Over the Highest Rock

This book reinforces one of the central intellectual themes of our time: of empiricism, in a heroic way, reaching the limits of the kind of statement that is possible for it to make, and knowing that there is more to say.

It is a short, lucid, and unforgettable book. Astronomer Robert Jastrow —NASA, Columbia, Dartmouth—takes us on an astronomer’s trip to the epistemological barrier. He tells the story of how the world’s leading astronomers and mathematicians reached the conclusion that “the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”

About the Author

Jeffrey Hart

Jeffrey Hart is a contributor to National Review.

This book reinforces one of the central intellectual themes of our time: of empiricism, in a heroic way, reaching the limits of the kind of statement that is possible for it to make, and knowing that there is more to say.

It is a short, lucid, and unforgettable book. Astronomer Robert Jastrow —NASA, Columbia, Dartmouth—takes us on an astronomer’s trip to the epistemological barrier. He tells the story of how the world’s leading astronomers and mathematicians reached the conclusion that “the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”