Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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).

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.

This books makes a powerfully convincing case that James Hutton was a revolutionary scientist who literally gave us our modern conception of the world. The planet earth is over 4 billion years old and it is Hutton who first rigorously refuted the dogma that the world was created a mere 6,000 years ago. More importantly, he saw that currently active physical processes were responsible for the world's present shape and history, that these processes acted slowly but over vast periods of time. To understand our world is to see it as James Hutton did.

Repcheck beautifully presents the social context in which Hutton lived, with a lively and fascinating account of the Scottish Enlightenment and Hutton's relations with the leading figures of his day, a remarkable period of human intellectual development. The social history is the greatest strength of the book. But one also walks away with an appreciation for the enormity of Hutton's contribution and a great fondness for this loveable and remarkable man.

James Hutton was a tall thin Scotsman, a non-practicing medical doctor, who was independently wealthy and devoted to farming. Unlike many lately, but like some other residents of the United Kingdom, such as Smith, Darwin, Talbot and indeed the fabled figures Sherlock Holmes and Henry Higgins, he used his wealth not to acquire numerous homes but to engage in intellectual endeavors. There are those who may have found him "difficult," but it is hard to fault his priorities.

Hutton became convinced that the world was much older than generally believed in the last half of the eighteenth century. Although the author is not sure of the genesis of Hutton's belief, he does describe the books that had been written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that posed scenarios markedly different from that in the bible. Hutton appears, or had the opportunity, to have read them. In 1788 he scouted the rocky, inhospitable, Scotch coast and discovered sedimentary rocks, (Silurian greywacke) tilted like the pages of a book below an unconformity which in turn was overlaid by Upper Old Red Sandstone, all exposed to the sea. This finding confirmed his thought that the world was very, very old, much older than then thought.

But what did nearly everyone else think at that time and why? It is one of the better parts of the book. Repcheck describes Eusebius chronology of world history, written in Greek for Constantine in 325. It was translated into Latin by St. Jerome in 382 and that document "inspired chronologists for the next 1400 years." Eusebius had borrowed from the Hebrew Bible; now known as the Septuagint Bible. It contains the Book of Genesis which gives definite years for the life spans of a few of the celebrities mentioned, e.g. Adam 930 years, Noah 950, Abraham 175, Moses 120, etc. From these and a chronology constructed by Julius Africanus between 212 and 221 he calculated that the birth of Jesus Christ took place 5500 years after God had reportedly worked for six days and rested for one. This was the belief that Hutton faced, and it was then, as now, very widely held in the West. (In China, as there is no belief in a creator, Hutton would have had a somewhat easier time.)

At the time Hutton was farming, most mineralogists believed that all visible rocks were precipitates from the universal ocean. Hutton did not, because he could not dissolve in water every substance found in rocks. He concluded that heat from within the earth coupled with pressure caused lithification. He was wrong on the need for heat. However, he was the first to recognize the need for pressure. (Heat and pressure being necessary for the formation of metamorphic rocks, they were then thought to be also required for sedimentary solidification.) Hutton's importance was stated by Lyell, who was inspired by him, "[Hutton] was the first... to explain the former changes of the earth's crust, by reference exclusively to natural agents." Hutton stated his ultimate conclusion succinctly: "In the economy of the world, I can find no traces of a beginning, no prospect of an end." The effect of his insight was summed by Lyell: "The imagination was first fatigued and overpowered by endeavoring to conceive the immensity of time required for the annihilation of whole continents by so insensible a process." Hutton originated uniformitarianism, which Lyell took to another level. Unfortunately it does not account for catastrophes, which Repcheck notes later caused some resistance to the impact thesis. The strength of the book is its description of the evolution of thought and the intellectual impediments that were overcome.

James Hutton has never been particularly noticed when it comes to the greats in science, such as Charles Darwin, and Copernicus. Though, he has made such an impact on the field of science, (obviously particularly in the field of geology,) by discovering the earth's antiquity. Hutton set out to prove that the world was not only 6,000 years old, but that it was in fact an incalculable age. Not only this, but also that the earth is continuously changing as its substances keep eroding and then reforming.
Jack Repcheck noticed Hutton's spectacular achievements, and was obviously compelled to write this book about him. Like scientists such as Lyell, Repcheck realized how important it is for Hutton's discoveries and theories of the earth are, and that they should be let out for the public to enjoy and read.
James Hutton's influence on science was not just the beginning of the studies of geology, but his ideas led to greater things. Charles Darwin learned from Hutton's ideas which led him to discover his theories of evolution, which is one of the most influential (and controversial) theories of the past decades as well as now.
Though, Repcheck does not just write about Hutton's influence on science today, or just on the people he influenced. He mentions the history of the Scottish Enlightenment (which evidently brought together many of the brilliant thinkers including Hutton,) as well as the story of the country of Scotland. It also speaks of the controversy of the ideas of the church versus the ideas of Hutton, and how he and society dealt with one another.
I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in not only James Hutton and his achievements, but if you're interested in learning about the history of Scotland as well. This book, I feel would be most enjoyable for history buffs.

I know, I know, I must be ignorant. I had hear the name James Hutton before, but I knew nothing of him and what he had done. This book was a revelation for me.

James Hutton was a man caught between two very different ideas. Science and Religion. While science and religion are often perceived to be at odds, Hutton found himself trying to show reality but understanding that the world would vehemently oppose any idea that some believed was in direct contradiction to the Bible.

For centuries, it was common understanding to believe that the earth was just several thousand years old. Author Jack Repcheck does a good job of showing how many scholars basically did a genealogy from the Bible all to show that the age of the earth. Society, by and large, accepted these ideas. Hutton had a hard time accepted this as he studied the land mass, cliffs in Ireland, shorelines and farming land. Instinct as well as what he felt was evidence, led him to challenge these ideas.

The book does a good job of showing the scientific environment during Hutton's days. Religion was the science and if it possibly contradicted the Bible, it was wrong. The book examines Hutton's life and discussed why he was willing to challenge that thinking and show why his evidence proved that the earth was ancient...much, much older than just a couple thousand years old.

Though the writing can sometimes borderline too much surrounding detail, the description of the times and an analysis of Hutton's life prove valuable. Though Hutton never truly saw the acceptance of his work in his lifetime, it lead to many other great researchers looking for answers and reasoning on the age of the earth. Enjoyable book and an interesting view of who were his contemporaries and friends and how he fought the fight he believed was too important for the world to ignore.

Repcheck's biography of James Hutton (the father of geology) is a well presented insight not only into the character and mindset of a man who provided the ultimate steps to establishing the Earth's true age in the face of religious doctrine, but also provides a fascinating general history of the time before and during the Scottish Enlightenment.
It is the latter that allows Repcheck to give substance to what would otherwise become an essay for two thirds of the book barely deals with Hutton, more with the history of various personages at the time. As such, under the guise of dealing with Hutton's youth it becomes apparent that this author has little source material so we are treated to a lengthy chapter on the Jacobite uprising and the battle of Culloden. None of which Hutton appears to have actively participated in. Still, it is presented in an interesting manner.
To begin we are given a somewhat nostalgic and romantic scene of an aging man finally proving his theories off Scotland's windswept coasts (the kind of thing that might open a tv documentary) and we then move swiftly into a commentary on previous scientific thinkers such as Luther, Gallileo et al and how they tentatively challenged Christian representation of the earth's origins to fit in with doctrinal requirements. We are also given details on how early Church thinkers kept altering the date of the world's creation to ensure that foretold events were always pushed back as the apocalyptic event approached. An opening page on the uniqueness of Castle rock's composition allow Repcheck to give us an early history of Edinburgh. Then we move into a seventy page history lesson on the early eighteenth century (roughly 1715 - 45) focusing on Bonnie Prince Charlie that just keeps on the titular track by telling us where Hutton was at each point as he studied to be a lawyer, then a doctor before, come 1745, settling onto a farm at Slighhouses where his management led to his fascination with soil and erosion.
The second half of the book devotes itself entirely to following the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment - Watts, Black, Hume, Hutton and Smith (plus several others) and how they formed their own `Inklings' that met discussed and formed a scientific clique in Edinburgh. As a result we then move rapidly on through his years spent study rock strata, his formulation of geothermal science to explain the cyclic nature of an ancient Earth, contradicting opponents like Werner who espoused the universal ocean theory. Eventually Hutton delivered his two lecture, 500 single print texts and promptly was the focus of both support and attack from those who say his statement that placed the earth as extremely ancient. The argument raged well beyond his death until eventually people like Lyle and Darwin saw the inevitability of fact and serious attempts began at dating the earth (eventually via isotopic decay in the 1950s).
If you had only read half this book you might be forgiven for thinking it had very little to do with Hutton and admittedly in the first part this is one of those books where the content tends to wander off the subject matter but it is done in a manner that the extra information about the period is fascinating in itself. However, come the latter stages, Hutton's presentation of his theories is placed within the intellectual context of the age, stressing its importance to the scientific community as a whole and permitting further achievements. What this book attempts to do with some success is give the modern reader an elegy to the Father of Geology from who simple observations contradicted the human view in an altogether Galilean way.

I found this book to be an interesting new perspective for me on the Scottish Enlightenment--the role of science. The central focus is James Hutton (1726-1797), a Scottish geologist whose pioneering work would disprove the then (and perhaps still) current assertion that the world was not more than 6,000 years old. No less a figure than Newton himself had made this influential calculation. Hutton's theory was based upon his study of the effects of erosion in conjunction with the dynamic movements of the earth's surface generated by intense subsurface heat. He spent much time simply studying various cliffs in Scotland, which convinced him of the ancient nature of the Earth. The author well sets the stage, with introductory chapters on the religious perspective, Hutton's early life, the political context in 18th century Scotland, the role of Edinburgh ("the Athens of the North") as a catalyst for Enlightenment intellectual and scientific development, and the evolution of a scientific study of geology. A chapter is included on Charles Lyell, an influential geologist and author who did much to spread knowledge of Hutton's findings and theories, including being influential on Darwin who read his "Principles of Geology" while on the Beagle voyage. And of course, Hutton's theory was of critical assistance to Darwin, because it indicated that the earth had been in existence for millions of years, during which the slow processes of evolution would have had an opportunity to develop. This is another of the new breed of fairly short books (228 pages) that are just excellent in rich in content, putting some of their longer counterparts to shame. An excellent appendix deals with key geologic terms and some current views of Hutton; a valuable extensive bibliography is also included. Just a most pleasant read about a novel topic.

Copernicus and Galileo moved the center of the universe away from the Biblical world. Darwin moved the creation of species out of the Biblical garden. James Hutton, though little-known today, had a similar role. He moved the origin of the Earth out of Biblical creation and flooding, into the realm of observable, testable fact.

It may not sound like much today, but it was just as shattering a shift in its time. Hutton's theory of geology had the added impact of informing Darwin, and preparing that later scientist for changes in species as gradual and continuous as the changes in the earth under them.

Repcheck's biography of Hutton describes the man, his times, and the debates that followed his theory. Repcheck starts with background - some history of the Bible and Christian doctrine, of Scotland in general, and of Edinburgh in particular. Hutton's time must have been an exciting one. It's now called the 'Scottish Enlightenment,' and gave rise to Adam Smith, James Watt, and many other great thinkers. Repcheck then gives a very readable account of Hutton's life and the successors who guarded his intellectual heritage.

The book is a clear, readable account of the man that made study of the world into a science instead of a branch of Biblical scholarship. Repcheck never fully engaged my imagination or passion for the character, though. There's background material up to page 100 or beyond, with some speculation on how the young Hutton fit into the Edinburgh that Repcheck so clearly documents. Hard facts about Hutton start to appear about that point. Hutton then dies before page 165 (out of 250 pages or fewer). His ideas live on, but the book says surpringly little about Hutton the man.

It's a short, informative history of the origin of modern geology, and a brief picture of the man who brought that origin about. This is not the most vivid character protrayal I've seen, but it adds a welcome chapter to the history of science.

//wiredweird