RSE - Celebrating James Hutton’s lasting impact

Marking Hutton’s tercentenary

A daytime symposium honouring Hutton’s legacy and contemporary relevance through talks, research posters, and an exhibition featuring RSE archives.

Three hundred years ago, during the Scottish Enlightenment, James Hutton transformed how we understand the Earth. At a time when many believed the planet was only a few thousand years old, he proposed that landscapes are shaped gradually over deep time by processes still observable today.

This daytime symposium honour Hutton’s legacy not only as the “Founder of modern geology”, but as a visionary polymath whose pioneering work across agriculture, climate, and philosophy remains relevant today. Through a series of talks and workshops, expert speakers will explore how Hutton’s interdisciplinary approach can address current challenges, how his ways of thinking can be supported today, and the vital question of “Where are the Huttons of today?”