The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton And The Discovery Of Earth's Antiquity [Hardcover]

Jack Repcheck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003 | ISBN-10: 073820692X | ISBN-13: 978-0738206929 | Edition: export ed

There are three men whose contributions helped free science from the straitjacket of theology. Two of the three-Nicolaus Copernicus and Charles Darwin-are widely known and heralded for their breakthroughs. The third, James Hutton, never received the same recognition, yet he profoundly changed our understanding of the earth and its dynamic forces. Hutton proved that the earth was likely millions of years old rather than the biblically determined six thousand, and that it was continuously being shaped and re-shaped by myriad everyday forces rather than one cataclysmic event. In this expertly crafted narrative, Jack Repcheck tells the remarkable story of this Scottish gentleman farmer and how his simple observations on his small tract of land led him to a theory that was in direct confrontation with the Bible and that also provided the scientific proof that would spark Darwin's theory of evolution. It is also the story of Scotland and the Scottish Enlightenment, which brought together some of the greatest thinkers of the age, from David Hume and Adam Smith to James Watt and Erasmus Darwin. Finally, it is a story about the power of the written word. Repcheck argues that Hutton's work was lost to history because he could not describe his findings in graceful and readable prose. (Unlike Darwin's Origin of the Species, Hutton's one and only book was impenetrable.) A marvelous narrative about a little-known man and the science he founded, The Man Who Found Time is also a parable about the power of books to shape the history of ideas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this engaging account of scientific discovery, Repcheck (an acquiring editor at Norton) aims to elevate the little-known Scottish geologist James Hutton (1726-1797) into the lofty company of Copernicus, Galileo and Darwin, as one who wrested modern science from the "straight jacket of religious orthodoxy." Hutton, claims Repcheck, was the first to propose that the earth was shaped not by a cataclysmic Great Flood, but rather by "the inexorable forces of wind and rain, tides and storms, volcanoes and earthquakes" over a far longer period than the 6,000 years biblical scholars said was the planet's age. Repcheck frames his narrative around Hutton's theory, weaving together the many historical threads that led to this paradigm shift in the conception of geological history. There aren't many popular histories of science that can hop from a thousand years of Church doctrine about the age of the earth to the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Scottish rebellion of 1745 without missing a beat, but Repcheck's comfortable style and enthusiasm for his subject permeate his book. He does a fine job of laying out Hutton's theory in the context of the Scottish Enlightenment as well as its consequences for later thinkers (most notably Darwin). Repcheck's account should appeal to anyone who's curious about intellectual history, geologist or not. (June)claims, in his book The Seashell on the Mountaintop (see p. 59), that his subject, Nicolaus Steno, discovered the science of geology and challenged the 6,000-year-old age of the earth.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Modern geology began with James Hutton, who looked to the ground rather than holy writ for clues about the age of our planet. He flourished during the Scottish enlightenment, which also saw the rise of his friends David Hume and Adam Smith; at that time, biblical scholarship's estimate of a 6,000-year-old Earth was widely accepted. How this number was derived-- it made sense even to Isaac Newton--is part of the interesting background material in this biography of Hutton, which also digresses into the politics of Hutton's Edinburgh in 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived in town to raise the Stuart standard. Not much is known about Hutton, which is why Repcheck elaborates on these settings, for just a few letters and geological writings, as well as an admirer's memoir, exist to indicate what manner of man he was. Repcheck makes the most of the material, incorporating into Hutton's haunts and jaunts in Scotland the then-orthodox theories of Noah's flood, which he found wanting. Fluidly informative, Repcheck will easily snare readers of popular science. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group; export ed edition (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073820692X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738206929
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cross-Cutting Relationships, August 21, 2003

By 

Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton And The Discovery Of Earth's Antiquity (Hardcover)

Jack Repcheck's The Man Who Found Time elevates James Hutton to a mountain high enough so that folks not of the geologic persuasion can see Hutton's importance to history. Hutton did his thinking and geologizing during the Scottish Enlightenment, the period during the 1700's when much of the modern world arguably got its start. The title of the book is a reference to Hutton's greatest discovery - the great age of the Earth [or as John McPhee put it, "deep time"] - and the book does an excellent job at leading the reader through the events in Hutton's life and in Scotland's history that led to that discovery. This well-written story of controversy and characters is well worth a read. As a student of geology, we were not asked to read Hutton [or Playfair, Hutton's Boswell] in any detail, so I feel a little inadequate to comment on some of the detailed criticisms of The Man Who Found Time, but Repcheck's telling jives with everything I learned about Hutton in college and everything I've read since. I found no obvious historical errors in the book, especially ones that would warrant a 1-star review. My one complaint [and it may be unfounded given that this book was written for the layperson and not the geologist] is that Repcheck never really delves into the simple principle - usually referred to as the principle of cross-cutting relationships - that underlies the evidence Hutton used to support the claim for the antiquity of the Earth. Simply put, something can't cut something that isn't there first. This applies equally well to the granites intruding into [cutting] the older rocks at Glen Tilt and the flat rocks deposited on top of [cutting] the older, angled rocks at Siccar Point. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in geology, history, Scotland and the Scottish Enlightenment.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid, Breezy Overview of an Important Subject in the Earth's Geology, February 20, 2007

By 

Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton And The Discovery Of Earth's Antiquity (Hardcover)

It is hard to find a more significant figure in the history of geology. James Hutton (1726-1797) was an exceptional amateur geologist who was the first to put together a compelling explanation of the age of the Earth. This interesting and accessible book presents in a compelling manner the life and work of this remarkable Scotsman. Written in a breezy style, it will not satisfy scholars but it nonetheless presents a compelling introduction for non-specialists in the history of geology. A Scottish physician, Hutton dabbled in all types of scientific inquiry, especially the practical aspects of farming, crops yields, and the like. While engaged in this effort he began to study the surface of the Earth, gradually forming questions and methods of resolving them.

This book is a breathless survey of the life and career of James Hutton as a gentlemen scholar, his work on the age of the Earth, and his place in the larger story of the Scottish Enlightenment. Trained as a physician, Hutton lived a life of ease where he undertook scientific investigations and scientific farming. In terms of his work on the geology of the Earth, he really published three items. The first is an abstract of a talk that he gave in Edinburgh in 1785 outlining in general terms his conclusion that the Earth must be far older than the 6,000 years usually thought because of the analysis base on the Bible. He then published a longer paper, "Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws Observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of the Land upon the Globe," in 1788 in the "Transaction of the Royal Society of Edinburgh" that created a huge stir among scientists and led to denunciations from several zealous academics. In 1795 he published a two volume "Theory of the Earth, with Proofs and Illustrations" that sought to answer his critics, but written as he was rapidly declining this work proved insufficient to counter their arguments.

Hutton was correct that the Earth is much older than the biblical account would lead one to believe. He was also right to posit a dynamic structure at the Earth's core and the shaping of land masses based on cataclysm and upheaval, though probably not a universal flood. Because of some committed believers who came later, this understanding became dominant in the nineteenth century.

This is a very fine, easy read about an important topic. It ranges far across the eighteenth century, especially commenting on the Scottish Enlightenment, which gave us several great thinkers including Adam Smith and David Hume as well as Hutton. It even explores the Scottish rebellion of the 1740s led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in a chapter that seems misplaced in this volume. Overall, "The Man Who Found Time" is a useful introduction to an important subject. For those seeking a more detailed, scholar account, I recommend Dennis R. Dean's "James Hutton and the History of Geology" (Cornell University Press, 1992). For those interested in the larger questions of the Earth's geology, especially the age of the planet, I recommend G. Brent Dalrymple "The Age of the Earth" (Stanford University Press, 1991).

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rocky Road, June 27, 2003

By 

Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton And The Discovery Of Earth's Antiquity (Hardcover)

This is a difficult book to classify and to rate, because it is "all over the place." I can see some people giving it four stars and some people giving it two stars- it depends on your expectations. If you are looking, pretty much, for a "pure" science book you are going to be disappointed- you might only enjoy the last 60 pages or so. This is where the author delves into Hutton's conclusions and what happened after his death (i.e.- the academic battles between his supporters and detractors, and his influence on later geologists...specifically Charles Lyell). On the other hand, if your tastes are more catholic, you might enjoy the book a great deal. This is because for the first 140 pages of the book the author widens his scope and discusses lots of peripheral things- such as: the Scottish Enlightenment, with biographical interludes featuring such people as the philosopher David Hume, the economist Adam Smith, the inventor James Watt, and the chemist Joseph Black. Their work as well as their lives is discussed. There is even a pretty extensive detour into military history- exploring Bonnie Prince Charlie's efforts to reclaim the thrones of Scotland and England for the Stuart line. You certainly can't fault the style- the book is lively and well-written- but, again, you need to know that this isn't just a science book. If you just want to know about James Hutton and his theories, this book isn't for you. Conversely, if you enjoy meandering and exploring all sorts of "sidepaths," you'll find this book to be very satisfying.