"The Ascent Of Man"

[kpete]

For Dr. Bronowski, the moral consequence of knowledge is that we must never judge others on the basis of some absolute, God-like conception of certainty.

FROM:
The Dangers of Certainty: A Lesson From Auschwitz
By SIMON CRITCHLEY
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/the-dangers-of-certainty/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-share&_r=1&

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The ascent of man was secured through scientific creativity. But unlike many of his more glossy and glib contemporary epigones, Dr. Bronowski was never reductive in his commitment to science. Scientific activity was always linked to artistic creation. For Bronowski, science and art were two neighboring mighty rivers that flowed from a common source: the human imagination. Newton and Shakespeare, Darwin and Coleridge, Einstein and Braque: all were interdependent facets of the human mind and constituted what was best and most noble about the human adventure.

For most of the series, Dr. Bronowski’s account of human development was a relentlessly optimistic one. Then, in the 11th episode, called “Knowledge or Certainty,” the mood changed to something more somber. Let me try and recount what has stuck in my memory for all these years.

He began the show with the words, “One aim of the physical sciences has been to give an actual picture of the material world. One achievement of physics in the 20th century has been to show that such an aim is unattainable.” For Dr. Bronowski, there was no absolute knowledge and anyone who claims it — whether a scientist, a politician or a religious believer — opens the door to tragedy. All scientific information is imperfect and we have to treat it with humility. Such, for him, was the human condition.

This is the condition for what we can know, but it is also, crucially, a moral lesson. It is the lesson of 20th-century painting from Cubism onwards, but also that of quantum physics. All we can do is to push deeper and deeper into better approximations of an ever-evasive reality. The goal of complete understanding seems to recede as we approach it.

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More please:

[jsr]

1. One of the very finest television series ever made.

[Xipe Totec]

2. I read the book, cover to cover, in one night

I could not put it down.

It was one of several books assigned as reading for an undergraduate "History and Philosophy of Chemistry" course.

I remember the sunrise coming through my dormitory window as I finished reading the last page.

That book has been an inspiration to me throughout my life.

[longship]

3. Love Jacob Bronowski!

He was only about 5 feet tall but was a giant in thought.

The excerpt above from the Knowledge or Certainty episode of "Ascent of Man" is the end of his most profound and wise essay in the series.

It always brings tears to my eyes.

R&K

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

4. "The Ascent of Man" is available on Youtube.

fyi

[reusrename]

5. As far as absolute truths go, I really like "All men are created equal."

I think because it has a mathematical underpinning to it.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. I'm a cactus, trying to be a canoe.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Interesting documentary by his daughter on his war work

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. It was required viewing for all freshmen at U of Central Fla.

I thought it was a fascinating series back in 74. It filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of the world.