GEOL 2081 : 2061 Study Guide
Document Summary
There are a lot of questions about paleontology and a great deal can be inferred from fossils: fossils- the remains of any ancient organism. There have been two main approaches for natural science: Induction-sir francis bacon argued that it was only through the patient accumulation of accurate observations of natural phenomena that the explanation would emerge: deduction- where a series of observations point to an inevitable outcome. Paradigm shifts, are when a whole new idea invades an area of science. In roman and medieval times, fossils were often interpreted as mystical or magical objects. Most fossils were recognized as looking like the remains of plants and animals, but they were said to have been produced by a plastic force that operated within the earth. The debate about these plastic forces was terminated abruptly by the debacle of. Beringer"s figured stones, but it had really been resolved rather earlier.
