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Principles of Geology Lyell And Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on June 24, 2014 Geological Society, London, Special Publications Lyell and the Principles of Geology M. J. S. Rudwick Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1998, v.143; p1-15. doi: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.143.01.02 Email alerting click here to receive free e-mail alerts when service new articles cite this article Permission click here to seek permission to re-use all or request part of this article Subscribe click here to subscribe to Geological Society, London, Special Publications or the Lyell Collection Notes © The Geological Society of London 2014 Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on June 24, 2014 Part 1. The life and influence of Lyeil For geology, Lyell proved to be the right man at the right time in the right place. He grew up in comfortable surroundings, encouraged by his parents to develop a keen observation of the natural world around him. He learned the importance of geological observations in the field and the precise and accurate recording of geological information, which led him to travel extensively across Europe and North America to examine a wide range of geological phenomena. The knowledge and ideas that he gained from field observations and the work of fellow geologists were clearly the foundations for his great work Principles of Geology. In the first paper of this book, Martin Rudwick analyses Principles of Geology through successive editions as a dynamic development of geology 'as one long argument'. Lyell, more than anyone, established geology as a scientific discipline, hence the word 'Principles' in the title of his book, and gave it credibility both amongst practitioners of the subject and, equally importantly, amongst the wider, literate public. It is his legacy that nowadays we take for granted that geology can be treated as a science, and that we use modern analogues to interpret and quantify past geological events and processes. Rudwick demonstrates how important it was to Lyell to be thoroughly conversant with the geological literature of his day - and that he learnt French, German and Italian in order to do so - and to engage in debate with his peers, many of whom were Fellows of the Geological Society. Lyell played an active part in its development, serving in turn as Secretary, Foreign Secretary and President. John Thackray, the Society's Archivist, writes about Lyell's role as a Fellow between 1819 and his death in 1875. John gives us an insight of how the Society operated in those days, with constraints on the presentation of formal papers at evening meetings largely to factual descriptions, although greater latitude was given to theorize and speculate in Presidential Addresses. The real value of the evening meetings, however, came in the unrecorded, informal debates that followed the formal presentations. The encouragement of controversy endured in the Society through the debating chamber layout of the Meeting Room until 1972 when it was modernized into the current lecture room. In the next paper, Leonard Wilson gives us an insight into Lyell's life, the people he met who influenced his thinking, and the development of his ideas on Uniformitarianism. In particular, he demonstrates Lyell's tenacity and determination in working out from field evidence the structure and formation of volcanoes like Vesuvius, Mount Etna, Tenerife, Grand Canary and Madeira and disproving the theory that they had formed, by catastrophic upheaval, as 'craters of elevation'. Wilson staunchly defends Lyell's strict interpretation of uniformitarianism against those who regarded the Earth as having cooled from an originally hot body, not least Lord Kelvin who calculated the age of the Earth from an estimate of its rate of cooling. Later on, as Wilson explains, Lyell became increasingly interested in the human timespan on Earth, culminating in the Antiquity of Man published in 1863. Ezio Vaccari discusses the reception to Lyell's ideas in Europe as Principles of Geology and Elements of Geology were reviewed and translations of them began to be published in the 1830s. Vaccari is able to demonstrate the wide acceptance of most of Lyell's views apart from the same reservations as his English colleagues (explained in Rudwick's paper) about the constancy of geological history, most preferring the model of a cooling Earth with a diminishing level of tectonic activity through geological time. It would seem that De Beaumont's synthesis of mountain building processes linked with the cooling of the Earth's crust may have been more influential. None the less, Lyell's personal influence was strong as a consequence of his travels and his meetings with most of the leading geologists of Europe. He was recognized as far as Moscow and was elected a member of the Moscow Naturalist Society in 1855. Russian translations of his works began to appear from 1859. Bringing things up to date, Prof. E. E. Milanovsky, as current Vice President, delivered a formal Jubilee Address to the Geological Society during the Bicentenary Lyell Meeting. Robert Dott gives us an account of Lyell's travels in North America. Lyell visited North America four times from 1841 to 1853 not only to travel and see the geology, but also to give public lectures. Dott traces the emergence of geology through a study of Lyell's changing lecture topics. Dott demonstrates that there was a true interaction between American geologists and Lyell, to their mutual benefit. Clearly Lyell brought stature to the new science of geology which increasingly gained public acceptance. Lyell gained, however, much from American geologists, especially in relation to field work. As Dott points out, many of his North American field examples are used to illustrate new concepts in successive editions of his books. Lyell's exposure to American life not only led to new geological understanding but also developed his interest in aspects of education, public reforms and religious belief. On his return to London, Lyell soon became the resident expert on North America, fuelled by the publication of two books on his travels in North America and numerous letters and articles. Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on June 24, 2014 2 PART 1 Lyell's visit to America is further amplified by Gerald Friedman who concentrates on his visit to New York State in 1841. Friedman discusses Lyell's visit to Amos Eaton, an influential American geologist, just before he died. Together with Eaton's former student James Hall, Lyell visited Niagara Falls, details of which he was to use later in his publications. Much of Lyell's activity in New York did not relate to geology, but Friedman also discusses a resentment that some felt about the use by Lyell of their unpublished work in their volumes. It is clear, however, that Lyell did much to aid the public understanding of this new and exciting science. The relationship between Lyell and Darwin has always been a fascinating one. Clearly Darwin was highly influenced by Lyell and indeed it is well known that he took volume one of the 'Principles' with him on his voyage of the Beagle. Indeed, on his return from the Beagle, Darwin and Lyell became close friends. It was Lyell who suggested that Darwin and Wallace should publish a joint paper on the origin of species. Clearly Lyell did not readily accept Darwin's idea on the origin of species, but over time was gradually converted to the idea of evolution but not necessarily by natural selection. It was inevitable that Lyell should consider the geological evidences of the antiquity of man. As Claudine Cohen points out in the final paper in this section, the publication of his book on the Antiquity of Man in 1863 contributed to the founding of the two scientific disciplines of Pre-historic Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology. In his book Lyell brings to bear aspects of archaeology, palaeontology, anthropology and geology which were used to demonstrate conclusively the contemporaneity of extinct animals and man-made objects. Cohen emphasizes the strong relationship between Lyell and French scientists who mutually benefited from their interactions. Derek J. Blundell Andrew C. Scott Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on June 24, 2014 Lyell and the Principles of Geology M. J. S. RUDWICK Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH, UK Abstract: Lyell's Principles of Geology is still treated more often as an icon to be revered than as the embodiment of a complex scientific argument rooted in its own time and place. This paper describes briefly the origins of Lyell's project, in the international geological debates of the 1820s and in his own early research; the structure of argument of the first edition (1830-1833), and its relation to its intended readership; and the modification of the work in subsequent editions, and the transformation of its strategy in response to its critical evaluation by other geologists. The fluidity of the Principles (and its offshoot the Elements of Geology) reflects the ever-changing interaction between Lyell and his fellow geologists, and between them and a much wider public, during one of the most creative periods in the history of geological science. Lyell's scientific stature is best appreciated if he is placed not on a pedestal but among his peers, in debates at the Geological Society and elsewhere. Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology (first 'principles', but also about the place of such published in 1830-1833) is one of the most signifi- knowledge in a scientific view of the world. cant works in the history of the Earth sciences, but While he was an undergraduate at Oxford, it is still more often cited than read, more often Lyell's adolescent interests in natural history were revered than analysed.
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