Question: What act did the writer of A New Theory of the Earth help instigate?

Context paragraphs:
A New Theory of the Earth: A New Theory of the Earth was a book written by William Whiston, in which he presented a description of the divine creation of the Earth and a posited global flood.  He also postulated that the earth originated from the atmosphere of a comet and that all major changes in earth's history could be attributed to the action of comets.  It was published in 1696 and was well received by intellectuals of the day such as Isaac Newton and John Locke.

Ergosophy: Ergosophy is a term coined by the scientist Frederick Soddy, in the early 1920s, and refers to aspects of energy in relation to human existence and energy measurement as in (Ergs).  Soddy's aim was to apply science theories and ideas and move the human understanding of work beyond the restrictions of management theory into a new theory of energy economics.

Extension by definitions: In mathematical logic, more specifically in the proof theory of first-order theories, extensions by definitions formalize the introduction of new symbols by means of a definition.  For example, it is common in naive set theory to introduce a symbol formula_1 for the set which has no member.  In the formal setting of first-order theories, this can be done by adding to the theory a new constant formula_1 and the new axiom formula_3, meaning 'for all "x", "x" is not a member of formula_1'.  It can then be proved that doing so adds essentially nothing to the old theory, as should be expected from a definition.  More precisely, the new theory is a conservative extension of the old one.

Don L. Anderson: Don Lynn Anderson (March 5, 1933 – December 2, 2014) was an American geophysicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the origin, evolution, structure, and composition of Earth and other planets.  An expert in numerous scientific disciplines, Anderson’s work combined seismology, solid state physics, geochemistry and petrology to explain how the Earth works.  Anderson was best known for his contributions to the understanding of the Earth’s deep interior, and more recently , for the hypothesis that hotspots are the product of plate tectonics rather than narrow plumes emanating from the deep Earth.  Anderson was Professor (Emeritus) of Geophysics in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).  He received numerous awards from geophysical, geological and astronomical societies.  In 1998 he was awarded the prestigious Crafoord Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences along with Adam Dziewonski.  Later that year, Anderson received the National Medal of Science.  He held honorary doctorates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (where he did his undergraduate work in geology and geophysics) and the University of Paris (Sorbonne), and served on numerous university advisory committees, including those at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Stanford, University of Paris, Purdue University, and Rice University.  Anderson’s wide-ranging research resulted in hundreds of published papers in the fields of planetary science, seismology, mineral physics, petrology, geochemistry, tectonics and the philosophy of science.  He continued to work and publish until his death.  His widely known textbooks, Theory of the Earth, and New Theory of the Earth are regarded by colleagues as compelling syntheses of the origins of the Earth and its inner workings by one of the great geophysical authorities of our time.

Concetta Benn: Concetta "Connie" Benn AM (née Megna) (12 December 1926 – 18 March 2011) was an Australian social worker.  Born in Melbourne to a family of Italian migrants, Benn is best known for her work with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and created a new theory of social work called developmental approach.  She was the first Research Officer for the Leader of the Opposition in the state of Victoria where she helped bring in amendments to the state's Social Welfare Act.  In her retirement she accepted positions for various organisations.  Benn was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1995, and was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women seven years later.

William Whiston: William Whiston (9 December 1667 – 22 August 1752) was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician, a leading figure in the popularisation of the ideas of Isaac Newton.  He is now probably best known for helping to instigate the Longitude Act in 1714 (and his attempts to win the rewards that it promised) and his important translations of the "Antiquities of the Jews" and other works by Josephus (which are still in print).  He was a prominent exponent of Arianism and wrote "A New Theory of the Earth".

Theory of International Politics: Theory of International Politics is a 1979 international relations (IR) theory by Kenneth Waltz that offers a new theory, the neorealist theory of international relations.  Taking into account the influence of neoclassical economic theory, Waltz argued that the fundamental "ordering principle" (p. 88) of the international political system is anarchy, which is defined by the presence of "functionally undifferentiated" (p. 97) individual state actors lacking "relations of super- and subordination" (p. 88) that are distinguished only by their varying capabilities.  Theory of International Politics is arguably the most influential book in international relations, causing a fundamental discursive transformation and bringing the concept of anarchy to the forefront.

Ibtina Theory: Ibtina Theory is a new theory in the field of “Logic of Understanding Religion” and has direct influence on the issues of Philosophy of Religion.  The "Ibtina Theory" is a theory for explaining the process and mechanism of "religious knowledge" formation.

Numbers (season 2): Season two of Numbers, an American television series, premiered on September 23, 2005 and its season finale was on May 19, 2006.  Season two sees several changes to Don's FBI team: Terry Lake is reassigned to Washington DC and two new members join Don and David Sinclair: Megan Reeves and Colby Granger.  Charlie is challenged on one of his long-standing pieces of mathematical work and also starts work on a new theory, Cognitive Emergence Theory.  Larry sells his home and lives a nomadic lifestyle, while he becomes romantically involved with Megan.  Amita receives an offer for an assistant professor position at Harvard University, but is plagued by doubt as her relationship with Charlie is challenged and her career is in upheaval.  Alan begins work and dating again, though he struggles with the loss of his wife.

Beyond Capricorn: Beyond Capricorn: How Portuguese adventurers secretly discovered and mapped Australia and New Zealand 250 years before Captain Cook is a 2007 book by journalist Peter Trickett on the theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia.  Although its thesis is similar to that advanced by Kenneth McIntyre in 1977, Lawrence Fitzgerald in 1984 and others, the publisher and some news reports presented it as being a new theory on the discovery of Australia.

Supporting paragraphs: A New Theory of the Earth William Whiston
Answer: Longitude Act