Comments on: The Great Courses. https://habitablezone.com/2023/07/22/the-great-courses-2/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:11:46 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2023/07/22/the-great-courses-2/#comment-52123 RL Thu, 03 Aug 2023 01:42:01 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=100325#comment-52123 I bought the audiobook (and then the hardcopy book) "On The Origin of Time" by Thomas Hertog- I HIGHLY recommend it! Also good- "Our Mathematical Universe" by Max Tegmark, and "Reality is not what it seems" by Carlo Rovelli I bought the audiobook (and then the hardcopy book) “On The Origin of Time” by Thomas Hertog- I HIGHLY recommend it!

Also good- “Our Mathematical Universe” by Max Tegmark, and “Reality is not what it seems” by Carlo Rovelli

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2023/07/22/the-great-courses-2/#comment-52120 podrock Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:08:47 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=100325#comment-52120 We still have a stack from back when they were cassette tapes. We still have a stack from back when they were cassette tapes.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2023/07/22/the-great-courses-2/#comment-52113 ER Sun, 30 Jul 2023 20:24:54 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=100325#comment-52113 Apparently the King Arthur story is mostly legend and rumor, but there does seem to be some archaeological/historical basis to it. Modern scholars have spent a great deal of time and effort trying to track it all down and make sense of it, with only limited success. But what really makes the story interesting is how durable it has remained, being told and retold, morphing as required to exploit local political and cultural realities. The legend has refused to go away, after origins in Wales or Cornwall in the 5th century and then retold in England, Brittany, Aquitaine, France and other places over a thousand years of time. Trying to unravel the puzzle is a lesson in the culture and history of the Dark Ages in the West, involving Romans, Britons, Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Normans. The most remarkable aspect of the story is not whether or not it is true, or how much it has changed, but how long lasting and how malleable it has proven to be. I suspect there are many parallels with the Jesus story, not in the tale itself, but how it has been mangled by history. There may be elements of truth to it, but what has made it to the present day has been transformed many times over to serve other purpose and other audiences. It seems like current scholarly opinion is divided, but the central theme is of a Christian 5th century Briton who organized his fellow tribal chieftains into resisting Germanic/Scandinavian invasions after the departure of the Roman legions. He must have been quite a dude, everybody claims him and honors him, but we're not even sure where he lived or what his name was. The historical/archaeological record is spotty and inconclusive, with many inconsistencies and contradictions and the written histories do not agree. But it is all we have. Apparently the King Arthur story is mostly legend and rumor, but there does seem to be some archaeological/historical basis to it. Modern scholars have spent a great deal of time and effort trying to track it all down and make sense of it, with only limited success. But what really makes the story interesting is how durable it has remained, being told and retold, morphing as required to exploit local political and cultural realities.

The legend has refused to go away, after origins in Wales or Cornwall in the 5th century and then retold in England, Brittany, Aquitaine, France and other places over a thousand years of time. Trying to unravel the puzzle is a lesson in the culture and history of the Dark Ages in the West, involving Romans, Britons, Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Normans. The most remarkable aspect of the story is not whether or not it is true, or how much it has changed, but how long lasting and how malleable it has proven to be.

I suspect there are many parallels with the Jesus story, not in the tale itself, but how it has been mangled by history. There may be elements of truth to it, but what has made it to the present day has been transformed many times over to serve other purpose and other audiences.

It seems like current scholarly opinion is divided, but the central theme is of a Christian 5th century Briton who organized his fellow tribal chieftains into resisting Germanic/Scandinavian invasions after the departure of the Roman legions. He must have been quite a dude, everybody claims him and honors him, but we’re not even sure where he lived or what his name was.

The historical/archaeological record is spotty and inconclusive, with many inconsistencies and contradictions and the written histories do not agree. But it is all we have.

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