1. The Conflict of Systems

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter 1
2. Table of Contents 7
3. Part I. General Survey
4. 1. The Conflict of Systems 13
5. 2. Fludd, an Early Conciliator of Science and Genesis 25
6. 3. Descartes, the Rival of Aristotle 33
7. 4. The Pedagogue’s Approach to the Problem of Moses’s Scientific Accuracy 44
8. 5. Kircher, the Catholic Scientist 51
9. 6. Two Theologians of the Seventeenth Century 63
10. 7. Burnet, the Stimulator of Controversy 68
11. 8. The Zealous Debaters 81
12. 9. Ray, the Biologist 92
13. 10. Leibnitz, the Philosopher 100
14. 11. Le Clerc, an Early Modernist 105
15. 12. Whiston, the Mathematician 109
16. 13. Woodward, the Collector 125
17. 14. Cosmological References in Belles-Lettres 135
18. 15. Grew, the Rationalizer, and Moncharville, the Fantast 143
19. 16. Dickinson, the Atomist 149
20. 17. Witty, the Anticartesian, and Derham, the Astronomer 166
21. 18. Three Decades of Harmonizing Effort 176
22. 19. Continental Attempts to Reconcile Moses with Science 188
23. 20. Histories of the Eighteenth Century 193
24. 21. Buffon, the Zoologist 204
25. 22. French Theories of the Mid-century 219
26. 23. The Deluge, and the Earth it Submerged 229
27. 24. An Enlarging Universe and Genesis 242
28. 25. Pike and the Climax of the Harmonizing Theories 250
29. 26. De Luc, the Modern Scientist 264
30. 27. The End of an Era 282
31. Part II. Topical Review
32. 1. The Heavens 299
33. 2. Celestial Influences 325
34. 3. Primeval Light 338
35. 4. The Classification of Matter 351
36. 5. Misplaced Elements 364
37. 6. Earthquakes and Eruptions 381
38. 7. Mountains, Metals and Minerals 399
39. 8. Spontaneous Generation, Permanence of Species and Fossils 428
40. 9. The First Men 448
41. Bibliography 467
42. Index 491