The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski ― The Life and Ideas of a Popular Science Icon

This engaging biography of Jacob Bronowski celebrates his many accomplishments, highlighting his role as one of the leading science educators of his generation.

Best remembered today for his blockbuster documentary series The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski spent decades explaining scientific ideas to laypersons on television and radio. A true Renaissance man, Bronowski was not only a scientist, but a philosopher and a poet. In this first-ever biography, author Timothy Sandefur examines the extraordinary accomplishments and fascinating range of thought of this brilliant man.

As Sandefur documents, the extent of Bronowki's interests and achievements is staggering. He revolutionized the study of William Blake, invented smokeless coal, and proved Australopithecus africanus was an ancestor of humans. He was a close friend of Leo Szilard (inventor of the atomic bomb) and William Empson (the prominent poet). He won the British equivalent of an Emmy for a radio play he wrote, sparked the "Two Cultures" controversy of the 1960s, led the mission sent to assess the effects of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and cofounded the Salk Institute for Biological Studies with Jonas Salk. A marvelously eloquent and compelling speaker, Bronowski spent the last half of his life teaching the possibilities of humanism, freedom, science, and peace.

This thoroughly researched and eloquently written biography will spark renewed interest in one of the great public intellectuals of the twentieth century.

Timothy Sandefur is vice president for litigation and holds the Duncan Chair in Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute. Besides litigating important cases for economic liberty, private property rights, and free speech in several states, he is also the author of several books, including Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man (2018); Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America (coauthored with Christina Sandefur, 2016); The Permission Society (2016); The Conscience of The Constitution (2014); and The Right to Earn a Living (2010). He has also written dozens of scholarly articles on subjects ranging from Indian law to antitrust, slavery and the Civil War, and political issues in Shakespeare, ancient Greek drama, and Star Trek. He is an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute, a graduate of Hillsdale College and Chapman University School of Law. He appears frequently on television and radio, including Fox's Kennedy and John Stossel, and he is a regular guest on Armstrong & Getty, a California-based morning talk show.