Paleontology, Princ of: Science & Society

"Principles of Paleontology" remains the finest introductory academic text to paleontology, written by two of the foremost paleontologists in the latter half of the 20th Century. It may be of interest too to historians and philosophers of science since the book reflects paleontology's emergence as a quantitative science shaped by recent advances in systematic biology and theoretical ecology. David Raup, now professor emeritus of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, was probably the paleontologist most responsible for paleontology's emergence as a quantitative science; his research covered many aspects of theoretical paleontology from analyzing shell morphology to measuring evolutionary rates. Steven M. Stanley, still a professor of geology at Johns Hopkins University, is noted for his research on the functional morphology of mollusk shells, measuring evolutionary rates, and introducing the concept of "Species Selection". Raup's and Stanley's text covers all aspects of paleontology from preservation and the fossil record to functional morphology, biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and macroevolution. Of special note to historians of science is the considerable attention that they devoted to then recent advances in community and population ecology, such as the MacArthur-Wilson theory of equilibrium island biogeography. Admittedly, much of the book emphasizes invertebrate paleontology, though some attention is devoted too to paleobotany and vertebrate paleontology.