History of the Earth: An Introduction to Historical Geology

1961 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 536
Author(s):  
F. Dixey ◽  
Bernhard Kummel
Author(s):  
E. S. Gaponenko ◽  
L. V. Novgorodova ◽  
E. S. Lekaj ◽  
R. U. Eremenko ◽  
V. N. Komarov ◽  
...  

The possibilities of using test tasks of various forms for the current control of the objective assessment of students knowledge of historical geology have been clarified. Brief information about the essence of pedagogical control and tests has been given. The value of control maps for the analysis and statistical processing of test results has been considered. The effectiveness of the test verification system for the organization of self-control over the course of assimilation and consolidation of the acquired knowledge, as well as the implementation of self-management training activities of students, has been proved. It has been concluded that the educational material that affects the history of the Earth in the Precambrian is the most difficult (10,0% of the correct answers), as well as the various aspects of the evolution of the organic world (10,1%), and alsothe information about minerals (11,5%). Students showed the best knowledge in the field of stratigraphic division of the studied intervals of geological history of the Earth (50,4%), features of the Paleozoic stage (42,4%) and various historical aspects (37,3%). It has been established that the maximal difficulties, regardless of the content, cause the tasks requiring systematic knowledge for compliance (9,4%). A small positive dynamics of students performance indicators has been revealed in the study of the material relating to different ages and different types of tectonic structures, as well as in the work with tests to establish compliance. It has been proved that the test control system makes it possible to make more systematic and effective conduct of classes, organize a self-control over the course for mastering individual topics and adjust the lecture material to improve the efficiency of training. Data on the results of the test control of educational work should be fully used for timely adjustment of educational trajectories of students at all stages of training in historical geology. They will be necessary for the development of initiatives in mastering the future profession, creative abilities, the ability to plan and predict the results of their independent actions and to solve non-standard tasks.


Author(s):  
ROY PORTER

The physician George Hoggart Toulmin (1754–1817) propounded his theory of the Earth in a number of works beginning with The antiquity and duration of the world (1780) and ending with his The eternity of the universe (1789). It bore many resemblances to James Hutton's "Theory of the Earth" (1788) in stressing the uniformity of Nature, the gradual destruction and recreation of the continents and the unfathomable age of the Earth. In Toulmin's view, the progress of the proper theory of the Earth and of political advancement were inseparable from each other. For he analysed the commonly accepted geological ideas of his day (which postulated that the Earth had been created at no great distance of time by God; that God had intervened in Earth history on occasions like the Deluge to punish man; and that all Nature had been fabricated by God to serve man) and argued they were symptomatic of a society trapped in ignorance and superstition, and held down by priestcraft and political tyranny. In this respect he shared the outlook of the more radical figures of the French Enlightenment such as Helvétius and the Baron d'Holbach. He believed that the advance of freedom and knowledge would bring about improved understanding of the history and nature of the Earth, as a consequence of which Man would better understand the terms of his own existence, and learn to live in peace, harmony and civilization. Yet Toulmin's hopes were tempered by his naturalistic view of the history of the Earth and of Man. For Time destroyed everything — continents and civilizations. The fundamental law of things was cyclicality not progress. This latent political conservatism and pessimism became explicit in Toulmin's volume of verse, Illustration of affection, published posthumously in 1819. In those poems he signalled his disapproval of the French Revolution and of Napoleonic imperialism. He now argued that all was for the best in the social order, and he abandoned his own earlier atheistic religious radicalism, now subscribing to a more Christian view of God. Toulmin's earlier geological views had run into considerable opposition from orthodox religious elements. They were largely ignored by the geological community in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain, but were revived and reprinted by lower class radicals such as Richard Carlile. This paper is to be published in the American journal, The Journal for the History of Ideas in 1978 (in press).


This volume vividly demonstrates the importance and increasing breadth of quantitative methods in the earth sciences. With contributions from an international cast of leading practitioners, chapters cover a wide range of state-of-the-art methods and applications, including computer modeling and mapping techniques. Many chapters also contain reviews and extensive bibliographies which serve to make this an invaluable introduction to the entire field. In addition to its detailed presentations, the book includes chapters on the history of geomathematics and on R.G.V. Eigen, the "father" of mathematical geology. Written to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the International Association for Mathematical Geology, the book will be sought after by both practitioners and researchers in all branches of geology.


Nature ◽  
1956 ◽  
Vol 177 (4500) ◽  
pp. 155-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. JACOBS ◽  
D. W. ALLAN
Keyword(s):  

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