Darwinism. The Noachian Flood A lecture delivered before the Torquay Natural History Society, Jan. 31st, 1870

In this recording you’ll hear a lecture given to a Victorian natural‑history society in early 1870, when the clash between emerging evolutionary theory and the traditional story of a worldwide flood was still fresh in public debate. The speaker, a former Oxford tutor, lays out why the literal interpretation of the Noachian deluge has long been taken for granted in both churches and classrooms. He invites the audience to reconsider that assumption by looking closely at the language and evidence that have shaped the controversy.

Stebbing’s argument proceeds by examining everyday uses of words like “all” and “every,” showing how such terms can be stretched far beyond their literal meaning. He suggests that the biblical authors were speaking in the idiom of their time, not intending a precise scientific account, and that this opens room for a more nuanced view that does not necessarily conflict with modern geology. Listeners will appreciate the calm, scholarly tone of a 19th‑century mind wrestling with questions that still echo in today’s discussions of science and faith.