Growing up, we were told that it is better to read a book than spend time in front of a TV screen. We were told that too many hours a day watching television is not actually good for us (for many reasons beyond the scope of this article). One reason however, that is within the scope of this article, is that books are generally considered to be more educational and watching television just isn’t. To a degree, these notions are true but not infallible. Believe it or not, there are educational shows available to those who enjoy watching television. So why not optimize? Get the best of both worlds by watching educational shows. And what better platform to do it on than the widely available and easily accessible Netflix? So here is a list of some of the top educational shows on Netflix:
Our Planet
Now more than ever, climate change is having a serious impact on the way we live our lives and will soon be one of the biggest deciding factors as to how we, as humanity will live in the future. So what better way to start being more environmentally conscious than to learn about the environment. Our Planet is an 8 part series narrated by the notable David Attenborough. It focuses
on the natural beauty and wonder of our world and how climate change is affecting all living and
non-living entities that inhabit the place we call home.
Explained
Although the episode titles may seem like the most random assortment of ideas. The episodes do discuss an assortment of very important and what might be considered mildly controversial topics providing answers for some of the big questions of today. Each episode is narrated by someone entirely new and these include many famous faces and names that you might just recognize. The first season has 20 episodes and each episode is around 16 to 18 minutes long. For those of you who take a liking to the first season, season 2 is currently in the making.
Brain Games
Now, this is one to really get you thinking. Science has come a long way and as a result, we now know a lot about the structure and functioning of the human brain. This show provides a window into the mind by focusing on misinterpretations of perception.
Bill Nye Saves the World
Now many of you have probably heard of and some may have even watched some episodes of ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’, where the host of the show talks about the ins and outs of every day and not-so-everyday science. The purpose of the show was to get viewers interested in the field of science and maybe even get them to understand how it all works. The spinoff of the original show, Bill Nye Saves the World, takes it one step further by explaining the relationship science has with other worldviews.
An honorable mention: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which explores the untold mysteries of the cosmos and our purpose within. Unfortunately, it was removed from Netflix. However, it may potentially be available elsewhere- consider this a heads up. So we will leave you with this: “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence” – Abigail Adams.
