In 1915, when Alfred Wegener proposed his theory of continental drift (that the positions the earth's continents are in flux), American earth scientists considered it a highly radical, new vision of the earth. British scientists, on the other hand, viewed the theory as a pleasing confirmation of a long-suspected notion. This initial difference in reaction continued for about fifty years afterward. This book compares the differences in reaction, proposing that the differing methodological commitments of the countries, rather than theoretical beliefs, had played a large role in the acceptance of the theory. it will also complement existing work on continental drift and the emergence of the study of plate tectonics.