« After the Dutch 'Nee' | Main | Assynt Foundation buy estates »
June 04, 2005
Importance of James Hutton
Ian Johnstone writes about a call to give a higher profile to James Hutton (1726-1797), author of the ‘Theory of the Earth’ and father of the study of geology. The Scotsman article seems to have been mauled by an editor, but I’m delighted by the idea of giving more recognition to Hutton.
The book Johnstone refers to, The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth’s Antiquity, is by Jack Repcheck. The book’s blurb explains:
There are three men whose contributions helped free science from the straitjacket of theology. Two of the three - Nicolaus Copernicus and Charles Darwin - are widely known and heralded for their breakthroughs. The third, James Hutton, never received the same recognition, yet he profoundly changed our understanding of the earth and its dynamic forces. Hutton proved that the earth was likely millions of years old rather than the biblically determined six thousand, and that it was continuously being shaped and re-shaped by myriad everyday forces rather than one cataclysmic event.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=611562005
www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=073820692X
Posted by Simon Holledge at June 4, 2005 09:09 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.skakagrall.com/cgi-bin/MT/mt-tb.cgi/454