Gradualism

Philosophy of step-by-step proceeding Gradualism, from the Latin gradus ("step"), is a hypothesis, a theory or a tenet which holds or accepts that change comes about gradually, or that variation is gradual in nature and happens over time as opposed to in large steps. Uniformitarianism, incrementalism, and reformism are similar concepts. The term also appears as "gradualness". Gradualism can also refer to desired, controlled change in society, institutions, or policies. For example, social democrats and democratic socialists see the emergence of a socialist society as achieved through gradualism. Geology and biology In the natural sciences, gradualism is the theory which holds that profound change is the cumulative product of slow but continuous processes, often contrasted with catastrophism. The theory was proposed in 1795 by James Hutton, a Scottish geologist, and was later incorporated into Charles Lyell's theory of uniformitarianism. Tenets from both theories were applied to biology and formed the basis of early evolutionary theory.[citation needed] Charles Darwin was influenced by Lyell's Principles of Geology, which explained both uniformitarian methodology and theory. Using u