Kenneth L. Taylor (born May 16, 1941) is an American historian of
geology.
Education and career
At
Harvard University, Taylor graduated in the specialty "History and Science" with three degrees: A.B. in 1962, A.M. in 1965, and Ph.D. in 1968.[1] His doctoral advisors were
I. Bernard Cohen and
Everett Mendelsohn.[2] In the department of the history of science at the
University of Oklahoma, Taylor was an assistant professor from 1967 to 1972, an associate professor from 1972 to 1986, and a full professor from 1986 to 2006,[1] when he retired as professor emeritus.[2] He chaired his department for 14 years,[3] from 1979 to 1992, and acted as interim chair in autumn 1978 and spring 1999.[1]
He has written numerous articles and essay reviews.[1] Several of his papers on the history of French geology and science during the
Age of Enlightenment are recognized as classics.[4] Taylor's essay The Beginnings of a French Geological Identity (1980) presents evidence that, in the years from 1750 to 1800, naturalists tended to reject large syntheses or theoretical systems of natural history and geology and to strongly favor field observations.[5] His essay Before volcanoes became ordinary (2016) points out that ancient Greek and Latin literature had no generic terms for volcanoes and gives an overview of how perceptions about volcanoes have changed over the past two millennia.[6]
Taylor, K. L. "The Beginnings of a French Geological Identity". Histoire et Nature: 65–82. No. 19–20 (1981–82){{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (
link) (Le développement de la géologie de langue française dans ses relations internationales des origines à la mort de Cuvier (1832), Actes, Symposium in history of geology, 26th International Geological Congress, held 7 to 17 July 1980 in Paris)
Taylor, K. L. (1985). "Early Geoscience Mapping, 1700–1830". Proceedings of the Geoscience Information Society. XV: 15–49.
Taylor, K. L. (1988). "Les Lois naturelles dans la géologie du XVIIIème siècle: Recherches préliminaires". Travaux du Comité Français d'Histoire de la Géologie, 3ème série (1): 1–28, tome II{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (
link)
Taylor, Kenneth L. (1994). "New light on geological mapping in Auvergne during the eighteenth century: The Pasumot-Desmarest collaboration". Revue d'Histoire des Sciences. 47 (1): 129–136.
doi:
10.3406/rhs.1994.1195.
JSTOR23633476.
Taylor, Kenneth (1998). "Earth and Heaven, 1750-1800: Enlightenment Ideas About the Relevance to Geology of Extraterrestrial Operations and Events". Earth Sciences History. 17 (2): 84–91.
doi:
10.17704/eshi.17.2.14010xt74738ut13.
Taylor, K. L. (2006). "Marivetz, Goussier, and Planet Earth: A Late Enlightenment Geo-Physical Project". Centaurus. 48 (4): 258–283.
doi:
10.1111/j.1600-0498.2006.00050.x.