The Ascent of Man

By Henry Drummond

In the Ascent of Man, Henry Drummond gives his take on Evolution. He sees evolution as divinely guided-- a position that made him no friends on either side of the debate.

"'The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way.' In these pages an attempt is made to tell 'in a plain way' a few of the things which Science is now seeing with regard to the Ascent of Man. Whether these seeings are there at all is another matter. But, even if visions, every thinking mind, through whatever medium, should look at them. What Science has to say about himself is of transcendent interest to Man, and the practical bearings of this theme are coming to be more vital than any on the field of knowledge. The thread which binds the facts is, it is true, but a hypothesis. As the theory, nevertheless, with which at present all scientific work is being done, it is assumed in every page that follows."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Publishing LLC
• Release date: Feb 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781625586414

Henry Drummond

Henry Drummond was a Scottish evangelist, biologist, writer and lecturer. Many of his writings were too nicely adapted to the needs of his own day to justify the expectation that they would long survive it, but few men exercised more religious influence in their own generation, especially on young men. His sermon "The Greatest Thing in the World" remains popular in Christian circles.

Reviews for The Ascent of Man

[thorold_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After the banquet (1960) falls about a third of the way through Mishima's impressively-long list of books - the fact that it appeared in English only a couple of years after its original Japanese publication is an indication of Mishima's reputation at the time. It's basically a political satire in form: a self-made businesswoman marries a gentlemanly, old-style politician and engages herself on his behalf in an election campaign full of dirty tricks on both sides. Mishima evidently made it a little too realistic, as the former foreign minister Hachiro Arita (who had just fought an election in rather similar circumstances) successfully sued him for invasion of privacy. It feels rather old-fashioned as a novel, because of the way Mishima keeps his distance from both the main characters, showing us what they are thinking and feeling indirectly and mostly through externals - clothes, physical settings, food, weather. We aren't allowed to sympathise too closely either with Kazu's frenetic need to drive events or with Noguchi's self-deceiving ethical stance, but we do get to see how they fail to communicate with each other almost from the beginning of the story. We do very clearly see Mishima's absolute contempt for the way Japan's post-war political machine operated in an environment free of any sort of ideological commitment, driven only by self-interest, cronyism and hard cash. He doesn't really need to spell out where they learnt that from, but there are a couple of significant passing mentions of US military bases. Probably the closest we come to a genuine emotion in the book is in Kazu's (doomed) desire to anchor her anomalous life within the norms of Japanese society, as symbolised by her aspiration to be buried in Noguchi's family tomb.Probably not a major work, but interesting, anyway.

[jolleyg_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On reading this novel, one wonders what attracts the two characters - Noguchi, a traditional and very straight-laced man, and Kazu, a self-made and life-loving woman - to each other. Clearly Noguchi must feel some subconscious attraction to the sense of joie de vivre and exuberance demonstrated by this woman he agrees to marry. He is living the last stage of his life, and perhaps she offers a sense of renewal, even though he is repelled by many of her aspects on a conscious level and attempts to change her. Kazu, in her turn, is attracted by Noguchi's respectability since she is a woman of no background. He gives her a name linked to a family of a higher class than her own. Being a woman who is full of life, it is ironic that she feels a sense of achievement in picturing her name on the Noguchi headstone at the cemetery.Nevertheless, it is doubtful that their marriage can survive their natural differences, and the novel treats us to many episodes of their "culture clash," which is also symbolic of the era during which Japan was struggling to modernize after their defeat in World War II. Noguchi and pre-war Japanese ways of living march off to their slow death, while Kazu and modern ways of being thrive.

[explodingsuns · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a book--talk about writing relationships that feel realer than life itself! Mishima is a master--Kazu at once represents the modern of the Japanese woman, and the success all women can attain: she's independently wealthy, influential, and can use her feminine beauty and tact as a weapon in conversation and politics. On the other hand, her husband Noguchi--a man she's attracted to for his stubbornness and aloofness--wants her to conform to his ideal of a housewife--something she cannot, ultimately, do. Watching married life slowly destroy Kazu's self respect is insidiously realistic, and so the drama unfolds beautifully.

[slickdpdx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mishima makes the mid-life crisis and self-discovery of a fifty year old woman a compelling read. Brief because Mishima's writing is so economical and effective. While I liked it, I enjoyed Spring Snow and Runaway Horses far more.