The ascent of man
Traces the development of science and the discoveries that have made man unique among animal species.
Stats for nerds
19recommend
31mentions
25people
2007–2026years
74% recommend23% neutral3% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Worthwhile program deeply considering how one thing leads to another in history without any intention. Burke is one of several thinkers who wrote and produced educational series for the BBC: two notable others are Kenneth Clark's Civilization, which considers European art and architecture as being more than the sum of artifacts, and Jacob Bronowski's Ascent of Man that traces major epiphanies in the evolution of intellect. While some points are dated, these series are an excellent initiation to curiosity about the long tail of human achievement. After these three, move to Adam Curtis' collection of mini-series on recent history. All all British in a fine sense of educational TV.
- For the value of ‘best’ that includes (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein (These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) The Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh Diaries, Samuel Pepys Falling Off the Map, Pico Iyer A Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor The Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester The Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope Bevis, Richard Jeffries The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith The Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse
Hitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens Collected Essays, William Hazlitt Venice, Martin Gayford
The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski The Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch
Too obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.
- Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :
For the value of ‘best’ that includes
(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and
(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,
here are some in no particular order:
The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke
Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein
(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)
The Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle
Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler
The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse
A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh
Diaries, Samuel Pepys
Falling Off the Map, Pico Iyer
A Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor
The Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester
The Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope
Bevis, Richard Jeffries
The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith
The Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse
Hitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens
Collected Essays, William Hazlitt
Venice, Martin Gayford
The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski
The Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch
Too obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.
- The greatest documentary to me is not a film but a series - The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski.
It charts the cultural and technological milestones that brought humanity to where it is today. Well, the 1970s rather than today, since it is quite old. However don't let that put you off! It is a BBC documentary of the highest calibre. David Attenborough commissioned its production.
Bronowski is an incredible, if unusual, presenter - he has an interesting history (he personally knew Einstein, Von Neumann, and others), is knowledgeable in many fields, and doesn't waste a word. His off the cuff monologue at Auschwitz where some of his family died at the hands of the nazis is both heart-wrenching and profound. But thays just one of many incredible moments.
I have watched this countless times, and am always struck by the scope, scale, and beauty of the production.
- The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski. Civilisation - Kenneth Clark Cosmos - Carl Sagan Cosmos - Not Carl Sagan
All pretty good.
- You have to like his writing style but bill Bryson’s short history of everything. James burke’s day the universe changed is thought provoking and bronowski’s ascent of man is also good.
Timothy Ferris (not that one) and John gribbin have also trod this area.
Related
The Ascent of Humanity
2 recommend · 4
The ascent of money
42 recommend · 69
Man's Search for Meaning
250 recommend · 394
The ascent of mind
1 recommend · 2
Gödel, Escher, Bach
505 recommend · 1,439
The Power of Myth
15 recommend · 20
The Sheep Look Up
recommend · 45
