Frakastoro about fossils

But all of these guesses were more or less random and had little effect: XV and XVI centuries. not conducive to their proliferation. Even in the XVII century. they have not yet reached general acceptance, although a number of distinguished scholars, what are, for example, Fabio Colonna and Steno the Dane, who lived in Florence, were their protectors and advocates. Only in the XVII and XVIII centuries. right view begins to assert, with all the writers of this time much desire to overthrow the opposing views, thanks to the efforts of Leibniz, Speigner, Hooke Vallisneri, recession and so on, gradually spread the belief that the fossils represent the remains of plants and animals that inhabited the earth in the last period . Other attempts to geological investigations were as alien to the proper setting, as well as an explanation of fossils, a significant obstacle, and here is a Jewish legend about the origin of the world: the majority were under the direct influence of their unquestionable authority, while others were afraid of the disastrous consequences that threatened anyone who dares to speak against them. For many centuries, this view prevails, and only through hard struggle succeeded in winning their geology independent position. However, in the currently very widespread opinion that any discrepancy between the letter of the tradition and free investigation is a sad phenomenon: so many people still look at the geology, as a dangerous and standing on the wrong path of science. It is difficult to understand this attitude. Religion was not damaged when it was established the fact of motion of the earth around the sun, and beliefs of the faithful in the same way can not be moved when the masses will be distributed right geological views. Said circumstances were very unfavorable for the development of geology. Needless to say those views that have long been dominant: they represent nothing more than a squalid retellings of ancient legends. Were first expressed independently and in many respects, the right attitudes, thus Steno (1669), which, as mentioned above, we have explained the origin of fossils. He drew attention to the stratification of rocks, and concluded from this that the latter had settled from the water. Initially, all the layers were arranged horizontally, and the slope of the later geological processes caused by volcanic temper. Steno distinguish lacustrine and marine sediments, as it is, however, did before him, and Fabio Colonna. Studying the nature of the occurrence of rocks, he was trying to establish something like a geological history. In this way he managed to prove that the Tuscany, the study of which he was involved in previous periods in the life of the earth two times was covered with water, twice represented the low-lying valley and twice was a mountainous country. In particular, finite, and it has many errors, incorrect observations and explanations, but at least the merit of this researcher that he attempted to put an exact explanation of the phenomena on the experimental stage and made many correct views. The merit of this is so great that the Bologna International Congress of Geologists in 1881 decided to erect a monument over the grave of Steno.