award-winning science teacher has taken out the intimidation, harnessing that breathtaking scope into a series of 60 exciting, comprehensive, and accessible lectures that let you explore and understand the wealth of ideas, discoveries, and principles in all of the physical and biological sciences. You learn that understanding science comes from understanding not only its component disciplines - each of which has its own theories, pioneers, problems, and fundamental questions - but of knowing how these disciplines work with one another to create an entire mosaic of human knowledge.

The lectures have been crafted to make those relationships crystal-clear, with an integrated approach that takes you through all of the major disciplines that fall under the umbrella of "science," including physics, chemistry, Earth science, geophysics, and biology.

Each lecture covers one of the 60 fundamental principles of the scientific world - offering you new knowledge and insight into topics such as the scientific method, gravitation, atoms, the big bang, plate tectonics, volcanoes, proteins, ecosystems, and electricity.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Joy of Science

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    49
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    53
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Somewhat dated.

This series of lectures is designed to give a comprehensive history of many interlocking facets of science, and where they are going to from here. The history works great but the going to fails. These lectures were delivered over 20 years ago and science has changed a lot since then. Astronomy, particle physics, everything; has veered off course or been massively developed since the mid 90's. Think a thousand exo-planets, the Higgs bosun, climate change; Titan landers, etc. The history is good but the modern stuff is incorrect speculation and it grates to have to listen to get to the next lecture.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

Easy to follow, the ultimate page-turner. This is choked full of all the things you wished you'd paid attention to in high school science. Get your geek on, impress your friends. Great mental party tricks for the layman.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great coverage of a huge topic just a little dated

Where does The Joy of Science rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Joy of Science is a great way to cover a lot of territory without getting too bogged down in any one area. The fact that the course is nearly 20 years old however does show up in several areas, astronomy in particularly the search for other habitable planets, genetics and particle physics (the LHC was nearly a decade from being built when this course was recorded). This does detract from an otherwise excellent course.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great and well delivered lecture series.

A well put together overview of most of the sciences and some of the associated philosophic discussions. If I could make one improvement if would be to update if with the last 20 or years of scientific discoveries. The poor chat does know about the super collider or the Higgs particle yet or of the James Webb telescope.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book

Amazing listen as it goes through every aspect of science. Sort of a general science book rather than a specific field. Thoroughly enjoyed it for the whole 30 hours.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A geat span

This is a brilliant series with real breadth, depth and accessibility. I loved the parts of science that I love (astronomy, particle physics, but also enjoyed and got fresh insights into aspects of science I don't pay much attention to (cell biology).
The supplementary materials really helped. The lectures have been performed before a live audience, so some of it is directed at visual illustrations such as the mechanics of rolling balls across a table. But for the most part, you can work out what he is doing without having to see it.
Most of the science is still relevant and important knowledge, but as other reviewers have pointed out, the course is outdated in many areas. It just goes to show that twenty years is a long time in science, such is the rate of progress. I'd love to hear this lecturer's reaction to the discovery of the Higgs boson, the population of exoplanets, the ubiquity of human genome sequencing and the immediacy of climate change.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great course.

great course great presenter. gives a great overview of science for all ages gives you a great set of tools to talk to others about science

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MR
  • 01-12-2017

Drags, but really informative

[Voice Class=Neo]I know science.[/Voice Class]

Best run down of quintessential scientific concepts that I've ever heard. Entertaining enough to hold your focus, but detailed enough to generate some actual learning.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Rich and expansive

An absolutely amazing breadth covering all manner of topics. Because it is a lecture series, the performance isn't as polished as an audio book, but solid, clear and engaging. Only weakness is that it is really starting to show its age, there have been many advancea in science since this series was recorded. Bear in mind too that it is done by Americans for Americans, so it uses a lot of imperial units (Fahrenheit, pounds, miles, etc) when, strictly speaking, it should be using metric or SI units for a global audience or even a true scientific audience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Nic
  • 12-05-2017

Foundation Principles of the Physical World

a building block of knowledge. great narrative. easy to listen to. It taught me that even humans conserve energy, they are usually called lazy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.