(no subject)

[elainegrey]

I am continuing to audit the biography of William Smith, "Father of English Geography." The author seems fond of lush and detailed descriptions, aquainting his twenty-first century reader with the somewhat alien world of two hundred years ago. The chapter describing William Smith's coming of age describes the bible shaped understanding of the age of the world and the explanation of figured stones. As i listen to the British author read his book, i note how he loads his descriptive words of the era's belief in the Bible with slightly negative terms: zealots, for example, counted up the generations implied in the Bible to estimate how old the earth was. I also get this sense he's striving to help his readers understand the world view that existed as William Smith came of age, as if no one could now really comprehend the limited frame.

As i listened i couldn't decide: is Britain homogeneous in its acceptance of science, or is Simon Winchester so derisive of anyone today who can't accept the light brought by William Smith he can't bring himself to acknowledge that the world view of William Smith's childhood persists?

This morning a friend posts photos of a Bible based earth science text book in flickr that includes this section:



A bit appropriate, as William Smith's early revelations came about while he managed a coal mine.

ETA: Dear flickr, i can't embed this photo, why?