In which Max explores two titans of nineteenth century geology using fictional characters of their own creation, Lyell’s amphibious being and Suess’s extraterrestrial observer (Part 1 of 3)
Read More
The Importance of Background Theory, or Why James Hall Left Mountains out of his Theory of Mountain Building
In which Max asks whether James Hall really left mountains out of his theory of mountain building (as J.D. Dana famously alleged)
Read More
Dinosaur Time
In which Max complains about how prevalent the language of political domination is in popular writing about dinosaurs
Read More
Equilibrium, Disrupted
In which Max finally completes his three-part essay on Stephen Jay Gould and punctuated equilibria, and asks why Gould changed his mind about key features of evolution around 1977
Read More
From the archive: How to Change your Life using Punctuated Equilibria/Paradox of Stasis
In which Max re-posts the first two parts of his three-part essay on Stephen Jay Gould and punctuated equilibria in an effort to drum up interest in Part 3…
Read More
The First Philosopher of Paleontology— er, 'Palaetiology'
In which Max considers the geological writings of William Whewell and his concept of “palaetiological science”
Read More