Chapter 3 : The Original Penguin (Angel Jorge)

In Chapter 3 of Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert introduces the reader to the word "catastrophist." Made by William Whewell in 1832, a catastrophist was a scientist who believed that the history of the planet was characterized by sudden, global catastrophes that caused large numbers of species to go instinct. She also explains uniformitarianism as the opposite of catastrophism which is similar to the idea of species and landscapes slowly changing over time. An early uniformitarian was a geologist named Charles Lyell. He was familiar with Cuvier and his work. Lyell studied rocks all over Europe and found no proof that there had been a global catastrophe that caused species to go extinct. Lyell proposed that extinction was a slow, gradual process, and not a mass death. He toured the world giving lectures. Lyell and Cuvier were both great scientists. Lyell popularized his theories in the United States. His ideas that contradicted catastrophic events proved to be very influential. Lyell also had a strong influence on one of his readers, Charles Darwin. After Darwin's journey to the Galapagos, he disagreed with Lyell who believed that the geological world was changing in small and immeasurable ways and didn't believe in evolution. Darwin applied Lyell's principles of gradual change to life and not just geology. Darwin argued that there could be no extinction without the origin of new species. He believed that species were all fighting for limited resources and that other species were superior to others in some way that allowed one to survive because of their superior qualities. Darwin understood that humans could playa role in the extinction of a species based on his studies in the Galapagos Islands. He, however, didn't realize that humans were responsible for the extinction of hundreds of different animals. Darwin conceived natural selection as a gradual, slow process rather than a sudden catastrophic mass extinction. This passage is important because it introduces human nature to the readers. "The history of life consists of 'long period of boredom interrupted occasionally by panic,'" (Page 65). This quote explains the theme of humans has had an impact on the environment for millions of years. The quote is stating that the Earth's natural, interconnected ecosystem would remain natural and uninterrupted if humans hadn't impacted it with 'panic.'