A history and analysis of the theory of spontaneous generation and how scientific thought progresses.
We accept that, at some point in the history of our universe, living creatures emerged from nonliving matter. Yet from the time of Aristotle until the late nineteenth century, many people believed in spontaneous generation, that living creatures sprang into existence from rotting material. As Daryn Lehoux explains in this fascinating book, spontaneous generation was perhaps the last stand of the ancient scientific worldview.
In Creatures Born of Mud and Slime, Lehoux shows that—far from being a superstitious, gullible, or simplistic belief—spontaneous generation was a sophisticated and painstakingly grounded fact that stood up to the best scientific testing. Starting with the ancient Greeks’ careful and detailed investigations into how animals are generated straight through to the early modern period, Lehoux brings to life the intellectual contexts, rivalries, observational evidence, and complex and fascinating theories that were used to understand and explain the phenomena.
The book highlights both the weirdness and the wonder that lie at the heart of investigations into nature. Lehoux concludes with a new look at a set of conflicting experiments that demonstrate that even the best scientific evidence can end up muddying what we take to be the truth about the world. Creatures Born of Mud and Slime is a compelling look at how we understand conceptions of scientific change, truth, and progress.
“A very well-written and well-researched book that grapples with the foundational questions of the history of Western philosophy.” —Justin E. H. Smith, author of The Philosopher: A History in Six Types
“A historical tour de force . . . the author’s brilliant prose [makes] the reader appreciate at one time the strangeness and the persuasive power of outmoded scientific explanations.” —Paolo Savoia, Nuncius 34
“Concise and accessible, Lehoux’s clarity and graceful prose make this book . . . a pleasure to delve into.” —James Strick, HOPOS 8