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If it was good enough for Darwin…
Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 121 (2010) 3
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Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/pgeola
Context
If it was good enough for Darwin. . . Michael Benton * Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
Papers like the contribution from Eric Freeman (pages 4–12) might be seen as not perfectly in the mainstream of current scientific publications. The author is not in a University or recognised research institution, the paper concerns a series of methods the author has championed for some time seemingly against a certain amount of resistance or indifference, and the style is not conventional. In the current parlance, the author is an ‘amateur’ as opposed to a ‘professional’, the more usual kind of author of a scientific paper. The notion of ‘amateurs’ and ‘professionals’ has been considered by many, and especially in the field of palaeontology and field geology (Freeman, 1994; Dineley, 2000; Kennedy, 2006; Torrens, 2006). By the definition above of course Charles Darwin and James Hutton were amateurs: neither had an academic appointment, both championed their own causes, and in their own styles. The apparent divergence between ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’ is a much more recent trend, as science has become almost entirely institutionalised. The implication is of course that the ‘amateur’ scientist is unlikely to offer much of value to the ‘professional’. We are fortunate in the earth sciences in general that it is easy to make valuable contributions to research without a laboratory and without substantial funds. This might be less true of
cosmology or molecular biology. The Geologists’ Association fights hard on behalf of all enthusiastic earth scientists, whether amateur or professional, and provides a home for written contributions from all camps, providing they are original and worthwhile contributions to knowledge. Eric Freeman is by training a chemist, and he operates from his home address: so he is a ‘professional’ chemist, but an ‘amateur’ palaeontologist. However, in terms of time he devotes to each discipline, he is probably more an enthusiast for palaeontology than pure chemistry. Perhaps such labels are pointless, and a piece of work should be judged on its merits, as it was in the days of Charles Darwin, James Hutton and James Croll. The GA is proud to continue a long tradition and to support a little bit of unorthodoxy. References Dineley, D.L., 2000. Amateurs in geology. In: Hancock, P.J., ad Skinner, B.J. (Eds.), The Oxford Companion to the Earth. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 17. Freeman, E.F., 1994. The founders of the Geologists’ Association I: in search of W.J. Haywood. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 105, 161–166. Kennedy, W.J., 2006. C.W. Wright: a most professional amateur. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 117, 9–40. Torrens, H.S., 2006. Notes on ‘the amateur’ in the development of British geology. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 117, 1–8.
* Tel.: +44 117 9288202; fax: +44 117 9253385. E-mail address: [email protected]. 0016-7878/$ – see front matter ß 2009 The Geologists’ Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2009.12.005
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/pgeola
Context
If it was good enough for Darwin. . . Michael Benton * Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
Papers like the contribution from Eric Freeman (pages 4–12) might be seen as not perfectly in the mainstream of current scientific publications. The author is not in a University or recognised research institution, the paper concerns a series of methods the author has championed for some time seemingly against a certain amount of resistance or indifference, and the style is not conventional. In the current parlance, the author is an ‘amateur’ as opposed to a ‘professional’, the more usual kind of author of a scientific paper. The notion of ‘amateurs’ and ‘professionals’ has been considered by many, and especially in the field of palaeontology and field geology (Freeman, 1994; Dineley, 2000; Kennedy, 2006; Torrens, 2006). By the definition above of course Charles Darwin and James Hutton were amateurs: neither had an academic appointment, both championed their own causes, and in their own styles. The apparent divergence between ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’ is a much more recent trend, as science has become almost entirely institutionalised. The implication is of course that the ‘amateur’ scientist is unlikely to offer much of value to the ‘professional’. We are fortunate in the earth sciences in general that it is easy to make valuable contributions to research without a laboratory and without substantial funds. This might be less true of
cosmology or molecular biology. The Geologists’ Association fights hard on behalf of all enthusiastic earth scientists, whether amateur or professional, and provides a home for written contributions from all camps, providing they are original and worthwhile contributions to knowledge. Eric Freeman is by training a chemist, and he operates from his home address: so he is a ‘professional’ chemist, but an ‘amateur’ palaeontologist. However, in terms of time he devotes to each discipline, he is probably more an enthusiast for palaeontology than pure chemistry. Perhaps such labels are pointless, and a piece of work should be judged on its merits, as it was in the days of Charles Darwin, James Hutton and James Croll. The GA is proud to continue a long tradition and to support a little bit of unorthodoxy. References Dineley, D.L., 2000. Amateurs in geology. In: Hancock, P.J., ad Skinner, B.J. (Eds.), The Oxford Companion to the Earth. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 17. Freeman, E.F., 1994. The founders of the Geologists’ Association I: in search of W.J. Haywood. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 105, 161–166. Kennedy, W.J., 2006. C.W. Wright: a most professional amateur. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 117, 9–40. Torrens, H.S., 2006. Notes on ‘the amateur’ in the development of British geology. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 117, 1–8.
* Tel.: +44 117 9288202; fax: +44 117 9253385. E-mail address: [email protected]. 0016-7878/$ – see front matter ß 2009 The Geologists’ Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2009.12.005