SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH ON THINKING AND LEARNING IN THE GEOSCIENCES: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GEOLOGIC TIME AND ITS CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORKS

The discovery of geologic time revolutionized scientific thinking and led to the development of the modern Earth sciences. Less appreciated, however, is the fact that geologic time has had far-reaching cultural and societal consequences that go well beyond its founding influence upon the geosciences. We argue that it is crucial that all students—geoscientists or not—be exposed to wider economic, political, and cultural dimensions of deep time.

We frame our approach in terms of the importance of motivation, context, and interest. The temporal perspective of geology is crucial for developing adequate models for the future sustainability of our planet. Deep time provides the record of the frequency, magnitude, and recurrence of events like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and hurricanes that should inform risk assessment and inventory of resources. However, we see too few examples of where the teachings of the geosciences have influenced economics or policy and more research is needed to test the effectiveness of current teaching approaches.

We hope that this work can inaugurate a common research program between geoscientists, humanists, economists, and policy analysts to make full use of the significance of geologic time. We should spend less effort teaching students to think about the past and more effort teaching students to think about the future, using the geologic past as a guide. This presentation presents an overview of the historical development and cultural relevance of deep time and suggests ways to increase students' understanding of the significance of geologic time.