Uniformitarianism is the principle that we can infer long term trends from those we have observed over a short period. In its stronger sense it claims that processes operating in the present can account, by extrapolation over long periods, for the evolution of the earth and life. How is theRead More →
Lyell argued that the formation of Earth’s crust took place through countless small changes occurring over vast periods of time, all according to known natural laws. His “uniformitarian” proposal was that the forces molding the planet today have operated continuously throughout its history. Which scholar used the term uniformitarianism? TheRead More →
Uniformitarianism is the idea that the same physical laws of today have always operated. It was the centerpiece of James Hutton’s 1795 geology book Theory of the Earth, with proofs and illustrations. In this work Hutton proposed that the causes acting on the world today also acted in the past.Read More →