June 13, 2014

Famous Economists Freely Spout Their Economic Ideas

Want to learn more about what makes the economy tick? With this list of 11 audio & video titles, we’ve provided an overview covering the best economists and economic ideas. Below you’ll find lectures from free market thinkers such as Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and Alan Greenspan. This list also covers important economic books, from Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations to Marx’s Communist Manifesto, and forward into the turbulent modern world of Freakonomics. Whether you are a newbie to the free market, or are looking for commentary on current issues with the world’s leading economists, this list has it all:

1. Human Action: A Treatise on Economics

Download what is considered to be Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises’ magnum opus entitled Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. In this book Mises argues for laissez-faire capitalism and concludes that the free-market economy serves as the foundation of civilization. Over the course of 39 chapters Mises provides a comprehensive outlook of his economic philosophy which has been influential up to the present day. This unabridged audio book is professionally narrated by Jeff Riggenbach. It is available on MP3 download from the Mises Institute site and can be played and downloaded directly on our site as a podcast.

2. The Wealth of Nations, Book 1

Listen to Book 1 of Adam Smith’s classic work on economics The Wealth of Nations. Book 1 covers the division of labor, prices, wages, and profit. Written at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, this book has heavily influenced modern economics and economists to the present day. This 9 hour audio book is well narrated by Stephen Escalera over at LibriVox and is available on MP3 download.

3. Milton Friedman at the American Legislative Council

Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman is best known for his advocation of the free market which has heavily influenced American economic policy up to the present day. In this talk delivered at the 33rd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council, Friedman speaks about school vouchers and his efforts push forward vouchers on a state by state basis to improve K-12 education. His talk was delivered at the 33rd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council and Mr. Friedman is featured in the first half of this program. It is available on streaming video.

4. Beyond Freakonomics: New Musings on the Economics of Everyday Life

In this lecture from Princeton’s University Channel, economist and author of Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt lectures on his unique methods of economic research. Through entertaining stories Levitt discusses the economics of prostitution, whether or not people are generally altruistic, and many other interesting topics. This lecture was recorded at Princeton University and is available on streaming video through YouTube.

5. Muhammad Yunus – 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Lecture

Listen to this great speech from the 2006 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is a Bangladeshi banker and economist who established the Grameen Bank which conducted “mircoloans” to people living in poverty who were too poor to receive a regular bank loan. These mircoloans helped many people work themselves out of poverty including women. Yunus discusses this success and also talks about the idea of social capitalism which goes beyond the traditional role of capitalism’s focus on maximizing profit. This lecture is available on streaming video from NobelPrize.org.

6. Behavioral Economist Daniel Kahneman: The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory

The Nobel Prize-winning inventor of behavioral economics and renowned psychologist Daniel Kahneman recently spoke at the TED conference on the complicated subject of happiness. Kahneman attempts to distinguish the happiness we experience versus the happiness we feel from our memories. We usually recall our memories like stories so if they ended poorly we often remember them as unhappy even we generally experienced happiness throughout their duration. With the vacations that we take, we often decide on where to go with the idea of creating great memories, even if we spend a great deal more time experiencing the vacation than reliving the memories later. He applies these distinctions to many other examples in an attempt to clarify the idea of happiness. This talk is available from TED.com on MP3 audio download and streaming video.

7. The Communist Manifesto (from Librivox)
The Communist Manifesto (from Thought Audio)
The Communist Manifesto (from ejunto.org)

We are featuring 3 free versions of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This short work (with a running time of only 1 hour and 15 minutes) has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential political manuscripts. First published on February 21, 1848, the book lays out the class struggle between the “Bourgeois and Proletarians”, and how communists will arise from the working-class and overthrow the capitalist system. The work ends with the rallying cry of communism: “Workers of the world, unite!“. Download this free audio book on MP3 today!

8. Reflections on Theory in the Social Sciences

In this biographical interview, host Harry Kreisler interviews Nobel Prize winning political philosopher Amartya Sen to discuss a career devoted to merging economic thought with sociology. Sen’s work has broadened the definition of economics thanks to an attitude that is always questioning how academic theories are set in place. His studies in famine for instance went beyond a food-centered focus and took into account the overarching economic and political dimensions that lead to widespread hunger. Sen’s intellectual odyssey has led him to always view a problem from an outsider’s perspective, leading to a pluralistic approach to tackling the world’s most pressing problems.

9. The Economic Meltdown: What we have Learned, if Anything? with Paul Krugman

Economist Paul Krugman asks how we got ourselves into another Great Depression in this streaming video lecture provided by MIT World. When the U.S. was rocked with economic crisis in 2008, Krugman explains that many experts were left confused. After all, we had 80 years to learn from the great banking collapse of the 1930s and had added fail-safes into the system to assure that it would never happen again. Unfortunately, the 2008 “great recession” turned out to be what Krugman describes as a “teched-up” version of what came before, and though the country was able to level off from the initial plummet, a future of long-term unemployment is still very possible. Krugman cautions that our slow recovery is not a complete success story, and goes on to formulate his ideas on where the World’s leader should go next.

10. Alan Greenspan: The Map and the Territory

Alan Greenspan discusses his latest book The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting in this talk at the National Press Club. Greenspan chimes in about the state of politics in Washington, the national debt, and the financial crisis of 2008. He then examines where the global economy is headed.

11. Uncommon Knowledge: Thomas Sowell

Host Peter Robinson speaks with economist Thomas Sowell in this episode of Uncommon Knowledge from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Sowell attempts to debunk some of the common myths of economics citing examples from his book Economic Facts and Fallacies. He also addresses areas such as income differences, male-female economic differences, academia, race, and much more. This interview is certain to get you thinking twice about economic issues. It is available on streaming video.

June 6, 2014

Get Free Nutrition Education with 10 Audio & Video Resources

Get nutrition education with 10 free audio & video resources showcasing teachers and lecturers dedicated to helping others live well. Selected from LearnOutLoud’s Free Resource of the Day Emails, you’ll find lectures that examine diet and nutrition from multiple angles, including weightloss plans, helpful tips on what to eat, healing exercises, and healthy living habit guides. Lecturers and topics include Jamie Oliver on how to teach children about food, the bitter truth about sugar, fast food & animal rights, and much more. Click below to get the skinny on food, diet, and optimal nutrition:

1. Sugar: The Bitter Truth

In this popular video from YouTube EDU, Professor Robert H. Lustig attempts to explain the American obesity epidemic as being due to the rise of sugar and fructose consumption over the past 30 years. He examines the history of high-fructose corn syrup and how it has made its way into drinks like soda, fruit juice, and sports drinks, along with many foods. He goes into a detailed biochemistry explanation of how fructose is converted into fat, and why he feels fructose is a poison with many of the same effects of alcohol. Lustig links these findings to the childhood obesity epidemic since children are drinking more and more high-fructose corn syrup beverages. He closes by advocating the elimination of sugar beverages, the increase of fiber in the diet, and more exercise. Caution: After watching this video you might never drink soda again. Enjoy!

2. Inside Out Weight Loss Podcast

Listen to this podcast from Personal Life Media hosted by leading diet and weight-loss coach Renee Stephens. Renee features over 200 podcasts on her feed and she encourages listeners to start with the first podcast which covers her personal story of how she overcame compulsive overeating along with the methods of weight loss she’ll be using in the podcast. Instead of focusing on a diet plan or what you should or shouldn’t be eating or doing, Renee focuses on transforming the mind so that you can in turn transform your body. Using techniques such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnotherapy, and Positive Psychology, Renee teaches listeners how to lose weight from the “inside out”. She does multi-part podcasts on How to Eat, Exercise Motivation, Intent-ful Eating, Fixing a “Broken” Metabolism, and much more. Enjoy this epic podcast on weight loss.

3. Dr. Dean Ornish on Healing

In this talk from the TED conference, holistic healing physician Dr. Dean Ornish prescribes easy and effective ways that you can prevent heart disease and other illnesses through changes in lifestyle and diet. He also points to the numerous ways in which diet and exercise can actually help to treat existing illnesses including cancer. Dr. Ornish addresses carbohydrates and fats and their relation to the obesity epidemic in America, along with ways people can lose weight and still be healthy. This talk is full of great pointers for improving your health.

4. Healthy Living Radio Podcast

Browse over 400 podcasts covering just about every imaginable aspect of health! This podcast from the Cooper Aerobics Center and Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas features over 400 healthy living podcasts going to back to 2005. Many of them feature Dr. Ken Cooper, also known as the “father of aerobics”, who introduced the world to the concept of aerobics with his 1968 book Aerobics. Since that time he’s authored dozens of books and created the Cooper Aerobics Center and Cooper Institute for health and wellness research. This podcast features numerous members of the Cooper Institute including Dr. Cooper, Dr. Tedd Mitchell, Dr. Abram Eisenstein, and Dr. Nina Radford talking about a wide variety of topics including cancer prevention, vitamins, exercise, weight loss, heart disease, depression, and many, many more health topics. They also interview a lot of experts on health. For example on Oct. 8, 2007 they interviewed Dr. John J. Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. And on Feb. 27, 2006 they interviewed Dr. Daniel G. Amen on brain health. Dr. Amen authored the bestselling book Making a Good Brain Great.

5. Authors@Google: Marion Nestle on What to Eat

Nutritionist and author Marion Nestle looks at food from the angle of politics and business in the United States in this talk delivered at Google. She briefly discusses her book Food Politics which looks at how the food industry was deregulated in the 1980s which led to the production of more food and greater portions and eventually to the obesity epidemic we have today. She also discusses her latest book What to Eat where she examines the marketing tactics of the food business from how grocery stores are laid out to how junk food is marketed to kids. She offers signs of hope for healthier eating in America in the movements for organic food, locally grown fresh food, and other grassroots movements related to food. This talk includes slides and is available on streaming video from YouTube.

6. American RadioWorks presents Fast Food and Animal Rights McDonald’s New Farm

In this insightful audio documentary, American Radioworks examines how McDonald’s, the world’s leading food provider has presided over a sea change in how animals are treated in the fast food industry. Here we listen to how the Animal Rights Group PETA forced McDonalds and similar companies to recognize the inhumane practices that were being utilized to provide the average Big Mac. Though farmers admit the changes imposed have been expensive, this is a telling example of how one major international company has used it’s worldwide clout to bring about positive change. This title is free to stream from American RadioWorks.

7. Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize Wish: Teach Every Child About Food

Chef Jamie Oliver gets serious of food education in this impassioned TED Talk that confronts the preventable obesity epidemic. He shows that diet-related disease is the leading cause of death in America and that 10% of our national health care costs goes towards treating these diseases. He then discusses childhood obesity and his campaign to reform school lunches along with his call for all children to be educated about food so that we can prevent the growing obesity crisis. This talk is available on streaming video and video download from TED.com.

8. The Psychology, Biology, and Politics of Food

Today we’re featuring this Yale University course that relates both to the health of humanity and our environment. In this course Yale Professor Kelly Brownell, who is also the Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, takes on the issue of food in the modern world in a comprehensive way. Through 23 lectures, including a number of special guest lectures, a variety of topics on food are covered such as how our diet has changed, the psychology of eating, obesity, the food industry, modern agriculture, food marketing, and much, much more. Professor Kelly Brownell offers a glimpse into food today and ways we can all make a difference in creating a healthier eating environment and a healthier planet. This talk is available on audio download and streaming video.

9. The Skinny on Obesity

Watch this great new series from UCTV Prime called “The Skinny on Obesity”. This 7-episode series (lasting one hour total) features Dr. Robert Lustig and two of his UCSF colleagues who look at the obesity epidemic and what has been driving it in the last 30 years. Dr. Lustig’s previous UCTV video Sugar: The Bitter Truth went viral and has received over 2.5 million views to date. In this new series Lustig’s message is presented in an even clearer and more powerful way with the help of animations and documentary footage. He presents the science of obesity, debunking the idea that “a calorie is a calorie” and showing how the massive increase in fructose and sugar into our daily diets has led to a skyrocketing obesity epidemic which contributes to our most common diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These short videos explain how sugar consumption and obesity have now become a major public health concern in the same way that drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol are through their unavoidability, toxicity, abuse, and negative impact on society. A must-watch from UCTV!

10. Resolving the Health Care Crisis

Dr. T. Colin Campbell is a professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University who led a massive study of nutrition in rural China in the 1980s. He published his findings in the now bestselling book The China Study and he was featured prominently in the popular 2011 documentary Forks Over Knives. In this 20-minute TEDx talk, Dr. T. Colin Campbell summarizes many of his findings from his over 40 years of experience at the forefront of nutrition research. He prescribes changes in nutrition instead of prescription drugs for resolving our current health care crisis. Through a plant-based diet that cuts out excess sugar, fat, and salt, along with cutting out excessive consumption of animal protein and dairy products, Dr. Campbell argues that we can prevent and cure many of the diseases that haunt consumers of the Western affluent diet. This talk is available on streaming video along with a visual slide show that Dr. Campbell presents.

June 6, 2014

Public Speaking Tips on Free Audio & Video

Need to boost your confidence before that next speaking engagement? Have no fear, LearnOutLoud has collected the best public speaking tips on free audio & video. For years, we’ve been showcasing the best tips available to help you become a better speaker, and here you’ll find public speaking fundamentals, a breakdown of useful phrases to get you started, and a dissection of a masterpiece speech by Martin Luther King. Learn strategies that will help you make that next speaking gig go smoothly, clearly, and confidently by clicking any of the links below:

1. The Art of Public Speaking

Before Dale Carnegie penned How to Win Friends and Influence People, he co-author The Art of Public Speaking with Joseph B. Esenwein in 1915. This book has finally been recorded on audio by a group of volunteer narrators at Librivox. The unabridged audio book runs 19 hours and contains 31 chapters for how to improve your public speaking. The last 15 sections of this audio book are real speeches by famous men to function as a study aid. Download this free self help classic available on Librivox.

2. Carmine Gallo: Three Secrets All Inspiring Messages Share

Carmine Gallo is the author of Talk Like TED and The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. In this talk Gallo brings his message that if you want to inspire people with your message, then it has to be understandable, memorable, and emotional. He breaks down each of these three secrets. Gallo also reminds us that you’ve gotta have passion for your vision and what you are inspiring people to do. He uses examples from Steve Jobs, Howard Schultz, and other business leaders about how to passionately communicate your message.

3. The Columbian Orator

Master public speaking with the classic work on oratory: The Columbian Orator edited by Caleb Bingham and published in 1797. This book contains many rules of oratory as well as dozens of great speeches throughout history. Widely used in American schoolrooms in the 19th century, this book was highly influential on many famous American speakers including abolitionist Frederick Douglass and politician Horace Greeley. The works of oratory included in this volume can be downloaded individually and include:

* Oration on Eloquence
* Speech in Congress, 1789 (Washington)
* Speech of a Roman General (P.Emilius)
* Exhortation on Temperance in Pleasure (Blair)
* Judah’s Plea for Benjamin before Joseph (Philo)
* Plea on behalf of Thomas Muir (Muir)
* On the Starry Heavens (Hervey)
* Paper, a poem (Franklin)
* Speech before the Roman Senate (Cato)
* Dialogue between Duellist, Savage, and Mercury
* Speech of an Indian Chief
* On the Creation of the World (Blair)
* Lines Spoken by a Little Boy (Everett)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1766 (Pitt)
* Scene from the Farce of Lethe (Garrick)
* Eulogy of Dr. Franklin (Fauchet)
* Epilogue to Addison’s Cato
* Self-Conceit, an Address by a small boy
* Dialogue between Howard and Lester
* Christ’s Crucifixion (Cumberland)
* The Wonders of Nature (Hervey)
* Dialogue on Physiognomy
* Oration at the Festival of Gratitude (Carnot)
* Address to the President of the United States (Adet)
* President’s Answer (Washington)
* The Oppressive Landlord, a Dialogue
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1770 (Mansfield)
* On the Day of Judgment (Davies)
* Christ triumphant over the apostate Angels (Milton)
* Slaves in Barbary, a Drama in two Acts (Everett)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1770 (Pitt)
* Plea Before a Roman Court (Socrates)
* Dialogue on Cowardice and Knavery
* Speech in the British Parliament (Sheridan)
* Extract from an Oration against Catiline (Cicero)
* Description of the first American Congress (Barlow)
* Speech of a French General (Buonaparte)
* Reflections over the Grave of a Young Man (Hervey)
* Scene from the Drama of ‘Moses in the Bulrushes’
* Speech of a Roman General (G. Cassius)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1784 (Erskine)
* Address to the People of the United States (Washington)
* Dialogue on the Choice of Business for Life
* Speech of a French General (Buonaparte)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1777 (Pitt)
* Dialogue between School-master and School Committee
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1770 (Pitt)
* On the general Judgement Day (Dwight)
* On the Works of Creation and Providence (Hervey)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1778 (Fox)
* The Conjurer, a Dialogue (Everett)
* Speech in the British Parliament, 1775 (Pitt)
* Speech of the Caledonian General (Galgachus)
* Modern Education, a Dialogue
* On the Existence of God, a Sermon (Maxcy)
* The Dignity of Human Nature (Burges)

Download this classic work of on public speaking as an MP3 download through ejunto.com.

4. Fundamentals of Public Speaking

Watch this course covering the Fundamentals of Public Speaking taught by professor Deborah Bridges at the University of Houston. This course contains 7 lectures and over 4 hours of instruction which cover beginning theory and practice of informative and persuasive communication. Professor Bridges sticks close to the textbook in this course covering essential areas of public speaking and teaching how you can improve your skills in this area. The course is available on streaming video through YouTube.

5. Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases

One of the most popular Librivox audio books on our site is Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases by Grenville Kleiser. This book’s subtitle is A Practical Handbook of Pertinent Expressions, Striking Similes, Literary, Commercial, Conversational, and Oratorical Terms, for the Embellishment of Speech and Literature, and The Improvement of the Vocabulary of Those Persons Who Read, Write, and Speak English. The book introduces the importance of the useful phrase and how best to use this book in building your vocabulary. It then dives into 15,000 useful phrases in alphabetical order. This 15-hour unabridged audio book is read by a group of volunteer narrators at Librivox, and is available on MP3 audio download. Expand and empower your use of the English language with this classic vocabulary-building text!

6. Art of Public Speaking: Share a Vision – Martin Luther King’s Dream

The Great Courses is offering this free video lecture from their course The Art of Public Speaking: Lessons from the Greatest Speeches in History. Professor John R. Hale uses Dr. King’s speech as an example of a great inspirational speech. He discusses the beginning of the speech and why it is not nearly as remembered as the final “I Have a Dream” part of the speech. He talks about how Dr. King invoked Abraham Lincoln and used Biblical phrasing in much the way Lincoln did in his day. And he mentions King’s ongoing optimism throughout the speech which helped to inspire the crowd. Professor Hale emphasizes points that you can use from the “I Have a Dream” speech to optimize your own public speaking ability.

7. The Public Speaker’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills Podcast

Listen to over 100 free podcasts on The Public Speaker’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills Podcast. Hosted by Lisa B. Marshall, these 10-minute podcasts nail home topics such as how to introduce yourself and remember names, how to use body language, how to improve conversations, and how to calm your nerves before that big public speech. And she’s an excellent speaker!

June 6, 2014

What is Mindfulness?: 15 Talks on Mindfulness

LearnOutLoud.com answers the question, “What is Mindfulness?” in this collection of 15 talks on Mindfulness and Meditation. Over the years, we’ve given special attention to teachers and thinkers dedicated to making Mindfulness a part of every day life. From these resources, we’ve showcased guided meditations, dharma talks, conscious living lectures and other methods to help you change your mind, so you can change your brain. Speakers, teachers and lecturers featured here include Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Dan Siegel, Sharon Salzberg and more. Learn about healing power of mindfulness and find guides to help you achieve a sustained, authentic happiness by clicking any of the links below:

1. Jon Kabat-Zinn: Coming to Our Senses

For decades now Jon Kabat-Zinn has been teaching mindfulness meditation as a technique to help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain and illness. Along with his teaching, he’s also written the classic Wherever You Go, There You Are and most recently Coming to Our Senses. In this lecture from UCTV, Kabat-Zinn speaks about reintroducing you to yourself, and developing an awareness of this moment in a fast-paced, technologically advanced world. This video lecture is available to stream through YouTube.

2. Mindfulness as a Foundation for Health

Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh recently led a 3-hour workshop on mindfulness at the Googleplex and this entire workshop can be viewed on YouTube. After about an hour of music and introductions, Thich Nhat Hanh gives a talk and answers questions for two hours. He provides many insights of how people can incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives from walking to eating to washing the dishes. Listen to the wisdom of 85-year-old monk Thich Nhat Hanh and his message of mindfulness and peace.

3. The Science of Mindfulness

One thing you might want to think about doing in the new year is starting a daily mindfulness practice. Long recognized for its benefits to well-being in many wisdom traditions, mindfulness is now being looked at by neuroscientists with the research-based conclusion that it can reduce stress and produce many other healthful outcomes. In this 45-minute program from Sounds True, five of their top mindfulness experts weigh in on the benefits of mindfulness in regards to the brain and neuroscience. Included in this program is the teacher who brought mindfulness meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society, Mr. Jon Kabat-Zinn with an excerpt from his Sounds True program Mindfulness for Beginners. Also on the program you’ll hear Dr. Daniel Siegel, Dr. Tara Brach, Dr. Rick Hanson, and Dr. Kelly McGonigal. Learn about the science of mindfulness with this excellent introduction on MP3 audio download from Sounds True.

4. Ceaseless Society: Is 24/7 Good for Us?

In this lecture from MIT, author & meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn shares his perspectives on a society that is busy all the time. He provides insights into how we can regard time from the perspective of mindfulness, and suggests that in our effort to be technologically connected to everyone, we often lose connection to our true self. This lecture is available on streaming video.

5. Jack Kornfield’s Dharma Talks

Listen to dharma talks by Buddhist meditation teacher Jack Kornfield offered through DharmaSeed.org. On the Dharma Seed website you can stream and download any of the 50 talks and we also feature the latest to stream and download on our page. In recent talks Kornfield discusses lovingkindness, the importance of joy in spiritual practice, and the freedom from attachment. He tells many wise stories throughout the talks. They’re all available on streaming audio and MP3 download from DharmaSeed.org.

6. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation

In this hour-long talk delivered at Google, author and brain researcher Dr. Daniel Siegel explains his definition of the what the mind is. He takes us on a quick overview of the functions of the brain, from the spinal cord all the way up to the prefrontal cortex where he argues that the uniqueness of humans stems from. From his research and experience Siegel lays out nine integral functions of this part of the brain including reflective awareness, empathy, morality, and more. He then talks about his discovery of mindfulness and how the practice of mindfulness cultivates all these functions of the middle prefrontal brain. Dr. Siegel expresses his hope that along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, the 4th “R” of reflection would be taught in education to help cultivate mindfulness and healthy brain function. This talk is available from Google and can be watched on YouTube.

7. Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Watch this popular talk with Jon Kabat-Zinn author of Full Catastrophe Living and many other books on the benefits of mindfulness. In this talk at Google Kabat-Zinn discusses what mindfulness meditation is and then he leads the group on a mindfulness meditation practice where he provides guidance into the practice. After the meditation is over he fields questions about the experience and covers things such as the issue of falling asleep and much more. This talk is 1 Hr. 15 Min. and is available on streaming video through YouTube.

8. Health at Google: Sharon Salzberg on Real Happiness

In this talk Sharon Salzberg looks at meditation not as a religious practice but as a skill that can be learned much like any other skill. She tells many stories from her over 20 years of teaching meditation and creating the Insight Meditation Society. And she looks at studies on meditation which often conclude that meditation is a skill of the mind. She talks about lovingkindness meditation which focuses on friendliness, benevolence, amity, friendship, good will, kindness, love, and sympathy. This 50-minute Google Talk is available on streaming video from the YouTube.

9. Goldie Hawn and Dan Siegel at TEDMED 2009

The TEDMED conference brings together leading thinkers in the areas of medical technology and the healthcare industry to participate in a conversation as it relates to personal and public health. Much like the popular TED conference, TEDMED features brief presentations from speakers in diverse fields addressing some aspect of health and medicine. In this talk actress Goldie Hawn introduces her Hawn Foundation, which she founded to teach children the practice of mindful awareness and to educate them about their brains. Dr. Dan Siegel joins her half way through the talk to discuss the scientific reasoning behind bringing these practices into schools. His findings at the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA have demonstrated that mindful awareness practices can be more effective than prescription drugs when it comes to confronting many difficulties kids are facing in school. While these practices of reflection have previously been confined to religious traditions, Dr. Siegel feels that due to the scientific evidence backing their effectiveness they should now be incorporated into education along with reading, writing, and arithmetic.

10. Change your Mind, Change your Brain: The Inner Conditions for Authentic Happiness

French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard talks about his interesting life in which he left his career as a scientist after getting a Ph.D. degree in molecular genetics and he went to practice Tibetan Buddhism in the Himalayas. He talks about the Tibetan Buddhist practices for achieving happiness. Since his 35 years of practicing as a Buddhist monk he has returned to the science of the mind and the brain to study happiness and presents many of the recent scientific findings. This hour-long Google Talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

11. Health at Google: Dr. Daniel Siegel on Taking Time In

Dr. Dan Siegel spoke at Google recently on mindfulness and the importance of “taking time in”. Dr. Siegel is the director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He talks about some of his latest finding in neuroscience and mindfulness. He leads the group on a 30-minute wheel of awareness meditation which guides you into awareness of all parts of your body. This talk is available on streaming video through YouTube.

12. The Meditation Experience

Sounds True is currently offering a free self-guided course entitled The Meditation Experience: Eight Pathways to Open the Heart and Mind. This eight session course features readings and guided audio & video meditations to teach you various methods of meditation. The course is taught by excellent meditation teachers including Shinzen Young, Jack Kornfield, Mark Thornton, Arjuna Ardagh, Rick Jarow, Anodea Judith, Kim Eng, Reggie Ray, and Lama Surya Das. It requires you to register on SoundsTrue.com as you will go through the stages of the course on their site. The audio & video meditations are available to stream and download.

13. Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain

Filmmaker David Lynch shares his passion for Transcendental Meditation (or TM for short) in this lecture released on downloadable audio from WGBH in Boston. In a style uniquely his own, Lynch explains how the creativity displayed in his work over the years has been a direct product of TM; arguing that expanded consciousness necessarily leads to expanded creative insight. It is his impassioned belief that if more people used these meditation techniques, the effect would rub off on everyone else and consequently much of the world’s turmoil would cease. This talk is available on streaming audio & video and MP3 download from the WGBH Forum Network.

14. The Healing Power of Mindfulness

Pioneering mindfulness researcher Jon Kabat-Zinn delivered this recent 2-hour talk at Dartmouth College. In the talk he describes mindfulness and its many applications to mind/body medicine. He leads the audience on a brief guided mindfulness exercise in the middle of the talk. At the end he answers questions and gives some inspiring words on how to kick start mindfulness programs in schools, hospitals, and political offices! Take time out of your busy life to learn about another mode of being with Jon Kabat-Zinn.

15. Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain

In this lecture provided by Google Talks, Dr. Richard J. Davidson details recent scientific research on how neuroscience is beginning to learn a great deal about how the brain works with meditational practice. Davidson says research shows that the brain is designed to change in response to experience and that it is clear that the intentional deployment of specific meditation strategies can transform our cognitive and emotional health. After “coming out of the mindfulness closet” and revealing to his colleagues that he had an interest in Eastern spiritual practice, Davidson has effectively devoted his career to merging cutting-edge neurology with contemplative traditions.

June 6, 2014

Learn About Comparative Religion with These 12 Talks

Learn more about Comparative Religion studies with these 12 talks available for free on audio & video. LearnOutLoud has been showcasing religion discussions and lectures for years as a part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From this archive, we’ve hand-picked the best material, including a program on the history of American religion, a comparison of Christianity and Islam, and an examination of the very beginning of the world’s most enduring religious traditions. Speakers include comparative religion experts such as Huston Smith, Karen Armstrong, Robert Wright, and many more. If you are curious about how the different faiths interact and differ, this is the best place to start:

1. Huston Smith on MeaningOfLife.tv

In this streaming video interview, MeaningOfLife.tv host Robert Wright interviews world religions scholar Huston Smith (author of the bestselling classic The World’s Religions). Wright asks Smith some difficult questions regarding the state of religion in the present world and about Smith’s tolerant and inclusive views towards all religions. Huston Smith replies with clarity and compassion. This interview is available as a streaming video.

2. Robert Wright on The Evolution of God

In this presentation from the Google Talks, author Robert Wright talks about the cultural evolution of God. After taking a survey of how Islam and Christianity developed, Wright found that religion was either belligerent or tolerant based on the historical context. Religious tolerance typically occurs when as Wright puts it, the leaders on both sides realize they can “do business”. This “zero-sum game” concept forms the core of Wright’s view that globalization will put even more pressure on the world religious community to find common ground.

3. Karen Armstrong: What is Religion?

In her talk “What is Religion”, Armstrong fights a thunderstorm to address how the differing definitions of “faith” have led to unnecessary tension between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. She describes how in many cases, misinterpretations have led to the pervasive idea that God’s laws are set in stone and cannot be altered. Quite the contrary, Armstrong points to how many notable Rabbi, Christian luminaries, and Muslim holy men have used God’s word as a living message that must always be interpreted in light of the current human condition. This take on belief as a transformative, constantly evolving dialogue between man and his creator forms the core of Armstrong’s ongoing message of tolerance between faith traditions. For Armstrong, belief is not something you accept blindly, it’s something you use as a tool towards self-transcendence.

4. Revealing World Religions Podcast

Revealing World Religions Podcast is offered by ThinkingStrings.com and features the narrated text of Revealing World Religions by Dr. Cynthia Eller of Montclair State University. This podcasted audio book features these 10 modules covering many of the World’s Religions:

* Exploring Religion
* Hinduism
* Confucianism
* Taoism
* Buddhism
* Shinto
* Judaism
* Christianity
* Islam
* Religious Pluralism

All of these are currently available on the feed and work as introductions to these religious traditions.

5. Keith Ward on MeaningOfLife.tv

In this streaming video released by Meaning of Life, noted Oxford Divinity Professor Keith Ward discusses his argument that the three major western religions share the same God. Ward compares Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and includes other religions within his concept of a monotheistic God whose face may change according to cultural understanding, but whose major attributes are consistent among all. This fascinating conversation goes on to touch on related topics such as self-denial, the problem of evil and how physics is making spirituality more and more compatible with science. A must for anyone interested in a modern take on religion.

6. Karen Armstrong in Conversation with Alan Jones

Watch this discussion between author Karen Armstrong and Rev. Alan Jones, the Dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. They discuss Armstrong’s latest book The Bible: A Biography and Armstrong provides her interpretation of The Good Book. They discuss biblical criticism, biblical literalism, and the Golden Rule. They also confront the New Atheists who have recently attacked the Abrahamic religions. This talk is available on MP3 download and streaming video through FORA.tv.

7. What Is Religion?

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Faith and Reason: The Philosophy of Religion taught by Professor Peter Kreeft. In this lecture Professor Kreeft explores what religion is and what questions it tries to answer. He goes over a brief history of philosophical definitions of religion. He feels that religion relies on faith and experience, while philosophy focuses on reason and logical argument, and yet he finds many ways that the fields of philosophy and religion have intersected throughout history.

8. Spiritual Classics Podcast

We’ve launched a new podcast at LearnOutLoud.com entitled Spiritual Classics. In the coming weeks we plan to feature passages of classics texts from a variety of spiritual traditions. We’ve started the podcast off with an excerpt from William James’ classic work The Varieties of Religious Experience in which he lectures on mystical experience. We promise many more fascinating selections from religious classics so please subscribe.

9. America’s Changing Religious Landscape

In this insightful program presented on NPR’s Speaking of Faith, host Krista Tippet interviews historian Martin Marty about America’s changing religious focus. With a firm command of the subject based on years of research, Marty identifies where and when Protestant values became politicized, and how this gave rise to the modern fundamentalist movement in the 1980s. Marty’s carefully cultivated data reveals a country that is still quite spiritual, and a future that is difficult to predict now that religion has become so central to the national discourse. This program is available on streaming audio and MP3 download on the Speaking of Faith website.

10. Comparing Western Christendom & the Abode of Islam

This is the first lecture from the Modern Scholar course Islam and the West taught by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr. In this lecture professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr discusses the similarities and differences of early western Christendom and the Islamic World known as Dar al-Islam. He talks about the origins of each religious tradition and how Christianity split into western Christendom and the Eastern Orthodox Church centered in Byzantium, while Islam did not split and expanded quite rapidly throughout the Middle East and into Africa and Asia. He also talks the about the importance of the sacred Islamic language of Arabic which spread throughout the Islamic world, whereas Christendom’s languages were much more diverse. And he discusses a number of other comparisons between early Christianity and Islam. Download this lecture on MP3.

11. The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions

Comparative religion author Karen Armstrong discusses her book The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions. In this book she explores the axial age of religion in which Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and other religions were laying their spiritual foundations. She talks about how focusing on compassion for all people became a central tenet of all of these religions. She quotes from many religious teachers of the time including the Buddha, Christ, Confucius, and others. This talk was delivered at Books, Inc. and is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

12. The Varieties of Religious Experience

The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James which is now available for free on audio download from Librivox. This classic work on the nature of religion is by the great American psychologist and philosopher William James. The book comes from a series of lectures that James delivered at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 on “natural religion”. The resulting work is considered one of the most important texts on psychology and spirituality, and is often cited as one of the best works of nonfiction written in the 20th century. Download this volunteer narrated unabridged audio book for free!

June 6, 2014

Eastern Philosophy Books on Free Audio

With this collection of Eastern philosophy books on free audio, the LearnOutLoud team has personally chosen the best spiritual wisdom we can find in one place. For years we’ve been putting a spotlight on various Eastern spiritual traditions in our daily Free Resource of the Day Email, and from these we’ve whittled it down to the best Taoist, Zen, Confucian and Buddhist audiobooks we could find. We’ve also included some great commentaries from modern eastern thinkers that will put everything you listen to in perspective and make it easier to apply these teachings to your daily life. From the Dhammapada to the Art of War, we have everything you’ll need to get started in the enlightening world of Eastern spiritual thought. Click below to begin:

1. The Tree of Wisdom

Nagarjuna was an Indian philosopher and he is often referred to as “the second Buddha” by Tibetan Mahayana traditions of Buddhism. The She-rab Dong-bu (Tree of Wisdom) is a metrical translation in Tibetan of the Sanscrit ethical work entitled Prajnya Danda, written by Nagarjuna who lived in the fourth century of the Buddhist era (about 100 B.C.). It is a commentary of manners or moral maxims having 260 verses composed by Nagarjuna. This brief audio book lasts 1 Hr. 30 Min. and is narrated by Chris Masterson over at LibriVox. We can’t promise you all of the pronunciations are correct, but hey, it’s free! Learn some Eastern philosophy with the teachings of this great Indian philosopher.

2. The Confucian Analects

This free audio book is The Confucian Analects by Confucius. Written by Confucius’ followers, this book is a collection of sayings attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BCE) and is a central text of Confucianism. Listen to the wisdom of Confucius on MP3 download.

3. Sadhana, the Realisation of Life

From the preeminent Bengali poet & philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, comes this free audio rendition of his 1913 book Sadhana, the Realisation of Life. Published the same year he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, this audio book is an accessible introduction to India’s philosophical and spiritual heritage. This book is narrated by some of the better narrators at LibroVox (including 3 chapters by my favorite, Chip Doc). It is available on MP3 download from LibriVox.

4. The Dhammapada

In our latest exploration of the Eastern world and its spiritual practices, LearnOutLoud.com presents The Dhammapada. This ancient Buddhist scripture is traditionally understood as a collection of answers that the Buddha gave to important spiritual and ethical questions. Here you will find the Buddha’s thoughts on Nirvana, appropriate personal conduct, the problem of evil, and how to handle the reality of death. We’re is pleased to present this newest volume in our series of important religious writing throughout history.

5. Bhagavad Gita

The Gita is a part of the Ancient Indian epic known as the Mahabarata, and is comprised of a conversation between the archer Arjuna and the divine teacher Krishna. As Arjuna asks various questions on the nature and meaning of life, we find in Krishna’s answers an instructional framework by which we all might attain spiritual freedom.

6. Siddhartha

ThoughtAudio.com is now featuring Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha for free. It’s a classic tale of Siddhartha’s spiritual journey through life, reflecting the wisdom of Eastern religions. Michael Scott has now finished the narration and it is available unabridged on MP3 download.

7. The Art of War

Download a free unabridged edition of The Art of War published by ThoughtAudio.com. Written by Sun Tzu in the 6th Century B.C., The Art of War now stands as a definitive distillation of ancient military strategy. Narrator Michael Scott brings his voiceover gusto to this reading, which is available on MP3 download from ThoughtAudio.com.

8. Tao Te Ching

Download this edition of the classic Chinese text: Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. We think you’ll enjoy this rendition of the book that provided much of the framework for Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. Like many other philosophical writings, the Tao Te Ching is a timeless Chinese treasure.

9. Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior: Translation of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara by Dr. Alexander Berzin

Dr. Alexander Berzin is a scholar, translator, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, who spent 29 years in India, studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism. His website BerzinArchives.com features over 30,000 pages of material in English and several other languages, and over 800 hours of audio recordings about Tibetan Buddhism for practice and scholarly research. Today we are featuring his translation and audio recording of the classic Tibetan Buddhist text the Bodhisattvacharyavatara or as he has translated it Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior written c. 700 AD in Sanskrit verse by Shantideva. The book has ten chapters dedicated to the development of bodhicitta (the mind of enlightenment). Download this free 3-hour unabridged audio book translated and narrated by Dr. Alexander Berzin. He also offers a free eBook of his translation on his site which we provide a link to so you can follow along with the audio.

10. Stephen Mitchell: The Second Book of the Tao

Stephen Mitchell is a respected scholar and translator of many classic spiritual and literary texts. His books include his bestselling translation of the Tao Te Ching (and we now sell his translation of it on audio download!). In this talk Stephen Mitchell reads from his book The Second Book of the Tao, which is drawn from the work of Lao-tzu’s disciple Chuang-tsu and Confucius’s grandson Tsu-ssu, and offers Western readers precious new lessons in the Tao. After each chapter that Mitchell reads he also reads his insightful commentary. At the end he answers questions about his methods for translation and about his own spiritual path.

June 5, 2014

Free Personal Finance Tips on Audio & Video

Stressed over your personal finances? Seeking out new and novel ways to acquire wealth? In this list of audio and video resources, we showcase free personal finance tips from expert advisers in the field. In the last few years, we’ve made it a priority to find the best financial help available on the web and featured these resources in many of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these emails we’ve chosen excerpts from Oprah’s Money Channel, no-nonsense coaching from Suze Orman, and up to the minute money and life counseling from Dave Ramsey. We also throw in all kinds of Quick and Dirty Tips, Wealth building strategies from the Rich Dad team and other resources designed to help you stretch your dollar, maximize the money you have and ultimately find life-long abundance. Click below to get started:

1. Ramit Sethi on I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit Sethi’s “I will Teach You to Be Rich” blog has garnered a huge following thanks to the author’s quick wit and easy to follow strategies designed to help readers with their financial security. In this lecture, he lays what to automate so you can optimize how you spend, focusing on credit, bank accounts, investment accounts and how to cultivate a habit of conscious spending. Making a distinction between being “rich” and having lots of money, Sethi’s approach says you must reduce your choices, focus on the big financial goals you need to hit and then get on with living your life.

2. Robert Kiyosaki – Getting Rich in 60 Minutes

Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has used what he learned from the differing examples of his two fathers to forge his own path towards wealth and prosperity. In this 60 minute lecture, he lays out the basic ways people stay poor, and teaches how to readjust the way you think about money so that you will know how to better use it. Here you will learn about how to become financially literate, how to make money work for you (as opposed to the other way around), and how to cultivate habits that will foster financial security (as opposed to job security). Learn more about how to play by the rules of the rich in this fascinating seminar.

3. Dave Ramsey Show Podcast

Why stress out over money? With the Dave Ramsey Show Podcast, financial adviser Dave Ramsey offers call-in listeners the chance to discuss their money issues. Topics Ramsey takes on include tips for staying debt-free in college, how to keep your marriage together during a financial crisis, and how to transition after losing a job or suffering a similar cash flow setback. Ramsey helps everyone he talks to with a faith-based, friendly demeanor that tackles not just your money questions, but your emotional health as well.

4. Suze Orman at Google

Bestselling author and financial advisor Suze Orman spoke at Google last year delivering a lot of great financial advice with candor and wit. She starts the talk by telling her rags to riches story from living in a van in Berkeley, California and working as a waitress to learning about finance and becoming a top employee at Merrill Lynch. Orman’s advice focuses on the current state of the economy and what to do and not to do when it comes to credit cards, real estate, retirement plans, and a lot of other big personal finance issues. Watch this one hour talk of Suze Orman at Google.

5. Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life Podcast

Money Girl Laura Adams provides some great finance & investment tips on this excellent addition to the Quick and Dirty Tips series of podcasts. She gets straight to the point in clear language regarding the money topics she is covering. In recent podcasts she gives basic tips on optimizing your credit score, getting the best mortgage, starting out in investing, and a whole lot more in over 60 podcasts on the feed. It’s a great way to get clear overview of the often confusing world of personal finance & investing.

6. Millionaire Upgrade

Download this free audio book of wealth advice by Richard Parkes Cordock. Drawing off some of the ideas of Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich and inspired by the true story of a flight with Sir Richard Branson, Millionaire Upgrade tells the story of man who gets on a plane and sits next to a self-made millionaire who lets him in on the secrets of his business success. The book contains entrepreneurship advice for anyone looking for something more than being a standard employee at a job they aren’t passionate about. It’s narrative structure provides for very enjoyable listening with key lessons emphasized along the way. This audio book is available on MP3 audio download from the Millionaire MBA website.

7. Oprah.com’s Money Channel Podcast

Listen to or watch Oprah.com’s Money Channel Podcast. In this podcast Oprah Winfrey chats with financial expert Suze Orman about a financial action plan. The podcast was recorded last year but the same advice still applies for the most part. During the webcast listeners call in and ask Orman questions and she provides a lot of sound financial advice in this one hour and 30 minute podcast. She provides tough answers regarding credit cards, personal expenses, and more for surviving in these challenging financial times. Learn about personal finance in this podcast from Oprah.com.

8. Extra Tips for The Freeway Guide to Maximizing Your Money

In this downloadable offering from the The Freeway Guides, financial expert Peter Bielagus gives tips to maximize your money. He covers ways to improve your credit score, to pick your financial advisor, to choose the right loan for a home. and how to get the most out of applying for financial aid. This title is available on MP3 download directly through LearnOutLoud.com.

June 5, 2014

20th Century Philosophers on Audio

With this selection, LearnOutLoud has collected some of the best 20th century philosophers together in a concise list of audio resources. Over many years we’ve showcased modern philosophy as a major pillar of our Free Audio & Video Resource of the Day Emails. This list takes stock of the greatest thinkers the 20th century had to offer, including Bertrand Russell, Any Rand, Francis Fukuyama and many more. Modern philosophical concepts, such as Existentialism, Political Philosophy, Linguistic Analysis, Pragmatism and Objectivism are all covered here, along with historical examinations of how philosophical thought evolved in the wake of World War II. Learn how philosophers met the challenge of the modern world by clicking any of the links below:

1. The Value of Philosophy

Listen to the ideas of the great 20th century philosopher Bertrand Russell on “The Value of Philosophy”, which comes from the final chapter of his 1912 book The Problems of Philosophy. In the essay he lays forth his conviction that although philosophy cannot come to any certain answers regarding the questions it asks, these questions are important in that they enlarge our views of the universe beyond the narrow viewpoints of practical men, who are concerned solely with the material world. The piece is well read by Paul Sunderland. You can now download this excerpt directly from LearnOutLoud on MP3!

2. Francis Fukuyama: The End Of History Revisited

Fifteen years after the publication of his 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man, author Francis Fukuyama still believes in his thesis that political & economic history is reaching its end in liberal democracy and free market capitalism. In this talk delivered at the Long Now Foundation, Fukuyama defends his argument, pointing out the expansion of science, technology, and free market capitalism and how it has increased the wealth of much of the developing world over the past 15 years, which has in turn led to liberal democracy in many nations. He does point out some of the criticisms of his thesis such as Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations book, which argues that certain cultures will never conform to Western liberal democracy & free markets. Huntington argues this will lead to an ongoing clash of civilizations. Fukuyama doesn’t believe that his “End of History” thesis is certain, and he still feels there is a lot of work to be done in building institutions in developing states, fighting global warming, organizing global cooperation, and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. He fields a number of questions, including one regarding the second half of his thesis which addresses Nietzsche’s concept of The Last Man, which he feels is now being catered to under the system of the European Union. It is a fascinating lecture that is available on MP3 download and streaming video through FORA.tv.

3. Existentialism in Literature and Film Course

This week we’re featuring a full course from the University of California-Berkeley entitled “Existentialism in Literature and Film”. This past semester UC-Berkeley really revolutionized education by offering over 30 of their lecture courses for free as podcasts (check out all webcast.berkeley courses). The “Existentialism in Literature and Film” course, taught by professor Hubert L. Dreyfus, cuts right to the roots of existentialist thought, looking at the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, and examining Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov in depth. It’s an excellent philosophy course and it’s free!

4. Anthem by Ayn Rand from ThoughtAudio
Anthem by Ayn Rand from LibriVox.org

Ayn Rand’s books are made for audio. In these busy times very few people have the time to sit down and read The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. But get these audio books and pop them on in your car while you’re commuting and you can finish them up in a month or two. It’s a great testament to the opportunity represented by audio learning. If you would like to start off with a more bite-sized portion of Rand’s wisdom check out ThoughtAudio’s production of Anthem, one of Rand’s earlier novels. Anthem sets the stage for what’s to come in Rand’s later works. It’s an entertaining science fiction novella and a great introduction to Ayn Rand’s philosophy. This audio book is available on MP3 download through ThoughAudio.com and narrated by Michael Scott.

5. Entitled Opinions from Stanford University

In this downloadable series from iTunes U, professor Robert Harrison hosts discussions with other academics on variety of philosophical and literary topics. These hour-long conversations probe into the areas of expertise of many of Stanford’s top professors and scholars. Listen to Harrison debate with American philosopher Richard Rorty about what contemporary philosophy can be applied to, or hear the author of The Population Bomb, Paul R. Ehrlich, discuss the fate of Earth in the 21st century, or learn about French philosopher RenÈ Girard’s concept of Mimetic desire in relation to literature. Through other discussions, many literary figures are covered including Albert Camus, Marcel Proust, Martin Heidegger, Henry David Thoreau, Vladimir Nabokov, and Virgil. Download these audio talks available through iTunes U.

6. Is This Still the Age of Socialism?

In this lecture from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, award-winning professor and historian Alan Charles Kors delivers an impassioned denouncement of socialism and ponders why the United States and other liberal democracies do not denounce socialism with the same fervor that is used in attacking Nazism. Professor Kors points out the atrocities of socialist and communist regimes throughout the 20th century and how they cost many more innocent lives than Hitler’s Nazi government. He feels it is appalling that the crimes of Communist regimes are not taught along side the crimes of the Nazis in schools, and that the collapse of Communism is not commemorated with the same reverence as the victory over Nazi Germany. This lecture is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

7. Reith Lectures Archive: 1948-1975 Podcast
Reith Lectures Archive: 1976-2010 Podcast

BBC Radio now is offering the entire archive of their annual Reith lectures for free online on their site and as a podcast. The lectures feature leading intellectual figures discussing significant contemporary issues. The lectures started in 1948 with philosopher Bertrand Russell discussing the topic of “Authority and the Individual” in six lectures and all these lectures are featured on the 1948-1975 podcast. Other great thinkers on the podcast include physicist Robert Oppenheimer (1953), economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1966), historian Daniel J. Boorstin (1975), philosopher John Searle (1984), military historian John Keegan (1998), neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran (2003), economist Jeffrey Sachs (2007), and political philosopher Michael Sandel (2009). For some of the speakers all of their lectures are included on the podcast feed while other just have one lecture on there. Enjoy these lectures from some of the greatest thinkers of the past 60 years.

8. The History Of Western Philosophy

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving! It’s our Free Resource of the Day #1500! On this Black Friday we offer you an alternative to the crowds of shoppers and retail advertisements. Instead stay at home and cozy up by the fireplace with this free version of Bertrand Russell’s classic 1945 book The History Of Western Philosophy. It’s a book we’ve always wanted to see on audio and didn’t think it was ever recorded. But it seems someone has uploaded an out-of-print recording of it to YouTube, and has even done the service of dividing it up by chapters which, for the most part, each cover a particular philosopher. This history of philosophy covers philosophers from the pre-Socratics to the early 20th century including chapters on such philosophical giants as Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Machiavelli, Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, William James, and many more great minds. So you can listen selectively to the philosophers you are interested in, or listen to the entired 22 hour audio book. It is available to stream on a playlist through YouTube.

9. Wireless Philosophy

Check out this new site and YouTube channel from Yale and MIT featuring top philosophy professors explaining key philosophical concepts through animated videos. Learn about “The Problem of Evil” with Professor Greg Ganssle, or be introduced to “The Problem of Free Will” with Professor Richard Holton. Many other topics are discussed in these first 20 videos which they feature on their YouTube channel, and on their website cleverly titled www.wi-phi.com. Enjoy these free talks on philosophy, and hopefully many more to come in the near future.

10. Peikoff.com Q&A on Ayn Rand Podcast

Dr. Leonard Peikoff was a long time friend Ayn Rand and she designated him as her legal and intellectual heir. Carrying on Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy, Peikoff has been podcasting weekly for over three years with his Q&A format. In each episode he answers a number of questions that have been emailed to him and provides the answers that Ayn Rand had for many of the questions. Peikoff doesn’t answer all of the questions emailed to him, but he claims to read them all, and he will answer just about any question whether it be in regards to philosophy, politics, ethics, art, sexuality, etc. With each question answered you get a better idea of what Objectivist philosophy is and it’s the closest you’re likely to get to hearing what Ayn Rand would think of things if she were still alive today.

June 5, 2014

15 Free Audio Books of American Classics

Check out LearnOutLoud’s selection of 15 Free Audio Books of American Classics, including full audiobooks and podcasts of key titles from America’s rich literary tradition. For years we’ve been keeping up with best free audiobooks we can find, which we periodically share as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From this list, we start with early classics from Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville through to important Civil-War era voices such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe. From there, we explore key turn of the century American authors, such as Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and Henry James, and then progress forward into Fitzgerald’s Gilded Age. Need an easy way to explore the books that form the core of the American literary canon? Peruse the list below and start downloading:

1. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Podcast

This edition of Mark Twain’s great American novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the top free audio books on the internet. It is professionally narrated by Marc Devine and offered as an unabridged, 9-1/2 hour mp3 audiobook from Literal Systems. Listen to the classic tale of Huckleberry Finn and the runaway slave Jim as they take a raft down the Mississippi River to escape the confines of civilized life. This audio book is available as a podcast and it can be downloaded or subscribed to. Enjoy this classic work of American literature!

2. The Scarlet Letter

Listen to one of the all-time great works of American literature: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This newly published edition from LoudLit.org is professionally narrated by Mary Woods and available unabridged on MP3 download. Hear the tale of Hester Prynne who is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her bosom after she commits adultery and becomes pregnant in the 17th-century Puritan village of Boston, Massachusetts. Download and listen to this American classic today!

3. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Here’s a great short story you can listen to. It is written by Washington Irving, one of the first acclaimed American authors. It tells the tale of a Dutch settlement called Sleepy Hollow which is haunted by the legend of a Headless Horseman. This story is read by Chip at LibriVox and his narration is magnificent. It’s available on MP3 Download.

4. The Age of Innocence

Listen to Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Age of Innocence. Brenda Dayne has narrated a very fine unabridged recording of the book and put it out in its entirety as a podcast. Immerse yourself into the upper class of New York City, in an age when “being things” was better than “doing things”!

5. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

Published in 1845, this autobiographical memoir written by the ex-slave Frederick Douglass tells of the treatment he endured as a slave and was a key work in promoting the abolition of slavery in America. This classic audio book is published by FreeAudio.org, and they’ve allowed us to offer it as a free MP3 download through LearnOutLoud.com.

6. Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Listen to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic American novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. One of the bestselling novels of its time, the book vividly depicts African American slavery and it had a profound influence on the abolitionist movement. This unabridged 18-hour audio book is dynamically narrated by John Greenman and available on MP3 download through LibriVox.org.

7. The Red Badge of Courage

Audiobooks.org is now offering a free unabridged recording of Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage. Listen as the soldier Henry Fleming enters the American Civil War, and is forced to transform from fear to courage. Told in an unflinchingly realistic and journalistic style, this novel ranks among the best American war stories. It is professionally narrated by Scott Brick and available on MP3 download from Audiobooks.org.

8. Ethan Frome

Listen to American author Edith Wharton’s classic novel Ethan Frome. Set in the wintry New England town named Starkfield at the turn of the 20th century, this novel tells the story of Ethan Frome as he seeks to escape his sickly wife Zeena for his young, beautiful cousin Mattie. Running a modest 3 Hrs. and 15 Min., it’s a great quick listen for newcomers and fans of the literature of Edith Wharton. This title is well narrated by Elizabeth Klett and is available to download on MP3 from LibriVox.org.

9. The Souls of Black Folk

Listen to an unabridged recording of W.E.B. Du Bois’ classic work of African-American literature The Souls of Black Folk. Published in 1903, Du Bois begins his collection of essays on race with the statement that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” The essays that followed were instrumental to the intellectual argument for the black freedom struggle in the twentieth century. This audio book is read in a straightforward manner by Torias Uncle at Librivox and is available on MP3 download.

10. The Turn of the Screw

Listen to Henry James’ classic Victorian ghost story of a governess and the children she cares for as the deal with the mysterious spirits of their estate. The ambiguous nature of the novel has kept literary critics guessing its meanings for over a century. This spellbinding tale is narrated by Nikolle Doolin over at LibriVox.org and is available on MP3 download.

11. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Ejunto.org presents this free unabridged edition of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Written by Benjamin Franklin over the course of 20 years, this autobiography follows major events of Franklin’s life including his publication of Poor Richard’s Almanac, his quest for “moral perfection”, and many other significant events reflecting life in 18th century America. The book is well narrated by Andrew Julow. Download this 6 hour audio book on MP3 from ejunto.org.

12. Moby Dick

Summer is almost here and it’s time to pursue some ambitious reading (and listening) goals. You may want to read one of the great American novels Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The Moby Dick Big Read project has now completed all 135 chapters of the novel with high quality recordings from great actors and everyday people. Some of the celebrities reading the chapters include Tilda Swinton, Stephen Fry, Simon Callow, Tony Kushner, John Waters, Sir David Attenborough, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Ready to listen to a free unabridged recording of Moby Dick? Listen to Herman Melville’s epic whaling tale, available on MP3 download.

13. The Call of the Wild (from ThoughtAudio.com)
The Call of the Wild (from Lit2Go)
The Call of the Wild (from Librivox)

Listen to one of the all-time classic American books by writer Jack London: The Call of the Wild. This is the tale of the dog Buck who is sent to Alaska to become a sled dog where he quickly learns how to survive the cold winter nights. From there Buck goes on many adventures until he finally heeds the call of the wild. Listen to this 3 hour and 30 minute audio book to get you through these cold winter nights. We have three free versions to choose from.

14. This Side of Paradise

Listen to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s debut novel published in 1920. The book follows young Midwesterner Amory Blaine who heads out for Princeton, serves in World War I, and then returns to New York where he falls in love. H.L. Mencken wrote that This Side of Paradise was the “best American novel that I have seen of late.” It was a popular novel that earned Fitzgerald renown and is in many ways autobiographical. The unabridged 10-hour novel is read by Mark F. Smith at Librivox and available for free on MP3 audio download.

15. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (from Librivox)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (from Lit2Go)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (also called simply The Wizard of Oz) was the basis for the well-known 1939 film version, but differs from the film in many ways as well. It is the first of the Oz books of which L. Frank Baum wrote 13 total. Follow the adventures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion as they journey to the Emerald City to seek the help of the Wizard of Oz, and then must confront the Wicked Witch of the West.

June 5, 2014

Remembering September 11th, 2001 and Its Aftermath in These Free Audio & Video Resources

In this carefully selected list of audio & video resources, we remember September 11th, 2001 and its aftermath. Starting with a historical trace of what happened on that tragic day, we present an audio version of the 9/11 Commission report and archived audio that tracks how the event unfolded. This list also showcases a large collection from various lecturers, political leaders, and social scientists as they attempt to unpack why 9/11 happened, and how the world has changed in its wake. Speakers include Lawrence Wright, Thomas Friedman, and more as they assess Osama Bin Laden’s legacy, discuss Islamic Terrorism and scrutinize US National Security policy in the 21st century. Learn more about 9/11 and how America and the rest of the world responded by clicking any of the links below:

1. The 9/11 Commission Report

To mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have come to define the modern era, today we’re featuring The 9/11 Commission Report put together by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. This report was issued in 2004 and details the findings of the Commission after interviewing over 1,200 people in 10 countries and reviewing over two and a half million pages of documents. The report looks at the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks and it outlines a strategy for the War on Terror. This unabridged audio book was read by volunteers at Librivox and is available to download through their site.

2. Was America Responsible for the Attacks of September 11th?

A bit of a provocative title perhaps but this debate offered from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute really doesn’t cover the September 11th attacks. Instead it is more of an overall debate about whether American power and wealth in the world is generally good or bad. Dinesh D’Souza, author of What’s So Great About America, argues that the American way of life is superior than other cultures and that we all too often ignore the freedoms and priviledges that make us the envy of the world. Rabbi Michael Lerner argues that the American empire is excessively selfish and greedy, and that our financial and military power has been used to oppress cultures throughout the world. It makes for a very heated and interesting debate. It is available on streaming audio and video as well as on MP3 download.

3. 9/11 Major Speeches and Interviews

To mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have come to define the modern era, we present the 9/11 Major Speeches and Interviews available on streaming audio from The American History Center. These speeches & interviews represent September 11th directly as it happened: through various news dispatches, Pentagon briefings, and statements made by the President and other governmental officials. Here you will listen to how the shock of what happened gave way to the slow realization of who perpetrated the attacks, and finally how the American people rallied to face a new kind of threat. Relive recent history and remember an event that has come to shape our daily lives to the present day.

4. The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism

Political scientist Robert Pape identifies the main causes that lead to terrorism, in this informative streaming video discussion hosted by Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler. Here Pape traces the history of this particular tactic of suicide terrorism; an epidemic of what was once guerilla-led violence that has now taken on a more complex dimension in the post 9/11 world. After pointing out its origins, and sketching out the character of the people that perpetrate these attacks, Pape then offers his opinion on how the U.S. and other world leaders should address the issue on a strategic and diplomatic level. Watch this fascinating lecture offered for free and available on YouTube.

5. The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Currently terrorist groups show no qualm in the active pursuit of nuclear weapons. In this lecture presented by the University Channel, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NIT) spokeswoman Laura Holgate provides a historical record of how the world’s nuclear powers have maintained their stockpiles and then illustrates how any lapse in current security could have dire consequences. Holgate finally discusses what the NIT has done to create a database of who wants weapons, who could provide them, and what can be done to assure they do not succeed.

6. U.S. National Security in the 21st Century

For this presentation provided by University Channel, spokesmen from the Princeton Project on National Security give listeners the results of a two-year investigation into the current state of American national security. In an effort to come up with a coherent foreign policy strategy, the speakers give their recommendations based on a new world order that contains multiple threats as opposed to the single opposing force presented during the cold war. What comes out as a result of this assessment is an illuminating debate on how to restructure the UN, and how America’s ideals are changing in the new era. This talk is available on streaming video from the University Channel.

7. Lawrence Wright on The Looming Tower

Author Lawrence Wright digs into the cultural roots of what makes a terrorist in this streaming video lecture provided by Google. Here Wright explains how marginalized young men have been molded into an army bent on reclaiming their religious heritage in the face of Western encroachment. It is precisely this sense of alienation that the author argues needs to be addressed before any meaningful change can be made in the War on Terror. This talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

8. Thomas Friedman: Exploring the World After September 11

Bestselling author Thomas Friedman discusses what September 11th means for the world in this streaming video lecture provided by FORA.tv. First outlining who the 9/11 hijackers were, Friedman argues that many of these educated young men were disillusioned by the incongruity between Mideast poverty and the West’s rampant affluence. Friedman feels that as a religion, Islam is now at a turning point where it can either follow Osama Bin Laden’s lead and stay aggressively static, or evolve to meet the reality of a world where belief systems must reside together in a global community. Though recorded just a year after 9/11, Friedman accurately predicts the pitfalls the U.S. would later face when conducting their war on terror, and the massive influence the internet has had in democratizing the Middle East.

9. Conversations With History: Michael Scheuer

Former Chief of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit Michael Scheuer talks with Conversations With History host Harry Kreisler about the state of U.S. Foreign Policy and the terrorist threat. Scheuer is the author of numerous books on Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the War on Terror. He discusses America’s history of dealing with Osama Bin Laden starting in the 1990s and the efforts and failures of both the Clinton and Bush administrations at killing Bin Laden. He provides a good insider view of how the CIA and the president deal with terrorist threats. He goes on to criticize current U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and in particular the handling of the Iraq War. It’s an expert opinion from someone who has been on the front lines of fighting terrorist threats for decades.

10. Conversations With History: Steve Coll

In this Conversations With History interview host Harry Kreisler talks with Pulitzer prize winning author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden Steve Coll. After 20 minutes of discussing his journalistic methods, Coll tells the story of the rise of Radical Islam in Afghanistan and how America’s abandonment of the region after the Cold War led to a precarious situation with Pakistan supporting the rise of Radical Islam in order to gain leverage against India. Out of this rise of Radical Islam came the harboring of figures such as Osama Bin Laden. Scheuer suggests some of the key points at which the events leading up to the attacks could’ve been handled differently which would’ve most likely prevented 9/11.