---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As geology is essentially a historical…"
description: "\"As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the historian. This makes the personality of the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg"
---

#  As geology is essentially a historical science, the…

![“As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the historian. This makes the personality of the geologist of essential importance in the way he analyzes the past.” quote by Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg)

> “As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the historian. This makes the personality of the geologist of essential importance in the way he analyzes the past.”

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Geology, like history, reconstructs past events, so a geologist’s character shapes his interpretation of ancient records.

**In simple terms:** Geologists need good character to interpret Earth’s past.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate integrity for accurate analysis.

Themes

integrity analysis history science methodology

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- field surveys
- educational curricula
- policy advising

Key Concepts

epistemology scientific method historical reconstruction

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal traits affect your scientific judgments?
- How do you guard against bias in historical analysis?

A Different Perspective

Biases can skew interpretations despite good intentions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Geologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geologist/) [Geologist Resembles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geologist-resembles-1700713/) [Geology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geology/) [Geology Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geology-essentially-1700714/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Method Geologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method-geologist-1700712/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Personality Geologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality-geologist-1700711/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[The\] subjective \[historical\] element in geologic studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists: one considering geology as a creative… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/the-subjective-historical-element-in-geologic-studies-accounts-for/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [The subjective element in geological studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists. One considering geology as a creative art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/the-subjective-element-in-geological-studies-accounts-for-two/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [ \[In geology,\] As in history, the material in hand remains silent if no questions are asked. The nature of these questions depends on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-geology-as-in-history-the-material-in-hand-remains-silent-if-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Philosophers, if they have much imagination, are apt to let it loose as well as other people, and in such cases are sometimes led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granville-penn/philosophers-if-they-have-much-imagination-are-apt-to-let-it-loose-as/)

[Granville Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granville-penn/)

> [Generally speaking, geologists seem to have been much more intent on making little worlds of their own, than in examining the crust of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/generally-speaking-geologists-seem-to-have-been-much-more-intent-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Darwin was a biological evolutionist, because he was first a uniformitarian geologist. Biology is pre-eminent to-day among the natural sciences, because its younger sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lapworth/darwin-was-a-biological-evolutionist-because-he-was-first-a/)

[Charles Lapworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lapworth/)

> [One of the most important things about the geology on the moon is your descriptions of what you see, comparing them to things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-most-important-things-about-the-geology-on-the-moon-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The world is the geologist's great puzzle-box; he stands before it like the child to whom the separate pieces of his puzzle remain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-agassiz/the-world-is-the-geologist-s-great-puzzle-box-he-stands-before-it/)

[Louis Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-agassiz/)

> [ The field of the Geologist's inquiry is the Globe itself, ... \[and\] it is his study to decipher the monuments of the mighty revolutions… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-buckland/the-field-of-the-geologist-s-inquiry-is-the-globe-itself-and-it-is/)

[William Buckland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-buckland/)

> [We learn geology the morning after the earthquake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-learn-geology-the-morning-after-the-earthquake/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“Look, I don't know what you are, but you're more than a geologist, if you are one at all. I've met lots of geologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/look-i-don-t-know-what-you-are-but-you-re-more-than-a-geologist-if/)

[Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/)

> [No Geologist worth anything is permanently bound to a desk or laboratory, but the charming notion that true science can only be based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/no-geologist-worth-anything-is-permanently-bound-to-a-desk-or/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [The geologist takes up the history of the earth at the point where the archaeologist leaves it, and carries it further back into remote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bal-gangadhar-tilak/the-geologist-takes-up-the-history-of-the-earth-at-the-point-where/)

[Bal Gangadhar Tilak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bal-gangadhar-tilak/)

> [Geology differs from physics, chemistry, and biology in that the possibilities for experiment are limited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/geology-differs-from-physics-chemistry-and-biology-in-that-the/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [Experiments in geology are far more difficult than in physics and chemistry because of the greater size of the objects, commonly outside our laboratories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/experiments-in-geology-are-far-more-difficult-than-in-physics-and/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

## More by Reinout Willem van Bemmelen

> [ \[The\] subjective \[historical\] element in geologic studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists: one considering geology as a creative… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/the-subjective-historical-element-in-geologic-studies-accounts-for/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [Experiments in geology are far more difficult than in physics and chemistry because of the greater size of the objects, commonly outside our laboratories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/experiments-in-geology-are-far-more-difficult-than-in-physics-and/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [Geology differs from physics, chemistry, and biology in that the possibilities for experiment are limited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/geology-differs-from-physics-chemistry-and-biology-in-that-the/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [In our lives we have known hell and heaven; the final balance, however, is that we helped pave the way to dynamic harmony in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/in-our-lives-we-have-known-hell-and-heaven-the-final-balance-however/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [Geology is part of that remarkable dynamic process of the human mind which is generally called science and to which man is driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/geology-is-part-of-that-remarkable-dynamic-process-of-the-human-mind/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [The subjective element in geological studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists. One considering geology as a creative art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/the-subjective-element-in-geological-studies-accounts-for-two/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [Geology is part of that remarkable dynamic process of the human mind which is generally called science and to which man is driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/geology-is-part-of-that-remarkable-dynamic-process-of-the-human-mind-2/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

> [There is, however, no universal recipe for scientific advance. It is a matter of groping forward into terra incognita of the outer world by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/there-is-however-no-universal-recipe-for-scientific-advance-it-is-a/)

[Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

[Explore all 9 Reinout Willem van Bemmelen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

[Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the historian. This makes the personality of the geologist of essential importance in the way he analyzes the past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Reinout Willem van Bemmelen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-science-the-working-method-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-science-the-working-method-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen-44_accounts_as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-s_153364.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the…” — Reinout Willem van Bemmelen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Reinout Willem van Bemmelen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As geology is essentially a historical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-science-the-working-method-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/as-geology-is-essentially-a-historical-science-the-working-method-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```