IMPOSSIBLE MONSTERS

A remarkable look at how sweeping social changes can come from strange and small beginnings.

Anyone who thinks that the culture wars of contemporary times are being fought with unprecedented ferocity should take a look at this book, “a history of the geologists, paleontologists, and biologists who…discovered dinosaurs, expanded our knowledge of the earliest ages of Earth, and transformed our understanding of humankind’s descent.” Taylor, a well-regarded historian and author of The Interest, focuses on Britain in the 19th century and how the absolutes of fundamentalist religion were upended by discoveries of dinosaur bones and other fossilized remains. Until that time, the authority of the church was largely unchallenged. Consequently, the early-18th-century discovery of ancient bones of unknown creatures raised serious questions. At this time, Britain was undergoing a development boom, and the construction of new mines and railways soon revealed more bones. As the evidence of prehistoric animals continued to mount, the religious authorities found themselves on the defensive. There were many efforts to reconcile the emerging sciences with biblical history, but clearly there was no going back, despite fierce debate at every level. The speed of all this is striking: Essentially, within two generations, the basis of society shifted from religious certainty to scientific inquiry. "Few if any transformations in intellectual history have been more profound,” Taylor concludes. It’s telling that when Darwin, who had once been pilloried as a crank and a fraud, died in 1882, he was buried with honors in Westminster Abbey. Taylor ably conveys the ferment of the time, and he does so with respect to all concerned. This is an intriguing and accessible book, featuring many useful insights into how one age ended and another began.

With careful research, Taylor unravels how the discovery of the past pointed the way toward a new future.