Ascent of Man - Lower than the Angels - Part 03

Ascent of Man - Episode 01 - Lower than the Angels by Jacob Bronowski.
Episode 01 in its entirety of a thirteen part series that is every bit as good as Carl Sagan's Cosmos. I wanted to introduce the series to those that don't know it exists or have forgotten it. Episode one is broken up into five ~10 minute parts. Enjoy!

PART ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHJrSZWFQFo
PART TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOK9O3qBydU
PART THREE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjvPoHSirs4
PART FOUR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SFV93MytoE
PART FIVE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hry850SpDK8

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Jacob
• Bronowski
• religion
• atheist
• atheism
• evolution
• agnostic
• agnosticism
• history
• anthropology
• science
• theology
• theism
• christianity

[mathmit]

This man represents to me the beauty of education. He was a true giant of my unofficial education. I respect and admire Jacob Bronowski. He was an educator of the highest order. It is thanks to him that I have a degree in mathematics now. He awakened in me the love of knowledge and learning. Bless you Mr. Bronowksi.

[mossfitz]

@Dannys998877 B.`s stated intent is to trace the ascent of man back to its beginning in the animal kingdom - To do this using imagary yet omitting the naked haman body would be less than sane. A clownish friend of mine whenever such sillyness comes up, growls "The Taliban are coming!". In exploring (key word) the place of man on the tree of evolution, an immeasurably high statistical exception such as front to front copulation does seem more than merely marginal.

[conzor9898]

I got a lend of his book today off of my grandfather, and he was telling me about Bronowski, never heard of him before, I knew of Carl Sagan though. So I'm surprised I've never come across him, delighted I did haha. Can't wait to read the book

[bavwill]

0.58 ...and that's the problem.

[Dannys998877]

@mossfitz And I do think that the episode "Generation Upon Generation" was a weak entry in the series. He should have concentrated upon Mendel, Darwin, and Crick and Watson. But he spent time showing us male sperm, the birth of a baby, and some silly (and very awkward) blather about human lovemaking. He actually shows us a young couple in bed!!! And for that matter, he dealt with sexuality while wearing arguably the most dreadful looking necktie ever to appear on television....LOL.

[Dannys998877]

@mossfitz You make excellent points. The naked baby boy just made me uncomfortable. A diaper or different camera angle would have made all the difference. As for face to face copulation, it seldom happens in my bedroom....LOL. But I love Bronowski, and the series is a television landmark. The "Knowledge or Certainty" episode is simply brilliant. Not to mention the history of science episodes. Everone knows E=mc2. But he shows us Boltzmann's S = k logW. Nothing like it on TV today.

[Dannys998877]

@mossfitz The problem is that the right wing nut cases get the same vote on election day in the USA as rational people do. Anyway, I do think that Bronowski went out of his way to be provocative. He felt it was important to remind us that humans copulate face to face. He saw GREAT importance in that. HA! And he juxtaposed the full frontal nudity of a baby boy with a young male athlete in the same body positions. Oh how wonderfully "scientific" we were supposed to think that was.

[mossfitz]

@Dannys998877 There is a great essay by Bertrand Russel where he warns of the powerful influence of the established puritan tradition in the US. It is so well established that it can get its influence into all sorts of places and puritans really love with only one thing and that is power. However, puritanism is not that difficult to resist since it is basically merely an irrational impulse to subject the will of others.