The gifsets didn’t turn out too well on this one, for various reasons, but it’s still one of the best episodes of any of Burke’s television programs and I recommend it highly…
(24 April 2014)
“Here, this limestone is full of them, anywhere you look.
“Only, these have been off the menu for some time. Fossil shellfish.
“Okay, you say, so what? Ancient seafood. Only these are identical to their modern descendants down at the market.
“Okay, you say, so what? Maybe they’re not that old. And this is where Lyell took a deep breath. Because you know where that limestone goes?” ”“ James Burke, The Day The Universe Changed
As you can see from my pre-quote, I could as easily have gone with the visuals of that segment over the segment I chose. Unfortunately I’d then have been compelled to keep going and Tumblr only gives us ten images of less than one megabyte apiece. So here we are.
This is from one of the best hours of television James Burke ever presented, the 8th episode of The Day The Universe Changed entitled “Fit to Rule,” which pivots on Darwin’s theory of evolution, what led up to it, and three major ways it influenced societies afterward. If you watch no other episode of the show, I heartily recommend you watch this one, any way you can.
Next up: One of those three branches of influence
(27 April 2014)
“That is to say, the struggle for survival was part of the great American tradition that brought all comforts to those who worked for them. The struggle weeded out the weak, the unfit, and the stupid. Unless you gave them unfair help with dangerous nonsense like government aid, or welfare, or education. In which case they’d breed more like them, and drag the country down.” ”“ James Burke, The Day The Universe Changed
Dopey me, I left the “Enhance” toggle on for the first three images. The results are good enough that I don’t feel like going back and redoing them, so there you have it. And hey: I got it down to six images this time!
To see the other two angles that social engineers leveraged to guide the course of entire civilizations, I guess you’ll have to watch “Fit To Rule,” the excellent eighth installment of The Day The Universe Changed.
Up next: Particles and waves and other quantum mechanical adventures.