The Rejection of Continental Drift: Theory and Method in American Earth Science - Softcover

Oreskes, Naomi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195117336 ISBN 13: 9780195117332

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999

Synopsis

In the early twentieth century, American earth scientists were united in their opposition to the new--and highly radical--notion of continental drift, even going so far as to label the theory "unscientific." Some fifty years later, however, continental drift was heralded as a major scientific breakthrough and today it is accepted as scientific fact. Why did American geologists reject so adamantly an idea that is now considered a cornerstone of the discipline? And why were their European colleagues receptive to it so much earlier? This book, based on extensive archival research on three continents, provides important new answers while giving the first detailed account of the American geological community in the first half of the century. Challenging previous historical work on this episode, Naomi Oreskes shows that continental drift was not rejected for the lack of a causal mechanism, but because it seemed to conflict with the basic standards of practice in American geology. This account provides a compelling look at how scientific ideas are made and unmade.

About this title

About the Author

Naomi Oreskes is at New York University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195117336
• ISBN 13: 9780195117332
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432