The Ascent of Man

I see the Discovery Science channel is showing Jacob Bronowski’s 1973 miniseries The Ascent of Man.</i> It’s a classic work of science, history, and philosophy, eloquently and beautifully created, and certainly Bronowski’s masterpiece, despite several small flaws. I’m a great admirer of Bronowski (about whom I wrote for Liberty magazine in December, 2002). One astounding thing about this 13-hour miniseries is that it was almost entirely performed extemporaneously: the director pointed the camera at Bronowski, and he just talked. It’s a magnificent achievement, and I encourage our readers to tune in!