Perilous Planet Earth: Catastrophes and Catastrophism through the Ages

by Trevor Palmer

Overview

Reviewing our present concerns about the threat from natural disasters, such as asteroids and immense volcanic eruptions, within the context of history, this volume is written at a level that interests academics as well as general readers. It explains how catastrophic events have influenced the course of evolution in the distant past, and the rise and fall of civilizations in more recent times. Trevor Palmer argues that a better understanding of the past will allow humanity to take appropriate action to preserve civilization for the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521174640
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/03/2010
Pages:	536
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Trevor Palmer was awarded a PhD in 1973 by the University of London, for his research into inherited medical disorders.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Catastrophism: The Story of its Decline and Fall … and Resurrection; Section 1. From Prehistory to 1899: Catastrophism Dominates for Centuries, but Then Gives Way to Gradualism: 1. Mythology, religion and catastrophism; 2. Hutton: fact and fiction about the origins of modern gradualism; 3. Cuvier and Lamarck: choosing between extinction and evolution; 4. Natural theology and Noah's Flood: the high-water mark of catastrophism; 5. Catastrophism, uniformitarianism and idealist philosophy; 6. Lyell triumphant: gradualism dominates geology; 7. Darwin and evolution; 8. After the Origin: the triumph of evolutionary gradualism; Section 2: From 1900 to 1979: Gradualism Reigns Supreme: 9. Neo-Darwinism: the Modern Synthesis; 10. Phyletic gradualism; 11. Gradualist perceptions of human evolution; 12. Heretical catastrophists; 13. Atlantis: rational and irrational theories of a 'lost' civilisation; 14. Evolutionary mass extinctions and neocatastrophism; 15. Punctuated equilibrium: a new evolutionary perspective; 16. Human evolution: gradual or punctuational?; Section 3. From 1980 to the Present Day: Catastrophism Strikes Back: 17. Evolution evolving; 18. Into the new millennium: evolution today; 19. Chaos in the Solar System; 20. Catastrophes on Earth; 21. The death of the dinosaurs: iridium and the K-T extinctions; 22. The continuing K-T debate; 23. Mass extinctions and the course of evolution; Part II. Catastrophes and the History of Life on Earth: 24. Extinctions large and small; 25. Cyclic processes and mass extinctions; 26. The uncertain origins of humankind; 27. Ice ages in the Pleistocene epoch; 28. Modern views of Atlantis; 29. Natural catastrophes and the rise and fall of civilisations; 30. Conclusions; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Review of the hardback: '… written in a style that is at once dispassionate and engaging … Ranging, as it does, over several related disciplines, this book will undoubtedly appeal to both amateurs and academics alike.' Astronomy & Space

Review of the hardback: 'This is a very thorough, detailed and up to date book … It covers many aspects of science from geology, evolution and astronomy through to history and social anthropology … For anyone studying the subject this is a 'must have' reference book, it brings many ideas and theories together and then shows you where to go for more information. I don't think there's much it doesn't cover.' Open University Geological Society Journal

Review of the hardback: '… Palmer manages to steer even-handedly through the opposing territories of catastrophist and gradualist paradigms and, in doing so, illuminates one of the most enduring currents of human thought.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

Review of the hardback: 'A veritable encyclopaedia of disasters that have beset our planet from prehistoric times up to the present, this book is presented in an informative style that demands to be read … a cracking read.' Astronomy Now

Review of the hardback: 'This original and ambitious book will attract several different audiences. … The student will find this a detailed, yet friendly volume and will be encouraged by the scope it provides … lecturers will be able to use the well-researched histories of the theoretical foundation for these scientific case studies, which are presented in an interesting and up-to-date research context, to coax undergraduates to do some serious thinking about the science they are engaged in. For the general reader, too, the book has plenty to offer … Palmer is an erudite and informed guide through the highways and byways into the perils of this planet and our attempts to understand them.' The Holocene

From the Publisher