Book Review ~~ The Ascent of Man — The Hidden Structure

Today I finished reading the fourth chapter in “The Ascent of Man,” by Jacob Bronowski — The Hidden Structure. I found it a very interesting chronicle of man’s journey to learning about atoms, from the discovery and creation of fire, which led to the creation of alloys and the shaping of other metals such as copper, iron, and gold. The Hidden Structure then continues to explain how gold, a symbol of purity, was the focus of alchemy and was often used as a metal that could extend people’s lives. The chapter continues to explain about discoveries of oxygen and its uses until, finally, thousands of years after alloys are discovered, it explains how people discovered atoms. I found this chapter very interesting, and I enjoyed learning about how Dalton’s simple question provoked a discovery about atoms. This book was very engaging, Bronowski’s skill with words blending with his knowledge of the past to explain how man went from discovering fire to learning about atoms. I would rate this chapter 9.3/10 and recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the journey of man through the centuries.

Book Review ~~ The Ascent Of Man — The Grain In the Stone ~~

Today I read the next chapter in “The Ascent of Man,” by J. Bronowski — The Grain In the Stone. It’s about man’s architecture, but also a more general view of how man likes to improve upon what he already excels at. “There is,” Bronowski says, “one gift above all others that makes men unique among the animals, and it is the gift displayed everywhere here: his immense pleasure in exercising and pushing forward his own skill.” This quote is true, and I thought that it was a very nice explanation of man’s drive. Men are creative and good at building on the knowledge of previous generations because (in most cases) they learn from their mistakes. I agree with Bronowski about men’s desire to change the world and make it better using skills he wields well — men have completely reshaped the world since they were introduced. After humans began to cut stone, architecture, such as sculptures, stone walls, and arches, began to develop to become useful and aesthetically high-quality. I would rate this chapter 9.2/10 and recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about human evolution or the evolution of architecture.