"There are everyday concepts, and then there are the big ideas-- ideas with the power to transform the way you think about your everyday world. Consider that tiny, one-dimensional strings could be the foundation of our entire physical universe. That the world's largest untranslated written language was made with strings and knots. That our brains prefer random rejection to always getting what we want. These are but a few of the riveting, eye-opening, and profound ideas you'll encounter in this illustrious collection of Great Courses lectures. Join us for an intriguing tour of 36 big ideas that give you an unrivaled opportunity to appreciate-- like never before-- science, history, language, economics, and much more"--Container.