# The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski **URL:** **By** Timothy Sandefur, Aaron Ross Powell, Trevor Burrus **Published:** September 27, 2019 --- Timothy Sandefur returns to the show to talk about his new book, The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski: The Life and Ideas of a Popular Science Icon. Timothy Sandefur comes back to the show to talk about Jacob Bronowksi. Bronowski had a wide array of interests. He invented smokeless coal and was a friend to Leo Szilard, the inventor of the atomic bomb. In fact, he led the mission to assess the aftermath of the atomic bomb in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There was not much this famous scientist, philosopher, and poet didn't do and Sandefur was the first author to write a biography of him. Who was Jacob Bronowski? Why was Bronowski a socialist? Should politics stay out of science? What scientific research was conducted by the Nazis? ## Further Reading: [The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski: The Life and Ideas of a Popular Science Icon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1633885267/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gPmjDb8Z9QRGQ), written by Timothy Sandefur [Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1944424857/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0), written by Timothy Sandefur [The Ascent of Man](https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/may/the-ascent-of-man), BBC Documentary [The Disestablishment of Science: I](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/18/archives/the-disestablishment-of-science-i.html), written by John Bronowski ## Related Content: [Science Doesn’t Need Public Funding](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/science-doesnt-need-public-funding), Free Thoughts Podcast [Bias in Scientific Research](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/bias-in-scientific-research), Free Thoughts Podcast [What Role Should Science Play in Public Policy?](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/what-role-should-science-play-in-public-policy), Free Thoughts Podcast