Gradualism: Gradualism in evolution theory is the idea that evolution occurs gradually over long periods of time, through the accumulation of small changes. This is in contrast to the idea of punctuated equilibrium, which proposes that evolution occurs in rapid bursts, followed by long periods of stasis. See also Evolution, Punctuated equilibrium, St. J. Gould._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. |