Description
The definitive account of the early debate over Wegener's theory of continental drift, based on extensive interviews and archival material.
About the Author
Henry R. Frankel was awarded a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1974 and then took a position at the University of Missouri, Kansas City where he became Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department (1999-2004). His interest in the continental drift controversy and the plate tectonics revolution began while teaching a course on conceptual issues in science during the late 1970s. The controversy provided him with an example of a recent and major scientific revolution to test philosophical accounts of scientific growth and change. Over the next thirty years, and with the support of the United States National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Philosophical Society, Professor Frankel's research went on to yield new and fascinating insights into the evolution of the most important theory in the Earth sciences.
Reviews
'A well constructed and gripping narrative, which preserves the complex scientific detail, but invites one into this fascinating world and helps the reader patiently to find a way through its labyrinth. Frankel is a wonderful guide and worthy of your trust.' Mott Greene, University of Puget Sound, Washington and University of Washington
'What is so impressive about this monumental work is its completeness. Frankel has gone back to the original sources and papers, to ensure complete understanding of the scientific issues involved. I recommend these volumes to anyone interested in the subject.' Dan McKenzie, University of Cambridge
'This is the definitive history of the way science really worked during the prolonged great geoscience debate of the twentieth century ... Superb either for sampling, eased by excellent organization, or for a long, rewarding read.' Warren Hamilton, Colorado School of Mines
Praise for the 4-volume collection: '... an unparalleled study of remarkable depth, detail and quality of a key development in our ideas about how the Earth functions ... because Frankel draws on his extensive oral historical work with the key players in the development of plate tectonics, this is a study which can never be repeated in terms of its proximity to the events narrated, so many of those key players now being deceased.' Progress in Physical Geography
Book Information
ISBN 9780521875042
Author Henry R. Frankel
Format Hardback
Page Count 625
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1380g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 179mm * 32mm