On November 14, 1797 Charles Lyell was born. Besides that he gave Charles Darwin's important ideas though his book during the journey with the Beagle, he has become known as the founder of geology as a science. To me, he is of most interest from a philosophy of science perspective. The foundation of Lyell's scientific achievement may seem obvious today, and it is about something as simple as brilliant: to use what's here and now. Lyell argued that we must start from now if we are to understand what happened yesterday or any day, that the laws of nature of today are the same that has always existed.