Revolutions in the Earth: James Hutton and the True Age of the World - Couverture rigide

Baxter, Stephen

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0297829750 ISBN 13 : 9780297829751

Editeur : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003

Synopsis

In the eighteenth century, the received wisdom, following Ussher's careful biblical calculations, was that the Earth was just six thousand years old. James Hutton, a gentleman farmer with legal and medical training and a passion for rocks, knew that this could not be the case. Looking at the formation of irregular strata in the layers of the earth he deduced that a much deeper abyss of time would be required for the landscape he saw to have evolved. In the turbulent world of Enlightenment Scotland he set out to prove it. He could not have achieved this without his friends. Hutton's entourage in Edinburgh would turn out to be the leading thinkers of the age. His close circle consisted of such luminaries as Erasmus Darwin, Adam Smith, James Watt and David Hume. These brilliant men would work together to develop the nascent science of geology but would also make spectacular advances in agriculture, chemistry, philosophy, economy and engineering; as well as devising steam engines and military tactics. Hutton's geological theory of the Earth would cause a profound religious debate as well as provoking decades of criticism. His revelation, however, was ultimately one of the most extraordinary and essential moments in scientific history. This is the little-known story of a man who fought hard against orthodox beliefs to prove the antiquity of the earth and of the dedicated loyalty of an enlightened circle of friends.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Published in more than 20 countries, the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award and numerous foreign language awards, Stephen Baxter was born in Liverpool in 1958 and now lives in Great Missenden with his wife.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Date d'édition: 2003
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0297829750
• ISBN 13: 9780297829751
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 256
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible