The Great Devonian Controversy: The Shaping of Scientific Knowledge among Gentlemanly Specialists

529 Pages·1988·48.48 MB·English

by  Martin J. S. Rudwick

THE GREAT DEVONIAN
CONTROVERSY
SCIENCE AND ITs CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS
David L. Hull, Editor
A modern aerial view of the coast of north Devon,
showing the contrast between the clear exposures of
strata in the cliffs and on the shore, and the gentle
landscape inland with exposures too small and
scattered to be visible from a distance. The strata in
this view (near Hartland Point) were classed in the
early nineteenth century as "Greywacke" or "Culm";
their strong zigzag folding is visible in the cliffs.
1.S.
Martin Rudwick
THE
GREAT DEVONIAN
CONTROVERSY
The Shaping of Scientific Knowledge
among Gentlemanly Specialists
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 1985 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 1985
Paperback edition 1988
Printed in the United States of America
97 96 95 94 6543
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rudwick, M. J. S.
The great Devonian controversy.
(Science and its conceptual foundations)
Bibliography: p. 463
Includes index.
1. Geology, Stratigraphic-Devonian. 2. Science
History. 3. Geology-History. 4. Geology-England
Devon I. Title. II. Series.
QE665.R83 1985 551.7'4 84-16199
ISBN 0-226-73101-4 (cloth)
ISBN 0-226-73102-2 (paper)
For Tricia

That much good ensues, and that the
science is greatly advanced, by the
collision of various theories, cannot
be doubted. Each party is anxious to
support opinions by facts. Thus, new
countries are explored, and old
districts re-examined; facts come to
light that do not suit either party;
new theories spring up; and in the
end, a greater insight into the real
structure of the earth's surface is
obtained.
Henry Thomas De la Beehe,
Sections and Views illustrative
of geological Phaenomena
(1830)

Contents
List of Illustrations xv
Preface xxi
List of Footnote Abbreviations xxvii
Dramatis Personae xxix
Part I Setting the Scene
Chapter 1 Scientific Research under a Historical Microscope 3
1.1 Introducing the Devonian Controversy 3
1.2 Watching the Natives at Work 5
1.3 Applying a Historical Microscope 7
1.4 Research as Skilled Craftsmanship 9
1.5 The Revival of Narrative 11
1.6 Beyond Earshot of the Natives 14
Chapter 2 Arenas of Gentlemanly Debate 17
2.1 Gentlemanly Specialists in Geology 17
2.2 The Geological Society 18
2.3 The Societe Geologique 27
2.4 The British Association 30
2.5 The Art of Letter Writing 34
2.6 The Romance of Fieldwork 37
Chapter 3 Unraveling the Earth 42
3.1 Creation and Causation 42
3.2 Sections and Sequences 46
3.3 Structures and Correlations 49
3.4 Defining a Global Sequence 54
Part II The Plot Unfolds
Chapter 4 Prelude: Unraveling the Greywacke 63
4.1 A Father Figure for Geology (1831) 63
4.2 Sedgwick's Greywacke Grindstone (1831) 69
4.3 Murchison Gets out of Lyell's Shadow (1831-33) 73
4.4 Weaver and the Irish Question (1832-33) 78
4.5 The Proprietor of the Welsh Borderland
(Summer 1833 to October 1834) 82
4.6 De la Beche and the Devonshire Survey (1834) 87
ix