E-Book Overview
Time Matters provides an invaluable insight into the background behind some of the key concepts we use in Earth science today. It shows the historical context in which these ideas were developed, the important contributions of individual scientists and thinkers, and how these ideas continue to shape our view of science and the world in which we live.
The book covers subjects such as the age of the earth, catastrophism vs uniformitarianism, evolution vs creationism, plutonism vs neptunism, continental drift and plate tectonics. It explores the people involved, their ideas and the scientific and religious power politics involved in the development. It is effectively partly a review of the way in which science works or does not work. The text includes questions and comment boxes which help the reader to appreciate/understand the ideas and concepts that have been included and their problems, strengths or weaknesses.
- Accessible introduction – does not assume prior knowledge
- Teaches scientific thought – particularly the use of evidence
- Topic based – uses a set of key geological theories
This book is written for anyone with an interest in geology and the history of science, but will be particularly valuable to university or high-school students beginning a study of earth science for the first time.
E-Book Content
Time Matters: Geology’s Legacy to Scientific Thought Michael Leddra Forefront Teaching Resources Ltd Washington, Tyne and Wear, UK A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication Time Matters Dedication To all the University of Sunderland geology students that I have been fortunate enough to teach. The late Professor Mervyn Jones, who encouraged me to open up my geological horizons, and the late Barbara Leddra, who sadly died before this book was completed – they are both greatly missed. Time Matters: Geology’s Legacy to Scientific Thought Michael Leddra Forefront Teaching Resources Ltd Washington, Tyne and Wear, UK A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition first published 2010, © 2010 by Michael Leddra Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered office: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial offices: 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, USA For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative informa