Terra Incognita

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Identifying gaps in knowledge is essential for historians seeking to understand the past. Comprehending our forebears requires insight into their ignorance, making the history of ignorance a crucial aspect of history itself. While a comprehensive history would be vast, Alain Corbin narrows his focus to our planet, examining its mysteries and the evolution of human terror and wonder. For millennia, our understanding of Earth was limited, with many areas marked as 'Terra Incognita.' Corbin highlights the errors and uncertainties that characterized our exploration of the planet, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the dawn of the 19th century, meteorology was rife with uncertainties; in 1840, the ocean's depths were a mystery, and by 1870, many experts believed a sea spanned the poles. By 1900, the stratosphere remained largely unknown. While ignorance fueled our ancestors' imaginations, Corbin's exploration of this theme reignites our thirst for knowledge and reshapes our worldview. This innovative work by a leading historian opens new avenues for inquiry, appealing to students and scholars of history, especially those interested in cultural history and the history of science, as well as anyone curious about the nature and limits of human understanding.