The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity

256 Pages·2003·0.72 MB·English

by  Jack Repcheck

praise for
The Man Who Found Time
“This is an informative and revealing book.”
—Times Higher Education Supplement
“An interesting story, gracefully written and concisely told, that will
appeal to readers intrigued by the history of scientific thought.”
—Baltimore Sun
“Worth reading . . . Repcheck’s description of the Scottish
Enlightenment is fascinating.” —Boston Globe
“Provides many fascinating facts and much praiseworthy
prose . . . well worth the read.” —Washington Times
“A slim volume that’s as readable as it is informative. . . .
[Repcheck’s] argument . . . is convincing.”
—Providence Journal
“Engaging and suspenseful, Repcheck’s excellent biography is
highly recommended . . . the most recent and most detailed
account of Hutton’s life and science.”
—Library JournalStarred Review
“Repcheck’s comfortable style and enthusiasm for his subject
permeates his book.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Fluidly informative, Repcheck will easily snare readers . . . ”
—Booklist
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THE MAN WHO
FOUND TIME
J a m e s H u t t o n
a n d t h e D i s c o v e r y
o f t h e E a r t h ’ s
A n t i q u i t y
J a c k R e p c h e c k
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
New York
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and where
Perseus Publishing was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed
in initial capital letters.
Copyright © 2003 by Jack Repcheck
Hardcover first published in 2003 by Perseus Publishing
Paperback first published in 2009 by Basic Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For
information, address Basic Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2003103400
Hardcover ISBN 0-7382-0692-X
Paperback ISBN 978-0-465-01337-1
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information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group,
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Set in Bulmer MT by the Perseus Books Group
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
For Claire and Jack Repcheck, my parents
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C o n t e n t s
Prologue 1
1 (cid:129) Looking So Far Into the Abyss of Time 13
2 (cid:129) First Came Adam and Eve, Then Came Cain
and Abel . . . 25
3 (cid:129) Auld Reekie 45
4 (cid:129) The Storm Before the Calm 67
5 (cid:129) Youthful Wanderings 85
6 (cid:129) The Paradox of the Soil 103
7 (cid:129) The Athens of the North 117
8 (cid:129) The Eureka Moments 145
9 (cid:129) Hutton’s Boswell’s 163
10 (cid:129) The Huttonian Revolution 179
Epilogue 199
Appendix 209
Sources and Suggested Readings 217
Acknowledgments 229
Index 235
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P r o l o g u e
He burst the boundaries of time, thereby establishing geology’s most
distinctive and transforming contribution to human thought—Deep Time.
Stephen Jay Gould, 1977
B
efore there was science,there was the Bible. For thousands
of years, it supplied reassuring answers to those profound ques-
tions that humans have always asked. Who are we? Where are we
in relation to everything else in the universe? And how and when
did we get here,this place we call Earth?
The Bible’s teachings about the mysteries of existence were
comforting. The Book of Genesis said that an all-knowing, all-
powerful God “created the heaven and the earth” on the First
Day. Over the next five days, all creatures that walk, crawl, and
swim were given life. And God was pleased. Even more soothing
were its teachings about us. Man, we were told, was formed in
nothing less than God’s own image, the earth a special home for
His highest creation. Adam and Eve and their descendants had
certainly fouled things up, to the point where God eventually felt
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