Controversy in Victorian Geology

The book offers an in-depth exploration of the intense scientific debates of Darwin's era, highlighting the efforts to categorize and understand the natural world. It reveals how these taxonomic pursuits influenced social structures and imperial ambitions, illustrating geology's appeal to a ruling elite seeking to justify their dominance through a divinely-ordered creation narrative. The detailed account emphasizes the interplay between scientific inquiry and societal implications during a transformative period in history.