Catastrophe theory by Georg Cuvier

Georges de Cuvier (born August 23, 1769, † May 13, 1832)

Georges de Cuvier was born in 1769 as the son of an officer and a housewife in the eastern French town of Montbéliard. From an early age he became interested in botanical and zoological topics, but still studied law and economics in Stuttgart. During his many years as a private teacher, he intensified his work on biological topics, in particular the comparative anatomy of marine life. Cuvier earned himself a high reputation in France, even without a degree in biology, with several scientific papers. In 1800 he was appointed professor of zoology. Through his meticulous and accurate research on the excavation of fossil life and their temporal classification (stratigraphy) Cuvier is now considered the founder of paleontology.

Cuvier coined the so-called cataclysm theory (Greek kataklysmos = flood theory), which is also known as catastrophe theory. In his geological excavations in France, he came across numerous fossils. The older the finds were, the more they differed from the recent, that is still living, species. So he assumed that the species change was due to individual flood disasters. Each of these disasters caused the extinction of many regional species. Over time, new species migrated from other areas of the earth and thus changed the regional style image.

The Cuvier emanated only from torrential flooding catastrophes, but had no religious reasons: Between the layers with different species he found again and again marine sedimentary rock with fossil snails (molluscs). From this he mistakenly concluded that flooding had led to an abrupt extinction of the species.

Another (mistaken) essential assumption Cuviers is the Artkostanz, which was represented in a similar form by the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linnaeus. According to this paradigm, all forms of development are rejected, and it is assumed that plant and animal species are invariable. Species thus do not originate from each other, but have existed their shape already over the entire Erdzeitgeschichte.

Cuvier's theory from today's perspective:

The catastrophe theory itself is partially compatible with the theory of evolution. Regional as well as global catastrophes are indeed changing the style. Thus, the development of mammals would never have gone as far as not a meteorite had hit Yucatán and would have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The central fallacy in Cuvier's theory, however, is the assumption of constant nature. The assumption of an immutability of the species contradicts evolution at its core. Cuvier has seen the cause of the change in the nature of the catastrophe itself, and not in the new environmental conditions caused by the catastrophes.

Summary

The catastrophe theory follows the pattern: A catastrophic event leads to the extinction of species, as a result, new species move in and change the species image.

Cuvier's catastrophe theory is now considered scientifically refuted.