When Geologists Were Historians, 1665–1750 / / Rhoda Rappaport.
"An essential perspective for those seeking a serious introduction to early geological science and a fundamental point of departure for future research. No other book has this scope and conceptual focus."—Kenneth L. Taylor, University of OklahomaIn the years between 1665 and 1750, geology...
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Superior document: | Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Archive Pre-2000 |
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Place / Publishing House: | Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2018] ©1997 |
Year of Publication: | 2018 |
Language: | English |
Online Access: | |
Physical Description: | 1 online resource (320 p.) :; 2 halftones |
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Other title: | Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Republic of Letters -- 2. Certainty and Probability -- 3. Natural and Civil History -- 4. Fossil Questions -- 5. Diluvialism, For and Against -- 6. Alternatives to Diluvialism: Some Ingredients -- 7. Alternatives to Diluvialism: Some Syntheses -- 8. Buffon and the Rejection of History -- Abbreviations -- Bibliography -- Index |
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Summary: | "An essential perspective for those seeking a serious introduction to early geological science and a fundamental point of departure for future research. No other book has this scope and conceptual focus."—Kenneth L. Taylor, University of OklahomaIn the years between 1665 and 1750, geology was a new kind of science, combining physical law with historical process. Rhoda Rappaport explains its novelty and provides a transnational account of the development of geological thinking. She begins with the establishment of formal institutions of international exchange, including the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London and the Journal des savants in Paris, and shows how new media fostered increasing communication among scientists, particularly in England, France, and Italy. Early geological thinking was thoroughly integrated with epistemology, historical and biblical scholarship, natural philosophy, and natural history. Ancient written documents supplemented what was called "physical conjecture," providing human witnesses to past events. How to combine elements of law, empirical observations, and texts posed serious problems in debates about the biblical flood, which Rappaport presents as a prime example of a well-attested historical event. Buffon argued forcefully that geology should be wholly a physical science and that historical texts were irrelevant to the reconstruction of physical processes. Rappaport explains how his contemporaries responded to this novel proposal and how Buffon heralded the end of an era. |
Format: | Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. |
ISBN: | 9781501729614 9783110536171 |
DOI: | 10.7591/9781501729614 |
Access: | restricted access |
Hierarchical level: | Monograph |
Statement of Responsibility: | Rhoda Rappaport. |