#dr jacob bronowski

[denbo66]

Happy 60th Birthday to BBC 2 or BBC TWO. Whichever.

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Dr Jacob Bronowski

Like Petroc Trelawny, who took time out to praise the programme on Radio 3 today, I watched Michael Parkinson’s interview with Dr Jacob Bronowski recently in a state of transfixed emotion and delight.

Unlike most people, it seems, I was never sold on Michael Parkinson’s prowess as an interviewer. He was particularly and egregiously awful when his guests were women. But his undisguised admiration for Dr Bronowski allowed this interview to become very special television.

This interview was first aired in 1974 (you can find it at present on iPlayer). I honestly believe that it would not be allowed to happen today. It was not so much the content, though there were moments when I found myself almost excruciatingly aware of how easily some of Dr Bronowski’s very carefully chosen words would be misinterpreted in today’s nuance-lite world.

No, it was the pace that struck me. The interview lasted for over an hour. That in itself was remarkable: the screen held for more than 60 minutes by two talking heads with minimal camera movement. But a fair slice of that hour went like this: Parkinson asks a question; Jacob Bronowski, eyes twinkling, looks away; he places one finger against his lips, as if to tell them to remain silent until he is ready; the camera rests on him unflinching as he, very clearly, considers his answer; then, when, he is ready, he turns back to Parkinson and, with such care that you might think he was picking his way barefoot over broken glass, he begins, and then develops, an answer that may take five minutes to deliver. You amaze yourself by your willingness to listen as this impeccably crafted and superbly reasoned response is made. You have been schooled out of paying this much attention over the years. But no, it is more than willingness. You are hooked, compelled to listen, you cannot stop listening. You just want your brain to be good enough to handle this erudite and lucid seminar.

And through it all runs Dr Bronowski’s great and transparent humanity, his love for life and his utter dismay at bigotry, xenophobia and closed minds.

It is like listening to the most exquisitely wrought piece of chamber music. 

We live in an age of sound bites and evasions. Politicians and celebrities have no time, literally and practically, for substance or cogency, for argument and persuasion. And yet here, all that time ago, Dr Bronowski was giving a masterclass in answering and it was like being bathed in the balm of reason. Here was a man who believed that every question deserved consideration and a thoughtful attempt at an answer.

Parkinson mentioned towards the end, and immediately I vividly recalled, Dr Bronowski’s piece to camera towards the end of Episode 11 of the magnificent Ascent of Man series (another great endeavour that today would probably not make it to air unless they could get Lucy Worsley to prance around, gurning, in a multitude of silly outfits). Dr Bronowski doesn’t prance or gurn. He simply stands, grey-suited, up to his ankles in a fetid puddle which almost certainly contains traces of his murdered family (the location is Auschwitz), and dares to make a plea to politicians, and all of us, to have the courage to consider what is right and wrong, to consider their – our - fallibility, when they approach the deployment of the fruits of science.

“Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error and is personal. …  I beseech you [here quoting Oliver Cromwell], in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.… We have to close the distance between the push button order and the human act. We have to touch people.”

That scene, filmed, apparently, in one take and effectively unscripted, always moves me to tears. Yes, I want to say, that’s it.

I came away from watching the interview feeling my spirits raised but also with a tremendous feeling of loss. The loss of a wise and profound and, above all, determinedly, avowedly human, teacher. I beg you to watch it.

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Michael Parkinson interviews Jacob Bronowski. Jacob Bronowski is kind of amazing. He made this series, back in the day, entitled the ascent of man, which one of my first university professors showed me and it kind of changed my life

[worklabournewsresearch]

The Ascent of Woman: A 10,000-Year Story

“The Ascent of Woman: A 10,000-Year Story: Dr. Amanda Foreman's unprecedented series traverses countries and continents to uncover key stories of women who have made and changed human history from 10,000 BC to the present day. This fascinating series visits archeological sites, uncovers extraordinary women who created their own routes to power, explores the role of women in Asia under Confucianism and Buddhism and finally looks at the role of women in revolutions that have transformed the modern world: from political uprisings to reproductive rights.” (a re-release on TVO)

Episode # 1 - Civilization: Air Date: October 5, 2019 : Civilization has given humanity extraordinary advances, but what does it look like from the point of view of women? (58:41) Watch Until: Nov 4, 2019  

Episode #2 - Separation:  Air Date: October 12, 2019: Travelling to Vietnam, China and Japan, historian Amanda Foreman explores the role of women in Asia in Confucian and Buddhist societies (59:02) Watch Until: Nov 11, 2019

The Guardian Review:

“The Ascent of Woman (BBC2), in which Foreman throws down the gauntlet to “those who think that women haven’t played an active role in history, or that ours is a mindless narrative of oppression”. She has the clear delivery and scholarly mind of one of those people who could lose themselves for days in the British Museum without once looking for the mummified cats.”       

“Immediately, she upends the story: as a sex, ours has not been the straightforward trajectory from oppression to relative freedom. The ancient Anatolian settlement of Catalhöyük was utterly egalitarian, drawing apparently no distinction between genders. The world’s first author, Enheduanna, was a woman, writing in the city-state of Ur.”

The Guardian, September 2015: “The Ascent of Woman review – a history of women that upends the story but skips on logic,” by Zoe Williams

... and what came before The Ascent of Woman?

“The Ascent of Man is a 13-part British documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first broadcast in 1973; it was written and presented by British mathematician and historian of science Jacob Bronowski. Intended as a series of "personal view" documentaries in the manner of Kenneth Clark's 1969 series Civilisation, the series received acclaim for Bronowski's highly informed but eloquently simple analysis, his long, elegant monologues and its extensive location shoots.” (Wikipedia)      

[elza32358]

Atomic Fusion by Dr. Jacob Bronowski and illustrated by Bartley Powell. Cover not credited.

[mado-science]

Past its prime but still sets the standard Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man was one of several documentary style miniseries that created a market for and set the standard for thoughtful television programs of the type we should expect from the History Channel or Arts and Entertainment. The Ascent of Man along with the Civilization Series, Connections, and Cosmos proved that there was a large market for intellectually challenging and enlightening discussion extending over many weeks and many topics. These were not the first efforts in this direction, I can remember Leonard Bernstein doing televised lectures about music some time before the above mentioned programs but these took hold and proved that there was in fact a market for quality programming. Go to Amazon

Very interesting perspective. If you like James Burke and history from a technology point of view, you will like this book! Go to Amazon

A very worthwhile read As impossible as it might seem to condense the historical/scientific/cultural development of human beings in only 13 hours of TV (or 13 chapters in a book), Mr. Bronowski does so in a sensitive and provocative manner. This overview was created almost 50 years ago for the BBC, so the very most recent elements in this "ascent" are not included. Nevertheless, one cannot fail to be stimulated by his insights and perspectives, even if they provoke occasional disagreement. In our age of myopic over-specialization, we often miss the opportunity to step back from our individual specialties to absorb the diversity of knowledge and thought that a liberal arts education once provided. Mr. Bronowski provides an excellent opportunity to rectify that trend. Go to Amazon

Jacob Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" (book) Essentially a transcript of what Dr. Jacob Bronowski says to the audience through the lens of the camera (and screen of the television), this book is an essential companion to his extraordinary and landmark 13-part series of the same name (available in a stunning DVD transfer). Go to Amazon

Ascent to Nebulosity Carl Bauer says he overloaded us with an excess of perceptions that are wrought from disorganized sources. I can not begin to find a synthesis of a summary. I thought he would provide a conclusion. It did not happen. He is a mathematician, we are not sure what he measured. Go to Amazon

Still relevant I had been looking for a quote from this book, which I first learned in the 70s, but did not recall the source. Found it in the book. Still very relevant today, over 40 years later. Go to Amazon

Good read!! Reading this book for a history class along with watching the series online, it’s surprisingly a great read and a lot of the information can be applied today. Go to Amazon

good book. used as an old college textbook in the 1970's should be read by all high-school kids. I found this book more revealing, believable, and useable, about human history than anyother book out there. in fact, if this book were required reading for all kids in highschool, the world would be a better place i think. Go to Amazon

Five Stars Five Stars A beautiful mind Five Stars Five Stars Great story great storyteller Kindle edition a real disappointment. Incredible Book Insightful, Impactful.