uniformitarianism
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uniformitarianism
- /juːnɪfɔːmɪˈtɛːɹɪənɪzm/ UK
Where it comes from
From uniformitarian + -ism, coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1837.
noun
-
The scientific principle that natural laws and processes operated in the past in the same way and at the same rates that they operate today, and sometimes in the same way everywhere in the universe as well.
There has been much puffy stuff written about whether Lyell's uniformitarianism permitted variations in intensity of causes, or whether he applied his logic in a consistent way, and whether he assumed indefinite stretches of geological time.
Opposite: catastrophism, convulsionism
Translations
Every language
noun scientific principle that natural laws and processes operated in the past in the same way that they operate today
| Français | uniformitarisme, actualisme |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Aktualismus |
| Italiano | attualismo |
Talk about this word "uniformitarianism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/uniformitarianism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. uniformitarianism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/uniformitarianism "uniformitarianism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/uniformitarianism.Cite this
@misc{uniformitarianism_2026,
title = {uniformitarianism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/uniformitarianism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
