James Burke looks at science and technology and how the way in which we perceive something changes how we perceive our world, and who as things change, how we preceive the world changes as well. This is true for us as individuals, and as a society in this program originally aired on television in 1985-1986. Put together under this title by the Center for Distance Learning, SUNY. Discussions are with James Burke and others who analyse the program and the ideas this program puts forward.

Vol. 1 : disc 1 : It started with the Greeks -- Medieval conflict -- disc 2 : Scientific imagination in the Renaissance -- Printing transform knowledge -- disc 3 : Science revises the heavens -- The factory and marketplace revolution -- disc 4 : Social impacts of medical knowledge -- Darwin's revolution. Vol. 2 : disc 5 : The new physics : Newton revisited -- Changing knowledge, changing reality -- disc 6 : Discussion : The way we are -- In the light of the above -- Point of view -- Matter of fact -- disc 7 : Discussion : Infinitely reasonable -- Credit where it's due -- What the doctor ordered -- Fit to rule -- disc 8 : Discussion : Making waves -- Words without end.