Review of "The Discoverers"

Daniel J. Boorstin, a historian, wrote The Discoverers, a book detailing man’s quest for knowledge, in hopes of providing an inspirational and vivid account of man’s curiosity that has resulted in the lifestyle we know today. Boorstin effectively communicates this awesome and tumultuous journey by utilizing specific anecdotes to show the character of historical figures, by providing exigence to show why a culture was the way it was, and by breaking the book into many accessible chapters which are manageable in both length and content.

To begin, it is immediately worth noting that Boorstin relies heavily on specific experiences in the lives of the historical figures he is documenting to prevent his lengthy book from being soporific. For instance, when he detailed Newton, he clearly illustrates his rather tortured and insecure nature by elaborating how he was born into a “yeoman” family, was such a weak baby his family thought he would die, how his father died three months before he was born, how his mother basically left him to live with a clergyman, how she tried (but failed) to make him a farmer, and how he entered Trinity College as a “‘subsizar,’ a poor scholar working his way through” (402-403). Examples like these are very effective, for when we learn about these great geniuses and inventors, we generally only remember them for their accomplishments, which deprives them of their humanity and struggle. The phrase “history comes to life” is of the utmost importance when one studies the past, for those who lived in the past are just as human as we are. Another instance where Boorstin brings history to life is in the early section of the book, when he discusses Amerigo Vespucci, the man America was named after. Vespucci dedicated his career to exploration, and he knew the problems with navigation early on. Boorstin describes how Vespucci “refused to package random details into wholesale generalization. ‘Sailing along the coast,’ we discovered each day an endless number of people with various languages,’” before further describing how Vespucci wanted to reform the “problem of determining longitude, crucial in westward voyages across the ocean” (246). Boorstin, as noted here, also tends to juxtapose his own narration with dialogue from the actual figure he is discussing, and he does this with great effect, as his style isn’t forced or protracted.

Boorstin’s tendency to utilize anecdotes is further compounded in its effectiveness by his masterful use of exigence to show how history influenced humanity’s search for knowledge. This consequently creates a relationship of causation, as seen when Boorstin discussed the life of Galileo, who discovered the telescope and revolutionized how planets were viewed. That is, Galileo “first attained fame as a telescope maker. Advances in lens grinding and polishing, the invention of achromatic lenses, and mechanical methods … all made it worthwhile to use telescopic sights for new purposes” (400). As seen in this example, historical exigence impacted people - if not for the invention of the components of the telescope, Galileo’s life would have been drastically altered - he might be famous for something else. This also demonstrates how past inventions beget future inventions - first the lense is invented, then the telescope. First the train is invented, then the car. Overall, Boorstin’s use of exigence goes hand-in-hand with his anecdotes, as the future and present are dependent on the past.

The Discoverers, by all accounts, is not a “light” read. The purpose of this book is grand in scope, which virtually guarantees it to be of long length and deep depth. If handled incorrectly, in a bland, boring, morose way, the book could be a real slog to get through, like Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (the introduction alone requires Herculean effort to understand), yet Boorstin prevents this from happening by dividing the book into a multitude of chapters that are manageable in both content and length. To begin, the book itself includes 82 chapters, and these chapters are subdivided into fifteen parts, and these fifteen parts are further subdivided into four books. The chapters in each part are related by topic. For instance, in Part VIII, chapters 34-37 all have to do with sea travel, politics regarding trade routes, and the difficulties of rallying up a crew in a time where scurvy and other diseases could lay low many sailors who are deficient in essential nutrients and vitamins. Furthermore, each chapter is relatively short, and since it focuses on only one topic or person, is easy to follow. For instance, in chapter 80, “An Expanding Universe of Wealth,” Smith discusses the field of economics and two main figures - Adam Smith and Keynes. Though he discusses two monumental figures, he is careful to relegate a section to each - Smith appears before Keynes since Boorstin uses a chronological style. Near the beginning he discusses how Adam Smith published his Wealth of Nations “The year of the Declaration of Independence,” and he ends the chapter by discussing how Keynes became famous due to the Great Depression despite writing a “book unintelligible to the general public. Adam Smith’s book had been written for the literate reader” (654, 665). In chapter 27, “The Wandering Vikings,” Boorstin describes succinctly in five pages the Vikings and their devastating effect on those they plundered. A litany at the time stated: “From the fury of the Northmen, good Lord, deliver us” (206). Boorstin, by dividing his book into numerous sections of varying magnitudes by their topic and persons, made a would-be difficult read easier to swallow, digest, and understand.

I read this book because, as a person who admires knowledge and those who use it to good effect, I wanted to know how humanity got to where it was. It can be said that we do possess some strengths over other species, and our thirst for knowledge is a fantastic example of what humanity can do. Overall, although The Discoverers by Boorstin was challenging for me to read in some parts, I liked it due to the meticulous detail; Boorstin’s use of many sources, quotes, and people has made this journey come to life for me. On the other hand, there are certain elements of the book that I felt were sorely lacking. To begin, Boorstin discussed so many inventions and pieces of technology that I wished he would include visual representations of them. There are only a few illustrations in the book, and they aren’t representative of the great myriad of devices presented. If Boorstin included pictures for some of the inventions he discussed, the book would have been much more interactive and entertaining. One thing I strongly disliked about the book was how Boorstin didn’t condemn those who opposed progress in pursuit of their own ends and delusions. For instance, when Boorstin described how Malphigi was condemned by the Friars Servants of the Blessed Mary, he described their presence as “awesome,” though in my opinion, their presence is one of an unbearable stench. In another instance, when he discusses how Pope Gregory XIII reformed the Julian calendar, he mentioned the St. Bartholomew’s massacre, but in a fashion that lacked any kind of strong condemnation. Pope Gregory XIII deserves to be universally condemned - after the bloody massacre of Huguenots by fanatical Catholics, Gregory praised the event, and even commissioned a medal which showed an angel slaughtering Huguenots. This isn’t an isolated incidence in the book, as people who have committed or supported terrible atrocities, like Cortes and Francisco Pizarro, weren’t condemned or even rebuked, which massively disappoints me.

After reading this book, my views regarding human knowledge changed somewhat. I now see great inventors and explorers as human beings who were prone to faults. I still see progress as being a battle between ignorance and knowledge. Throughout the book my previous opinion was backed by multiple pieces of evidence - the Dark Ages occurred because scientific curiosity was stifled, and even today many deny science, much to the detriment of society and the human race. If there is one effect the book had on me, it is that I now know that the world is much more complicated than what I would like to imagine, for a seemingly mundane event could drastically impact history centuries later. For instance, what if Ptolemy pursued philosophy or law instead of geography, or what if Newton did become a farmer? Questions like these are fun to ruminate on, as this book clearly demonstrates to great effect.

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