History of the Earth, Laboratory of Revolutions

With the exception of the astronomical and cosmological debates of the 16tʰ and 17tʰ centuries, Geology is the scientific discipline that, in early modern and modern European history, seems to be most entangled with politics and authority— possibly the one in which some of the most anti-authoritarian stances of the 18tʰ century were held. It is also the field in which (in an anticipated homage to Reinhard Koselleck’s famous remarks) for the first time the meaning of ‘revolution’ seemingly changed from circularity to linearity.