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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Science advancing on very thin ice,
By Owen Hughes (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Piltdown Men (Hardcover)
"The Piltdown Men" is a fascinating book by a very good investigative writer. It recounts the story of one of the most successful frauds in modern science, and takes a look at the group of men who were behind the initial "discovery" and who supported it. The culprit has never been found, but it is supposed that it must have been one of this group who first put the elements in place, and triggered the find. At the same time, this is an interesting look at the state of palaeontology in the early part of the twentieth century. It was due in part to the need for just such a "missing link" that science found the so-called Piltdown Man so plausible. In addition, the fact that "he" happened to turn up on British soil was especially pleasing to the English school, which quickly took the fragmentary evidence under its wing, and proclaimed it loudly. There are a number of incidents related in the book, which make us wonder just how the fraud could have continued for nearly fifty years, as it did. It gives us pause to wonder about the veracity of any scientific assertion whatever, given the interplay of human pride and greed that may be involved. One of the participants in the initial story, who verified it and then supported it to some extent, was the French philosopher and theologian, Teilhard de Chardin. He was just one of several interesting characters who became involved in the story, and probably helped to give it credence. A very good account by a writer who has also given us one of the most interesting modern books about the King Arthur legend, although it seems to have been completely overlooked. Don't hesitate to read either of these books if you should stumble across them.
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