![You Are Probability Audiobook By Andrea Diem-Lane cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61FFjSSrG7L._SL500_.jpg)
You Are Probability
Surfing the Matrix
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
![Prime logo](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/Audible/Homestead/Prime_Logo_RGB.png)
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
William L. Sturdevant
-
By:
-
Andrea Diem-Lane
About this listen
As I glance around the room, I notice that after lecturing for an hour and a 45 minutes straight on quantum theory, desultory decussation, and Wolfram's new kind of science, I see a Krispy Crème glaze descend over a few of my students' eyes. The fantastic implications of chance and necessity (to echo the title of biologist Jacques Monod's famous 1970s book) appears either to have gone over their heads or, more likely, seems of little practical consequence in their day to day lives.
I then try to draw out more clearly how understanding probability can radically alter how one views life. Imagine in this moment that you have a California Lottery "scratcher" ticket and as you systematically scratch off your numbers and their adjoining prizes, you realize in the middle of class that you have won a mega jackpot of five million dollars. What would you do? I suspect that most of my students would stand up and leave the room there and then. One thing is for sure, however: It would wake them up and give them a huge and intoxicating adrenaline rush.
The winning student might later ruminate about his or her good fortune and reflect upon how lucky they were (given the astronomical odds against them - one in 2,400,000) in securing that particular ticket.
I give this illustration to my students because a winning lottery number exponentially pales in comparison to the odds against them being alive and breathing (even if they nod off a bit here and there) at this very juncture in history. But in order to appreciate the anomaly of one's existence it is necessary to get a deeper understanding of the theory of large numbers.
©2011, 2014 David Christopher Lane (P)2016 David Christopher LaneListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Feynman Imperative
- Why Science Works
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Steve Toner
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book consists of six distinct essays describing how science works, with special attention to how Richard Feynman viewed the scientific method. Chapter one explores the difference between evolution and mysticism's version of intelligent design. Chapter two is entitled The Feynman Imperative and explores a contentious debate over reductionism and its role in the hard sciences, particularly in explaining consciousness.
-
-
Decent, not what I was hoping for...
- By julio mendez on 06-08-16
-
Cosmic Creationism: Ken Wilber's Theory of Evolution
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Jim D Johnston
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I first critiqued Ken Wilber on his misunderstanding of evolution back in 1996, right after his book A Brief History of Everything was published. It has now been 18 years and if anything, Wilber has become even more firmly entrenched in his new brand of creationism, which ironically mimics much of what Christian fundamentalists object to about Darwinianism.
-
-
Good Points. Smug narration.
- By Carlos G. Toledo Parada on 05-08-17
-
Doubting Mind
- Great Skeptical Thinkers
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Nathan Murray
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book, edited by Professor David Christopher Lane from Mt. San Antonio College, contains 13 distinct essays each written by a different author on famous skeptics such as Brian Cox, Sam Harris, Phillip J. Klass, and more.
-
Surfing in the Cerebral Hemisphere
- Rogue Waves of Information
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Karey James Kimmel
- Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book touches upon a number of cutting edge issues in science, including artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind, Darwin's moral sense and its implications, and how to think critically in an age of paranormal beliefs.
-
Contagious Cults
- Meme Theory and the Evolution of Five New Religions
- By: Andrea Diem
- Narrated by: Paul Metcalfe
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This small book offers a critical presentation of meme theory as developed by Richard Dawkins and Susan Blackmore, which helps in understanding why some new religious movements have become more popular over time. Ideas, or memes, survive by making copies of themselves in host environments–usually human brains. But with fewer hosts than ideas, competition exists for these scarce enclaves. Moreover, the strongest ideas are not necessarily the best but rather those that can survive and make copies of themselves.
By: Andrea Diem
-
Psychic Deception
- Exposing Mind Reading, Table Tipping, and More
- By: William Robinson
- Narrated by: Marc Sherman
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book includes an introduction by Professor David Christopher Lane on how a Catholic Priest and a nun demonstrated table tipping at a Catholic high school and how it was eventually understood to be a hoax, even if not a consciously orchestrated one. The substance of the book are key excerpts from the writings of William Robinson on how mediums and spiritualists hoodwink naive participants into believing that something paranormal is happening. Robinson goes into great detail to explain the mechanics of how such psychic deceptions are achieved.
By: William Robinson
-
The Feynman Imperative
- Why Science Works
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Steve Toner
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book consists of six distinct essays describing how science works, with special attention to how Richard Feynman viewed the scientific method. Chapter one explores the difference between evolution and mysticism's version of intelligent design. Chapter two is entitled The Feynman Imperative and explores a contentious debate over reductionism and its role in the hard sciences, particularly in explaining consciousness.
-
-
Decent, not what I was hoping for...
- By julio mendez on 06-08-16
-
Cosmic Creationism: Ken Wilber's Theory of Evolution
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Jim D Johnston
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I first critiqued Ken Wilber on his misunderstanding of evolution back in 1996, right after his book A Brief History of Everything was published. It has now been 18 years and if anything, Wilber has become even more firmly entrenched in his new brand of creationism, which ironically mimics much of what Christian fundamentalists object to about Darwinianism.
-
-
Good Points. Smug narration.
- By Carlos G. Toledo Parada on 05-08-17
-
Doubting Mind
- Great Skeptical Thinkers
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Nathan Murray
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book, edited by Professor David Christopher Lane from Mt. San Antonio College, contains 13 distinct essays each written by a different author on famous skeptics such as Brian Cox, Sam Harris, Phillip J. Klass, and more.
-
Surfing in the Cerebral Hemisphere
- Rogue Waves of Information
- By: David Christopher Lane
- Narrated by: Karey James Kimmel
- Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book touches upon a number of cutting edge issues in science, including artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind, Darwin's moral sense and its implications, and how to think critically in an age of paranormal beliefs.
-
Contagious Cults
- Meme Theory and the Evolution of Five New Religions
- By: Andrea Diem
- Narrated by: Paul Metcalfe
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This small book offers a critical presentation of meme theory as developed by Richard Dawkins and Susan Blackmore, which helps in understanding why some new religious movements have become more popular over time. Ideas, or memes, survive by making copies of themselves in host environments–usually human brains. But with fewer hosts than ideas, competition exists for these scarce enclaves. Moreover, the strongest ideas are not necessarily the best but rather those that can survive and make copies of themselves.
By: Andrea Diem
-
Psychic Deception
- Exposing Mind Reading, Table Tipping, and More
- By: William Robinson
- Narrated by: Marc Sherman
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book includes an introduction by Professor David Christopher Lane on how a Catholic Priest and a nun demonstrated table tipping at a Catholic high school and how it was eventually understood to be a hoax, even if not a consciously orchestrated one. The substance of the book are key excerpts from the writings of William Robinson on how mediums and spiritualists hoodwink naive participants into believing that something paranormal is happening. Robinson goes into great detail to explain the mechanics of how such psychic deceptions are achieved.
By: William Robinson
Related to this topic
-
How the Earth Works
- By: Michael E. Wysession, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael E. Wysession
- Length: 24 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.
-
-
Excellent course
- By Doug B. on 05-23-19
By: Michael E. Wysession, and others
-
Brain Energy
- A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More
- By: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. Brain Energy will transform the field of mental health, and the lives of countless people around the world.
-
-
Arguing brain health theory to medical profession
- By Maya H Saric on 03-10-23
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
My Big TOE: Awakening
- Book One of a Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics
- By: Thomas Campbell
- Narrated by: Thomas Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
-
-
What a Trip (but to where?)
- By Michael on 11-26-13
By: Thomas Campbell
-
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
-
-
They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Better than print!
- By J. D. May on 07-31-12
By: Richard Dawkins
-
How the Earth Works
- By: Michael E. Wysession, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael E. Wysession
- Length: 24 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.
-
-
Excellent course
- By Doug B. on 05-23-19
By: Michael E. Wysession, and others
-
Brain Energy
- A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More
- By: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Palmer MD
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. Brain Energy will transform the field of mental health, and the lives of countless people around the world.
-
-
Arguing brain health theory to medical profession
- By Maya H Saric on 03-10-23
-
Chemistry and Our Universe
- How It All Works
- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
-
-
Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
- By Jen on 05-14-19
By: Ron B. Davis, and others
-
My Big TOE: Awakening
- Book One of a Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics
- By: Thomas Campbell
- Narrated by: Thomas Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
-
-
What a Trip (but to where?)
- By Michael on 11-26-13
By: Thomas Campbell
-
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
-
-
They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Better than print!
- By J. D. May on 07-31-12
By: Richard Dawkins
-
Welcome to the Universe
- An Astrophysical Tour
- By: Michael A. Strauss, J. Richard Gott, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
-
-
All About What We Know About the Universe - ALL
- By J.B. on 02-17-17
By: Michael A. Strauss, and others
-
Letters from an Astrophysicist
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Vikas Adam, Piper Goodeve, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 100 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto.
-
-
Dear Neil...
- By Tina G. on 10-14-19
-
Inspired
- How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, Second Edition
- By: Marty Cagan
- Narrated by: Marty Cagan
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do today's most successful tech companies - Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla - design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently from the vast majority of tech companies. In Inspired, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides listeners with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love.
-
-
Great book, terrible audio wanted to ask a refund
- By Srikanth Ramanujam on 11-15-18
By: Marty Cagan
-
Cosmic Queries
- StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- By: James Trefil, Lindsey N. Walker - editor, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this illuminating audiobook, Tyson and coauthor James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia - How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone? - and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.
-
-
Not worth it
- By Daniel Earl on 03-15-21
By: James Trefil, and others
-
Your Brain Is a Time Machine
- The Neuroscience and Physics of Time
- By: Dean Buonomano
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Your Brain Is a Time Machine, brain researcher and best-selling author Dean Buonomano draws on evolutionary biology, physics, and philosophy to present his influential theory of how we tell and perceive time. The human brain, he argues, is a complex system that not only tells time but creates it; it constructs our sense of chronological flow and enables "mental time travel" - simulations of future and past events.
-
-
Great book on an underrated subject
- By Neuron on 05-09-17
By: Dean Buonomano
-
The Last Season
- By: Eric Blehm
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California's unforgiving Sierra Nevada - mountains as perilous as they are beautiful. Eric Blehm's masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man.
-
-
Well Written Character Study of an NPS Ranger
- By Kathy in CA on 06-23-16
By: Eric Blehm
What listeners say about You Are Probability
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SarahK
- 03-01-16
Great Book!
An interesting little book. I've experienced my own thoughts and questions on some of the topics that are addressed in this book, but I could never put it into words.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. D. Sims
- 12-14-19
a short introduction to a impossibly vast subject
a billion answers are applied to a billion questions. how many points of intersection occur.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-11-17
Okay book.
The book is all over the place and mostly talks about humans seeking patterns. I was hoping for more examples of probability. There wasn't much of a build up to the infinitesimal probability which is really of no practical use. Great its very unlikely that I was born. In reality I'm of no importance on the scale of the universe.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful