[asa] Rudwick does it again

Martin Rudwick, the dean of earth science historians -- and formerly a research paleontologist -- has recently published his sequel to his previous tome Bursting the Limits of Time.? The new book "Worlds Before Adam: The Reconstruction of Geohistory in the Age of Reform" is at least as good and covers the time from 1817 to 1845 -- or approximately Cuvier and Buckland to Lyell and the early Darwin (i.e., Darwin the geologist).

Fortunately, like his subjects, Rudwick is multilingual and so the history does not focus solely on Britain.? The interplay between European 'savants' is fascinating and the geologic problems discussed are accessible to virtually anyone, not just geologists.

Of particular interest to this list will be his last chapter, entitled "Concluding (Un)scientific Postscript" [with proper recognition and apologies to Soren Kierkegaard !].? This more philosophical chapter emphasizes, among other things, the marginal nature of the so-called 'conflict' between science and religion.? And marginal [Rudwick's italics] not only to us in hindsight, but marginal to the participants at the time.? This is something that Michael Roberts has repeatedly emphasized on this list, but I think even Michael would admit that Rudwick says it more elegantly.

As an example:

"On the issue of the earth's timescale there was therefore no significant conflict between geology and Genesis, or between geologists and a "Church" that in reality was far from monolithic.? The only conflict -- sometimes and locally -- was between scientific savants (including those who were religious believers) on the one hand, and specific sections of the wider public on the other." [p. 564-565]

"... I have suggested...that the Judeo-Christian cultural tradition had a far more profound role in the shaping of the new practice of geohistory, and a strongly positive one at that." [p.565]

"The great fallacy in the "conflict thesis" -- a fallacy sedulously fostered by those modern commentators who can fairly be described as crusading atheistic fundamentalists -- is that it treats both sides of the supposed conflict as reified and ahistorical entities:? "Science" and "Religion".? In reality, everything depended, then as now, on when, where, and who." [p. 564]

This is a magnificent book.? If you can't buy it, borrow it.? But be sure to read it.

Karl
**********************
Karl V. Evans
cmekve@aol.com

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Received on Fri Aug 15 12:54:02 2008