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Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz, and the Meaning of Coral
Reef Madness opens up the world of nineteenth-century science and philosophy at a moment when the nature of scientific thought was changing, when what we call “science” (the word did not even exist) was spoken of as “natural philosophy” and was a part of theology, the study of “God’s natural works.”
This is how what is now called science, until then based on the presence and hence the authority of God, moved toward reliance on observable phenomena as evidence of truth. At the book’s center, two of that century’s most bitter one about the theory of natural selection, the other about the origin of coral.
Caught in the grip of these controversies were two men considered to be the gods of the nineteenth-century scientific Charles Darwin, the most controversial and ultimately the most influential; and the Swiss-born zoologist Louis Agassiz, almost forgotten today but at the time even more lionized than Darwin.
Agassiz was a paleontologist, the first to classify the fossil fish of the planet, and the first to conceive the idea of the ice age that altered our view of the Earth. He taught at Harvard, founded the Museum of Comparative Zoology, was one of the founders of the Smithsonian and of the National Academy of Sciences, and was considered the greatest lecturer of his time—eloquent, charming, spellbinding. Among his Emerson, Theodore Roosevelt, William James, and Thoreau. Agassiz believed that nature was so vast, complicated, and elegantly ordered that it could only be the work of God.
We see how this central principle of Agassiz’s was threatened by Darwin’s most central theory—that species change through natural causes, that we exist not because we’re meant to but because we happen to. Agassiz, forced either to disprove Darwin’s principle or give up his own, went to war full tilt against the theory of natural selection. It was a war that, beyond its own drama, had a second important effect on the new world of science.
David Dobbs tells how Agassiz’s son, Alexander, one of the most respected naturalists of his time, who witnessed his father’s rise and tragic defeat yet supported the theory of natural selection over his father’s objections, himself became locked in combat with Darwin.
The subject of contention was the “coral reef problem.” As a young man of twenty-six, Darwin, with only a small amount of data, put forth a theory about the formation of these huge beautiful forms composed of the skeletons of tiny animals that survive in shallow water. It explained how the reefs could rise on foundations that emerged from the Pacific’s greatest depths. This became the subject of Darwin’s first long paper, and it propelled him to the highest circles of British science.
The obsessed younger Agassiz spent the next thirty years in a vain effort to disprove Darwin’s coral theory, traveling 300,000 miles of ocean and looking at every coral mass. In so doing, he laid the groundwork for oceanography, through which, in 1950, the question of the origin of coral was finally resolved.
In Reef Madness , Dobbs looks at the nature of scientific theory. He shows how Darwin was crucially influenced by his encounters with the Agassiz father and son, and how the coral problem prefigured the fierce battle about evolution.
Original, illuminating, and fascinating, Reef Madness uses these large human struggles, which devastated two lives and shaped the thinking of another, to make real the Victorian world of science and to show how it affected the century that followed and continues to this day to affect our own.
This is how what is now called science, until then based on the presence and hence the authority of God, moved toward reliance on observable phenomena as evidence of truth. At the book’s center, two of that century’s most bitter one about the theory of natural selection, the other about the origin of coral.
Caught in the grip of these controversies were two men considered to be the gods of the nineteenth-century scientific Charles Darwin, the most controversial and ultimately the most influential; and the Swiss-born zoologist Louis Agassiz, almost forgotten today but at the time even more lionized than Darwin.
Agassiz was a paleontologist, the first to classify the fossil fish of the planet, and the first to conceive the idea of the ice age that altered our view of the Earth. He taught at Harvard, founded the Museum of Comparative Zoology, was one of the founders of the Smithsonian and of the National Academy of Sciences, and was considered the greatest lecturer of his time—eloquent, charming, spellbinding. Among his Emerson, Theodore Roosevelt, William James, and Thoreau. Agassiz believed that nature was so vast, complicated, and elegantly ordered that it could only be the work of God.
We see how this central principle of Agassiz’s was threatened by Darwin’s most central theory—that species change through natural causes, that we exist not because we’re meant to but because we happen to. Agassiz, forced either to disprove Darwin’s principle or give up his own, went to war full tilt against the theory of natural selection. It was a war that, beyond its own drama, had a second important effect on the new world of science.
David Dobbs tells how Agassiz’s son, Alexander, one of the most respected naturalists of his time, who witnessed his father’s rise and tragic defeat yet supported the theory of natural selection over his father’s objections, himself became locked in combat with Darwin.
The subject of contention was the “coral reef problem.” As a young man of twenty-six, Darwin, with only a small amount of data, put forth a theory about the formation of these huge beautiful forms composed of the skeletons of tiny animals that survive in shallow water. It explained how the reefs could rise on foundations that emerged from the Pacific’s greatest depths. This became the subject of Darwin’s first long paper, and it propelled him to the highest circles of British science.
The obsessed younger Agassiz spent the next thirty years in a vain effort to disprove Darwin’s coral theory, traveling 300,000 miles of ocean and looking at every coral mass. In so doing, he laid the groundwork for oceanography, through which, in 1950, the question of the origin of coral was finally resolved.
In Reef Madness , Dobbs looks at the nature of scientific theory. He shows how Darwin was crucially influenced by his encounters with the Agassiz father and son, and how the coral problem prefigured the fierce battle about evolution.
Original, illuminating, and fascinating, Reef Madness uses these large human struggles, which devastated two lives and shaped the thinking of another, to make real the Victorian world of science and to show how it affected the century that followed and continues to this day to affect our own.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2005
6 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
David Dobbs
14 books120 followersDavid Dobbs writes articles and essays on science, medicine, and culture for The New York Times, NY Times Book Review, Atlantic, WIRED, et alia. He also wrote the #1 Kindle Single My Mother’s Lover and books describing fierce arguments about forests, fish, and Darwin’s reefs. He lives in Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 10, 2024
“The deductive theorist is cooking a meal the aroma of which the inductive investigator can scarcely resist”
It was a lot of fun to read and discuss science during the 19th century with my lab and see how much has changed from then to now. Also interesting to learn more about the lead scientists that head speared coral reef research.
It was a lot of fun to read and discuss science during the 19th century with my lab and see how much has changed from then to now. Also interesting to learn more about the lead scientists that head speared coral reef research.
March 8, 2015
Although I'm not a huge fan of books focused on the history of science, I felt I learned a lot from this particular tome - it filled in many knowledge gaps surrounding this history of my own scientific field. For example, expeditions such as the Challenger which are well known in marine biology but I guess I never truly understood or appreciated its significance. Dobbs is a wonderful writer and did a fantastic job brining all the historical figure to life - the book was extensively researched and it really brought out the nuances of the characters (including both good and bad aspects of their personality).
September 3, 2008
It took me so long to finish this book. It’s not that because it’s bad or uninteresting, it’s just that it’s not the kind of hard-to-put-down. Pages by pages, we are to follow heated battles of scientists, probably boring in details for non-science enthusiasts: a seemingly unfair war between the towering figure of Charles Darwin, one of the most pre-eminent Victorian scientist of the time, with the American Alexander Agassiz, son of the notorious Louis Agassiz. (Louis was seen burning Darwin’s books in
The Dante Club
, because he thinks Darwin’s theory of natural selection is a blasphemy to God’s words concering the creation of the Earth and all its inhabitants.)
What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘scientist’? You might recall the images supplied to you by popular media: surgical, cold(-blooded) people, thinking logically, shooing away any hint of emotions or exuberant feelings. Reef Madness shows the opposite: Here come the lively people, sometimes blinded by their beautiful pet theories that they would vehemently slash right and left to outcompete their rivals, that they would forget what they should have done as scientists. (Well, Science has to wait until the great Karl Popper lay down what Science really is – the principles that make Freudism and Marxism cannot be categorised as Science – but surely ruling out the facts that counter your arguments, hypothesis or theory is not a proper thing to do by people trying to ‘find the truth’.) Alex, despite accepting evolution unlike his father, was burnt by the anger caused by all the ridicule directed towards his father, and was spurred on by his belief that Darwin and co had erred in their reef-building theories.
Nearing the end, comes the shock: when throughout the book we’ve been lead to sympathize to one of the parties involved in the madness, we’ll be shown a tragic outcome of the battles. And that’s when I felt the electrifying consequences of all the events and interactions portrayed in the book, and they compelled me to add another star to my rating. It reminds me once again how Science and scientists must work. Not only observation and facts are needed; imagination is also a part of Science.
Truly wonderful, although heart-breaking at the same time.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘scientist’? You might recall the images supplied to you by popular media: surgical, cold(-blooded) people, thinking logically, shooing away any hint of emotions or exuberant feelings. Reef Madness shows the opposite: Here come the lively people, sometimes blinded by their beautiful pet theories that they would vehemently slash right and left to outcompete their rivals, that they would forget what they should have done as scientists. (Well, Science has to wait until the great Karl Popper lay down what Science really is – the principles that make Freudism and Marxism cannot be categorised as Science – but surely ruling out the facts that counter your arguments, hypothesis or theory is not a proper thing to do by people trying to ‘find the truth’.) Alex, despite accepting evolution unlike his father, was burnt by the anger caused by all the ridicule directed towards his father, and was spurred on by his belief that Darwin and co had erred in their reef-building theories.
Nearing the end, comes the shock: when throughout the book we’ve been lead to sympathize to one of the parties involved in the madness, we’ll be shown a tragic outcome of the battles. And that’s when I felt the electrifying consequences of all the events and interactions portrayed in the book, and they compelled me to add another star to my rating. It reminds me once again how Science and scientists must work. Not only observation and facts are needed; imagination is also a part of Science.
Truly wonderful, although heart-breaking at the same time.
December 21, 2015
Darwin is well known for his theory of evolution, what I was not aware was of another theory he proposed- That of how corals are formed. For more than 60 years the theory was bitterly fought. More longer than the idea of evolution perhaps. This wonderful book is the story of this pitched battle fought in intellectual circles, in papers and publications. A lovely read for any natural history aficionado. The first few chapters are quite a bit of a drag, but slowly build up to the core of the book. Well researched and I learnt quite a lot of geography along with natural history.
April 10, 2013
The first half, which was a lot of the back story, kind of slogged a little...Alexander Agassiz spent that much of the book escaping his father Louis Agasssiz' shadow.... Once he really became engaged with the question of coral reef formation, the book really took off. If you have already read much about this time period of the questions of faith v science, then a lot of this will be a road already traveled.
May 12, 2015
Pretty dense at times, but I powered through. The best part of reading this was that I was surrounded by the book. I work at Harvard and I borrowed this book from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, the museum that Louis Agassiz created. I live down the street from where Alex Agassiz's wife is buried, at the Forest Hills Cemetery. It helped me feel connected, and these events seemed closer in place, if not time.
January 13, 2015
Fascinating exposition of a part of science history - competition, rivalries, father-son dynamics, 19th century globe trotting, and the mysteries of reef formation. Dobbs is a skillful writer and he really makes the personalities involved come alive. And he puts the reader right in the middle of the excitement when science, religion, and celebrity were a heady mix. It's good stuff.
March 17, 2014
This is a book I had to read for my Geography of the Seas class, where we had to write a book evaluation in the style of The Northern Mariner.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you have an interest in Darwin, the Agassiz's or coral reefs.
The Review:
David Dobbs. Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz and the Meaning of Coral. United States: Pantheon Books, 2005. 265pp., introduction, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. US $25.00, hardcover; ISBN 0-375-42161-0
Reef Madness embarks on a three part journey to the nineteenth century and dives deep into the lives of several influential scientists. It discusses how these scientists helped to shape scientific theory while putting forth their own theories about the Earth and its wonders. In particular, the novel focuses on two key debates of the time: of natural selection and of the origin and structure of coral reefs- termed the ‘coral reef problem’.
Numerous scientists and other influentials are referenced throughout, however the main focus in on Louis Agassiz, his son Alexander (Alex) and Charles Darwin. The senior Agassiz found himself in a longstanding and heated debate with Darwin over evolution and natural selection. Darwin’s theories; now accepted, were false in the opinion of creationist Louis (Mandelbrote, 2009). The first 100 pages or so of the novel focuses heavily on Louis: his early life, scientific views, accomplishments and his subsequent downfall following the Darwin debate. Based on the cover, images and title- the intense focus on Louis was a drawback. One would infer from those listed above that the focus would be on Darwin, Alex Agassiz and the ‘coral reef problem’. However, Alex, Darwin and coral reefs do not make a significant appearance in the writing until nearly halfway through.
The ‘coral reef problem’ becomes the central focus as the story moves away from Louis and turns to his quiet and hardworking son Alex, who was often under the shadow of his father’s fall from science. However, Alex was in his own right and with his own merit, a fine scientist who worked with intricate details and did extensive specimen collecting (Goodale, 1912).
On one side of the coral reef debate, Darwin- substantially supported by geologist James Dwight Dana, put forth early in his career a theory about subsidence (Darwin, 1842). Darwin saw reef formation as “…a continuous process that transformed the fringing reef surrounding a slowly sinking island to first a barrier reef separated from the island by a lagoon and finally a ring shaped atoll” (pp. 151).
Sir John Murray put forth his own theory which was backed up Agassiz, who heavily researched and collected data to prove it true over many decades and nautical miles. Murray believed “…that reef foundations were formed when a high submarine mound accumulated enough planktonic debris to reach coral friendly depths, allowing coral to grow into an atoll” (pp. 168). He supported uplift versus Darwin’s subsidence.
After years of extensive research, Alex developed his own theory in efforts to disprove Darwin- now his own rival. He believed that reefs grew on foundations lifted into place, which were then shaped by erosion. He also believed that one general theory could not explain reef formation; instead, each coral reef area had to be observed and classified as separate entities. Alex now had the evidence to back his theory and the means to discredit Darwin. However, he was lax in getting his ideas published- for he feared resistance and the overwhelming task of putting his ideas together in a volume of works. Agassiz died before his theory was submitted to academic literature.
Dobbs does a fine job of presenting both sides of each debate along with an abundance of facts and data. At the conclusion of the novel, Darwin’s theory was proven correct after a 1950’s drill. While Agassiz was wrong, his extensive work into coral reefs provided the science world with compelling work, thousands of specimens, and extensive oceanographic data.
The best features of this novel were the letters and correspondence excerpts from various scientists between one another. It offered a more personal glance at their lives and their developing theories.
In terms of the writing style- not only was it scientific and professional, it was well structured and presented. It often felt like a biography, mixed in with humorous personal letters and strict scientific facts which created a more entertaining, yet informative read.
Suggested readers and purchasers of this book would be anyone with an interest in early scientific theory, controversial science debates or anyone with an interest in the lives and work of both Agassiz’s and Darwin. While the book is heavy on theory, it is very readable and could be interpreted and understood by a university geography student. However, a reader with a keen interest in marine science would be more suited for this novel.
The author of Reef Madness is David Dobbs, an American science writer and novelist. Dobbs has written regularly for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Nature, The Guardian and Wired. Novels written by Dobbs include; The Northern Forest and The Great Gulf: Fishermen, Scientists, and the Struggle to Revive the World’s Greatest Fishery.2 At present, he is working on another novel: The Orchid and the Dandelion. A story written by Dobbs for The Atlantic entitled ‘”The Orchid Children”, has been chosen for Ecco/Harper Perennial’s Best American Science Writing 2010. He is highly connected to social media, having a Twitter and Tumblr. He also operates a science, culture and sports blog through Neuron Culture. He lives in Vermont.
Rebecca Courage
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Memorial University
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you have an interest in Darwin, the Agassiz's or coral reefs.
The Review:
David Dobbs. Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz and the Meaning of Coral. United States: Pantheon Books, 2005. 265pp., introduction, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. US $25.00, hardcover; ISBN 0-375-42161-0
Reef Madness embarks on a three part journey to the nineteenth century and dives deep into the lives of several influential scientists. It discusses how these scientists helped to shape scientific theory while putting forth their own theories about the Earth and its wonders. In particular, the novel focuses on two key debates of the time: of natural selection and of the origin and structure of coral reefs- termed the ‘coral reef problem’.
Numerous scientists and other influentials are referenced throughout, however the main focus in on Louis Agassiz, his son Alexander (Alex) and Charles Darwin. The senior Agassiz found himself in a longstanding and heated debate with Darwin over evolution and natural selection. Darwin’s theories; now accepted, were false in the opinion of creationist Louis (Mandelbrote, 2009). The first 100 pages or so of the novel focuses heavily on Louis: his early life, scientific views, accomplishments and his subsequent downfall following the Darwin debate. Based on the cover, images and title- the intense focus on Louis was a drawback. One would infer from those listed above that the focus would be on Darwin, Alex Agassiz and the ‘coral reef problem’. However, Alex, Darwin and coral reefs do not make a significant appearance in the writing until nearly halfway through.
The ‘coral reef problem’ becomes the central focus as the story moves away from Louis and turns to his quiet and hardworking son Alex, who was often under the shadow of his father’s fall from science. However, Alex was in his own right and with his own merit, a fine scientist who worked with intricate details and did extensive specimen collecting (Goodale, 1912).
On one side of the coral reef debate, Darwin- substantially supported by geologist James Dwight Dana, put forth early in his career a theory about subsidence (Darwin, 1842). Darwin saw reef formation as “…a continuous process that transformed the fringing reef surrounding a slowly sinking island to first a barrier reef separated from the island by a lagoon and finally a ring shaped atoll” (pp. 151).
Sir John Murray put forth his own theory which was backed up Agassiz, who heavily researched and collected data to prove it true over many decades and nautical miles. Murray believed “…that reef foundations were formed when a high submarine mound accumulated enough planktonic debris to reach coral friendly depths, allowing coral to grow into an atoll” (pp. 168). He supported uplift versus Darwin’s subsidence.
After years of extensive research, Alex developed his own theory in efforts to disprove Darwin- now his own rival. He believed that reefs grew on foundations lifted into place, which were then shaped by erosion. He also believed that one general theory could not explain reef formation; instead, each coral reef area had to be observed and classified as separate entities. Alex now had the evidence to back his theory and the means to discredit Darwin. However, he was lax in getting his ideas published- for he feared resistance and the overwhelming task of putting his ideas together in a volume of works. Agassiz died before his theory was submitted to academic literature.
Dobbs does a fine job of presenting both sides of each debate along with an abundance of facts and data. At the conclusion of the novel, Darwin’s theory was proven correct after a 1950’s drill. While Agassiz was wrong, his extensive work into coral reefs provided the science world with compelling work, thousands of specimens, and extensive oceanographic data.
The best features of this novel were the letters and correspondence excerpts from various scientists between one another. It offered a more personal glance at their lives and their developing theories.
In terms of the writing style- not only was it scientific and professional, it was well structured and presented. It often felt like a biography, mixed in with humorous personal letters and strict scientific facts which created a more entertaining, yet informative read.
Suggested readers and purchasers of this book would be anyone with an interest in early scientific theory, controversial science debates or anyone with an interest in the lives and work of both Agassiz’s and Darwin. While the book is heavy on theory, it is very readable and could be interpreted and understood by a university geography student. However, a reader with a keen interest in marine science would be more suited for this novel.
The author of Reef Madness is David Dobbs, an American science writer and novelist. Dobbs has written regularly for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Nature, The Guardian and Wired. Novels written by Dobbs include; The Northern Forest and The Great Gulf: Fishermen, Scientists, and the Struggle to Revive the World’s Greatest Fishery.2 At present, he is working on another novel: The Orchid and the Dandelion. A story written by Dobbs for The Atlantic entitled ‘”The Orchid Children”, has been chosen for Ecco/Harper Perennial’s Best American Science Writing 2010. He is highly connected to social media, having a Twitter and Tumblr. He also operates a science, culture and sports blog through Neuron Culture. He lives in Vermont.
Rebecca Courage
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Memorial University
July 29, 2024
Read for lab book club. Overall not my fave. A history book on some lightly relevant white dude scientists (love Darwin , but still), didn't really start talking about coral reefs u til page160/260. I did learn a lot and it has provided for a resurgence of scientific philosophy in my life.
August 25, 2011
3.5 star. a good history of science, but not too exciting of a writing style, a bit dull, compared to more popsci writers like Prosek or Casey (see below) . Louise Agassiz and his superstar scientist status in the usa (no, really), though his theories were all wrong on geology and evolution, inspired his son Alexander and Charles Darwin to promulgate their own theories of evolution, focusing on coral reefs. Agassiz the son, and Darwin were at wild odds on how reefs were created (Darwin was way more correct) and had an international debate about it. This was a turning point in modern science and communication because of the research, writing, and ultimately the success of the theory of evolution grew into what we recognize today, a method of PUBLISHED hypotheses, research, citation, and vindication or refutation and moving the whole mess along just a little bit.Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Mysterious FishThe Devil's Teeth : A True Story of Survival and Obsession
August 1, 2008
This is an historical account of the interactions among Charles Darwin, Louis Agassiz, and Alexander Agassiz (the son of Louis). Louis A., the darling of American Science during the mid 19th century, was a staunch and outspoken creationist. His virulent attacks on Darwin ended with his almost complete loss of credibility as a scientist. His son, Alex, also butted heads with Darwin's theories, but with the theory of how coral reefs were formed rather than evolution (which Alex at least grudgingly accepted). This is mainly the story of how this question was debated (it was not resolved until the 1950's).
The conflict between L & A Agassiz and C. Darwin was to a large degree a conflict between the older (Baconian) idea that science must be inductive and the approach of Darwin (and Charles Lyell and a few others) that deductive reasoning was important for real advances in scientific knowledge.
The book is well researched with many quotes and references to the multiple interactions among the scientific community.
The conflict between L & A Agassiz and C. Darwin was to a large degree a conflict between the older (Baconian) idea that science must be inductive and the approach of Darwin (and Charles Lyell and a few others) that deductive reasoning was important for real advances in scientific knowledge.
The book is well researched with many quotes and references to the multiple interactions among the scientific community.
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September 25, 2012Featured on Skeptically Speaking show #158 on April 1, 2012, during an interview with author David Dobbs. http://skepticallyspeaking.ca/episode...
June 2, 2016
This is for serious biology nerds, but if you're in that bin this is a great mix of personal history, coral reef arcana, and what it was like to do science in the 19th Century.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews