NaN/100 votes#1 - Waking Up in the Universe
Season 26 Episode 1 - Aired 12/27/1991
Dawkins discusses the amazing capabilities of the human body and contrasts these with the limited capabilities of computers and other man-made machines. He uses a small totem pole (which is used in ancestor worship) to illustrate the importance of studying our ancestors to understand how we've evolved.
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- NaN/100 votes
#2 - Designed and Designoid Objects
Season 26 Episode 2 - Aired 12/28/1991
Dawkins' second lecture of the series examines the problem of design. He presents the audience with a number of simple objects, such as rocks and crystals, and notes that these objects have been formed by simple laws of physics and are therefore not designed. He then examines some designed objects - including a microscope, an electronic calculator, a pocket watch, and a clay pot - and notes that none of these objects could have possibly come about by sheer luck.
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- NaN/100 votes
#3 - Climbing Mount Improbable
Season 26 Episode 3 - Aired 12/29/1991
Dawkins starts the lecture coming in with a stick insect on his hand. He describes with how much details such a being imitates its environment, its almost like a key that fits a lock. He then shows another insect, namely a Leaf Insect, which basically looks exactly like a dead leaf.
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- NaN/100 votes
#4 - The Ultraviolet Garden
Season 26 Episode 4 - Aired 12/30/1991
Dawkins begins by relating the story of asking a little girl "what she thought flowers were 'for'." Her response is anthropocentric, that flowers are there for our benefit. Dawkins points out that many people throughout history have thought that the natural world existed for our benefit, with examples from Genesis and other literature.
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- NaN/100 votes
#5 - The Genesis of Purpose
Season 26 Episode 5 - Aired 12/31/1991
Dawkins opens by talking how organisms “grow up” to understand the universe around them, which requires certain apparatus, such as a brain. But before brains can become large enough to model the universe they must develop from intermediate forms.
Director: N/A
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The Best Episodes of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26
Every episode of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Season 26!
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each...
Genre:Documentary
Season 26 Ratings Summary
"Waking Up in the Universe" is the best rated episode of "Royal Institution Christmas Lectures" season 26. It scored N/A/10 based on 0 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 12/27/1991. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "Designed and Designoid Objects".