Field Life: Science in the American West During the Railroad Era

Historians generally assume that the geological theories of George Hoggart Toulmin (1754–1817) are identical to those of James Hutton. This paper seeks to establish that Toulmin's ideas are significantly distinct and possess an independent interest. It argues that Toulmin was highly exceptional in his treatment of the nature and history of Man within the discipline of geology, for he saw Man (like the Earth) as being eternal, and also treated Man totally naturalistically, as an integral, non-privileged part of the terraqueous system. The neglect of Toulmin by subsequent geologists is examined, and it is suggested that it was in part attributable to the unacceptability of his interpretation of Man.