Report Case Study 25
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Brief Description of item(s) 294 manuscript notebooks of the geologist Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875). In two series: 263 numbered notebooks, 1825-1874, on geology, natural history, social and political subjects; 31 additional notebooks, 1818-1871, with indices. Mostly octavo format. For details see Appendix 1. In good condition. 2. Context The nineteenth century saw public debate about how to conduct science reach new heights. Charles Lyell was a pivotal figure in the establishment of geology as a scientific discipline; he also transformed ideas about the relationship between human history and the history of the earth. Above all, he revealed the significance of ‘deep time’. At a time when the Anglican church dominated intellectual culture, geology was a controversial subject. Lyell played a significant part in separating the practice of science from that of religion. Through his major work, The Principles of Geology, he developed the method later adopted by Darwin for his studies into evolution. Lyell observed natural phenomena at first hand to infer their underlying causes, which he used to interpret the phenomena of the past. The method stressed not only a vast geological timescale, but also the ability of small changes to produce, eventually, large ones. The Principles combined natural history, theology, political economy, anthropology, travel, and geography. It was an immediate success, in Britain, Europe, North America and Australia. Scientists, theologians, leading authors, explorers, artists, and an increasingly educated public read and discussed it. Lyell’s inductive method strongly influenced the generation of naturalists after Darwin. Over the rest of his life, Lyell revised the Principles in the light of new research and his own changing ideas.
[Show full text]