Boorstin, a reform Jew, has been described as a "secular, skeptical moderate Northeastern liberal of the New Deal rather than the New Left school." The purpose of religion (and God) was not personal salvation but establishing a societal anchor that inspired public morality. The role of religion and culture is another recurring theme. Tycho Brahe, the Danish astronomer, is the guiding light in "The Witness of the Naked Eye" and Isaac Newton merits an entire chapter ("God said, Let Newton Be!") devoted to his life and accomplishments. Thus, in the chapter "In Search of the Missing Link", he features Edward Tyson and his contributions in comparative anatomy. In this respect he is like other historians ( David McCullough, Paul Johnson, Louis Hartz and Richard Hofstadter, to name a few) who give prominence to the individual and the incremental approach to history. They form the building blocks of his tale and from them flow descriptions and commentary on historical events. The Discoverers (as well as The Creators and The Seekers) resonates with tales of individuals, their lives, beliefs and accomplishments. In the deep recesses of the past, they remain anonymous." The structure of the book is topical and chronological, beginning in the prehistoric era in Babylon and Egypt. had to be opened by countless Columbuses. The world we now view from the literate West. In "A Personal Note to the Reader", Boorstin writes "My hero is Man, the Discoverer. Boorstin praises the inventive, human mind and its eternal quest to discover the universe and humanity's place in it. Discovery in many forms is described: exploration, science, medicine, mathematics, and more-theoretical ones, such as time, evolution, plate tectonics, and relativity.
The book, subtitled A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself, is a history of human discovery.
The Discoverers is a non-fiction historical work by Daniel Boorstin, published in 1983, and is the first in the Knowledge Trilogy, which also includes The Creators and The Seekers.
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