|
Part 2. Lyell and the Development of Geological Science |
Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011, USA
Catastrophism in the Earth sciences is rooted in the view that Earth signifies its causative processes via landforms, structures and rock. Processes of types, rates and magnitudes not presently in evidence may well be signified this way. Uniformitarianism, in contrast, is a regulative stipulation motivated by the presumed necessity that science achieves logical validity in what can be said (hypothesized) about the Earth. Regulative principles, including simplicity, actualism and gradualism, are imposed a priori to insure valid inductive reasoning. This distinction lies at the heart of the catastrophist versus uniformitarian debates in the early nineteenth century and it continues to influence portions of the current scientific program. Uniformitarianism, as introduced by Charles Lyell in 1830, is specifically tied to an early nineteenth century view of inductive inference. Catastrophism involves a completely different form of inference in which hypotheses are generated retroductively. This latter form of logical inference remains relevant to modern science, while the outmoded notions of induction that warranted the doctrine of uniformitarianism were long ago shown to be overly restrictive in scientific practice. The latter should be relegated solely to historical interest in the progress of ideas.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  V. R. Baker The Spokane Flood debates: historical background and philosophical perspective Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2008; 301: 33 - 50. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. B. Marvin Geology: from an Earth to a planetary science in the twentieth century Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2002; 192: 17 - 57. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
