Reviews for Creative Astrology Experiential Understanding of the Horoscope

The average rating for Creative Astrology Experiential Understanding of the Horoscope based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-01-13 00:00:00 Wyatt Olsen Larson did a great job covering the history of evolution starting before Charles Darwin all the way to the present day. This was a series of 12 lectures of 30 minutes each, all very easy to understand & well laid out. There is almost no scientific jargon. If I have any complaints, it's because he went a bit too far in that direction. For instance, while he discusses the effects of genetics in small populations, he never calls it 'genetic drift'. I normally like to make notes on each section, but these were short & I listened to them one after another, so I'll just make some quick notes that really stood out. Some may not be in the correct place. Sorry in advance. 1-Before Darwin: Darwin didn't make his theories in a vacuum. There was an intellectual revolution that predated him & set the stage for his ideas. These were accepted so readily because society was ready. Religious authority had broken down somewhat, many sciences & the Industrial Revolution were taking hold, & literal creationism as described in the Christian Bible makes no sense. Larson discusses several of the other ideas that were popular & helped shaped Darwin's views such as the works of Malthus. 2-Evolution in the Air: As more canals & quarries were dug & the layers were noticed by scientists, fossils became important. There was a lot of controversy due to missing links & not understanding just how old the Earth is. Talks about dinosaurs & some of the other early discoveries. 3-Darwin's Inspiration: his education & a little about his voyage on the Beagle. He really came up with his basic evolutionary ideas (He returned in 1836.) but wouldn't publish them until decades later when he wrote The Origin of Species in 1859 when another sent him a paper that echoed his thoughts. He wanted to make sure he answered all the questions since the idea had already been floated & was ridiculed since no one could answer how it happened. No understanding of genetics. 4-An Intellectual Revolution: The consequences of Darwin's theory among scientists & society. He couldn't really make a good scientific case, but did come up with basically 5 arguments for it. It bothered a lot of people, both scientific & religious, though. 5-Debates over Mechanism: Gregor Mendel did send Darwin his work on Genetics, but Darwin ignored it! Without understanding genetics, the way they thought change happened would have gotten swamped. Main opponents pointed to the complexity of organisms are a reason against Darwinian evolution. Couvier, Agassiz, & Owen pointed to jumps in fossil record as data against. These guys died & were never replaced. Their students went on to support, if still argue about, evolution & they found evidence for it. The human missing link was proposed. 6-Missing Links: More on fossils through to the turn of the 20th century. He didn't mention anything about how difficult it is to make a fossil, but does say how we've been finding more & more. 7-Genetics Enters the Picture: Mendel's work is finally recognized & makes sense of how evolution works. The idea of recessive genes & genetic drift take hold. Looking back & further work with Darwin's finches seals the deal. 8-Social Darwinism & Eugenics: Evolution became all the rage & was carried too far. Culture & means were confused with intelligence. Racism suddenly had a scientific basis & grew into the 2 World Wars plus eugenic programs in the US. 9-America's Anti-Evolution Crusade: discusses the issues during the 1920s in the US, specifically the side show called the Scopes Trial. 10-The NeoDarwinian Synthesis: Darwin got the ball rolling, but he didn't have it all right & he also backed off in successive editions of The Origin of Species. With radioactive dating, better understanding of the actual age of the Earth & life on it, plus the understanding of genetics, his basic theory has been tweaked to its current state. 11-Scientific Creationism: gets more into the issues facing the US scientific community on evolution & the religious fundamentalists that think their version of the Christian Bible has the answer in Genesis. It's hard to believe, but a lot still believe in it. 12-Selfish Genes & Intelligent Design: more on the above, but brings in current players such as the atheist Dawkins (The Selfish Gene) & Charter schools. He talks about text books & the new power of the evangelical movement. This is an excellent primary on the subject that's very accessible. I highly recommend it & may well listen to bits of it over again soon. He's not the greatest speaker, but he's done a great job on the content.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-11-10 00:00:00 David England Professor Larson takes us on a short walk through the halls of history and into the Theory of Evolution. The idea that species evolve and change over time goes back to Socratic times. Throughout the ages as mankind grew more curious and technology improved so did our understanding of evolution. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace are most synonymous with this idea but they weren't the ones who 'invented' this theory. Evolution was already a hot topic way before Darwin dropped his classic On the Origin of Species. We also learn about the long debate between the religious and the scientific communities and how that effected the curriculum in schools across the U.S. The course ends with our current understanding of evolution. Larson did an okay job at narrating. It was a bit rough in the beginning but he improved as the course went on. Also, Alfred Russel Wallace is mentioned but I feel he gets glossed over whenever the topic comes up. He was in an important figure; He basically pushed Darwin to go public with his theory! Give the guy some love dammit! In general the course was enjoyable. It reinforced my knowledge of Darwin's life and the events that lead to the sharpening of his theory. I also gained a sharper understanding of genes, random mutations and how the ever-changing environment effects change. Really cool stuff. If you're looking to jump into this topic this is a nice place to start.