Germ Theory replaces God Theology ?
In the early 19th century, intellectuals of the Western World prided themselves on no longer believing in warlocks and witches, goblins and ghouls, magic ---- all those discredited remnants of pantheist thought.
By the end of the same century, most (semi-secretly) now prided themselves on longer believing in God and the Devil, miracles --- all of those discredited remnants of pre-Darwinian monotheist thought.
Charles Lyell and other scientists had already convinced the educated world that Mother Nature's catastrophes, such as massive flooding caused by an asteroid crashing the Earth, were impossible.
Charles Lyell and other scientists had already convinced the educated world that Mother Nature's catastrophes, such as massive flooding caused by an asteroid crashing the Earth, were impossible.
But who or what then to blame when mighty civilizations were still brought low by invisible but all-powerful plagues and discontents ?
Enter Germ Theory into "The Blame Gap", a theory known for many centuries but never accepted, which suddenly became intellectually respectable in a very few, very uncontested, years.
Germ Theory replaces all powerful but invisible spirits with invisible but all-powerful tiny living beings, microbes.
