Two Documentaries to Recommend

Lately Joseph and I have watched two several hour long documentaries. We have been so intrigued by these that it's been similar to watching a BBC mini-series where we can't wait to watch the next installment!

They were interesting to watch together as they tied into each other. The first is a PBS documentary with seven parts called "Evolution (2001)." The second was also a PBS series, this one with six parts called, "The Secret Life of the Brain (1999)." My library had the second, but I had to buy the first.





I've written before that I love the subject of evolution. This documentary reminded me of things I had learned while in college and also new discoveries not taught in my courses. The last segment is particularly intriguing after watching the first six. It is called, "What about God?" I loved it because it took on a subject that has long been an interest for me in a pretty unbiased way. I loved watching religious students of biology and geology battle through different ideas to figure out where they stood. Equally interesting was the first segment called, "Darwin's Dangerous Idea." It was pretty true to what I had heard and read of him. It portrays Charles Darwin's own personal struggles in a very real way. Great stuff!

When I was a freshman at BYU, I took my first honors class. While I can't remember the title of the class I know that it tied together classical literature, art and the sciences. At one point the professors of my class invited a biology professor to speak to us. He told us that he was a Stake President (leader of several congregations in my church) and that he believed in evolution. At that time, it was interesting to hear him talk, but I didn't fully appreciate the gift he had given to us. Coming from a Christian background, many of us were taught to shun even the word evolution. What a relief to find out that you could be a Christian AND believe in evolution. Even after watching all those hours of program, I still have many questions. Many of them haven't been answered by science or religion.

There is a whole hour within the Evolution series called, "The Mind's Big Bang." This is where the two documentaries overlapped. "The Secret Life of the Brain" was so interesting. By studying people whose brains don't fully function, science has answered a lot of questions concerning development of the brain, learning, and disability within the brain. Since I have struggled with depression, it was good to have some in depth explanation there. I loved learning about babies and children's brains and also the aging brain (I think my brain is already breaking down!).

If your local library carries one or both of these, try to get them! I highly recommend them!