Seashell on the Mountaintop
Alan Cutler, Ph.D.
Read by Grover Gardner
The answer to the burning 17th century question of the seashell on the mountaintop spurred a scientific, religious, and philosophical revolution that defined our intellectual history—and underlies almost everything we know about how our planet works.
How could a seashell get into a rock? And how could that rock get to the top of a mountain? The "seashell question" plagues 17th century thinkers who fervently believed the planet was young and the human race supreme.
The man who answered these burning questions of the day, Nicolaus Steno, introduced the study of geology and the idea of "deep time," a concept radically contrary to the prevailing Judeo-Christian belief, which firmly held that the world was a mere 6,000 years old. His answer to the riddle of the seashell question was that the world was far older—perhaps billions of years old. Steno's "deep time" inflamed scientific, religious, and philosophical controversies, spurring a revolution that defined our intellectual history.
In an intriguing new look at a unique thinker and creator, The Seashell on the Mountaintop brings to life a visionary man who has shaped our world and three centuries of scientific thought.
Abridged; 5¾ hours on 5 CDs
1-56511-638-0 (CD)
Alan Cutler Ph.D., a well-known and widely respected researcher in paleontology and geology, is a Research Associate in the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian Institute.
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