References for Philosophy of Science - Geology:
(Compiled by Valerie Sheedy, Spring 2001)
Ager, Derek (1993) The New Catastrophism: The importance of the rare event in geological history. Cambridge University Press.
- QE 506 .A34 1995
- A discussion of the preservation, or lack thereof, of fossils and the rock record as well as depositional mechanisms of the past and present, and implications.
Albritton, Claude, C., Jr., ed. (1975) Philosophy of Geohistory. Dowden, Hutchinson, and Ross, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA.
- QE 11 .A42
- A collection of fifteen articles including authors such as James Hutton and Charles Lyell with philosophical discussion and defense of geologys theories.
Attfield, Robin, and Belsey, Andrew, eds. (1994) Philosophy and the Natural Environment. Cambridge University Press.
- Robin Attfield, "Rehabilitating Nature and Making Nature Habitable", p. 45.
- An article addressing the intrinsic value of nature with references to Mill, Elliot, and Katz.
Frodeman, Robert, ed. (2000) Earth Matters: The Earth Sciences, Philosophy, and The Claims of the Community. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
- Contact Dr. Summa, she has a copy to make copies of desired articles.
- A great collection of articles about how geology affects the earth and its inhabitants with topics ranging from nuclear waste to culture.
Kuhn, Thomas S. (1977) The Essential Tension: Selected studies in scientific tradition and change. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Q 175 .K954
- This book is mostly about physics, but Kuhn is responsible for creating the "paradigm" in scientific terms. He rejects the notion that science progresses in a linear, continuous manner, rather, it undergoes shifts or jumps to new belief systems.
Godfrey, Laurie R., ed. (1983) Scientists Confront Creationism. W.W. Norton and Company, New York.
- Article #9, David M. Raup, "The Geological and Paleontological Arguments of Creationism", p. 147.
- Article #12, Steven D Schafersman, "Fossils, Stratigraphy, and Evolution: Consideration of a Creationist Argument", p. 219.
- BS 652 .S34
- NOTE* this book is "available" according to the library, but is has been misplaced.
Gutting, Gary, ed (1980) Paradigms and Revolutions: Appraisals and Applications of Thomas Kuhns Philosophy of Science. University of Notre Dame Press, Norte Dame.
- Rachel Laudan, "The Recent Revolutions in Geology and Kuhns Theory of Scientific Change", p. 284.
- A discussion on whether geologys shift to plate tectonics theory classifies as Kuhnian.
- John C. Greene, "The Kuhnian Paradigm and the Darwinian Revolution in Natural History", p. 297.
- An analysis of Kuhns paradigms in the context of Darwins discoveries with commentary on evolutionism, creationism, and uniforminarianism.
Hallam, A. (1989) Great Geological Controversies, 2nd ed.. Oxford Scientific Publications.
- QE 11 .H35 1989
- Discussion of controversies such as catastrophism vs. uniformitarianism, the age of the earth, and mass extinctions, with some debate on methodology.
Owen, David B., ed. (1994) On Knowing The Natural Sciences. University of Chicago Press.
- Richard McKeon, Lecture two, "Philosophic Problems in the Natural Sciences".
- An excerpt from a text book that discusses kinds of: science, motion, space, and nature; explaining differences within them.
Rappaport, Rhoda (1978; 1980) Borrowed Words: Problems of vocabulary in eighteenth- century geology. Northeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Amers, Mass; 26th International Geological Congress, Paris.
- available through PALS Minitex
- Discusses some of the early linguistic problems in developing science.
Serres, Michael, ed. (1995) A History of Scientific Thought. Blackwell Publishers.
- Geof Bowker, In Defense of Geology: The origins of Lyells uniformitarianism, p. 483.
- Attempts to reconcile some of the time issues with geology and the bible, causality with reference to the bible, and advocates progressive change.
Siu, R.G.H. (1957) The Tao of Science: An essay of western knowledge and eastern wisdom. The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass.
- B 799 .S5
- An old book, but both interesting and entertaining. It humbles science.
Unknown book maybe Scientists vs. Creationists?
- #12 Martin J. Rudwick, "The Shape and Meaning of Earth History", p. 296.
- Spatial relationships between early geology and the bible in developing theories of the earth.
- #13 James R. Moore, "Geologists and Interpreters of Genesis in the Nineteenth Cenutry", p. 322.
- Uses Lyell and Bacons theories to debate Nature interprets Genesis vs. Genesis interprets Nature.