| Basic Concept: The Theories of Catastrophism
and Uniformitarianism
The "Theory of Catastrophism" was a concept put forward as an explanation for evidence of radical physical change discernible in the earth. According to the theory, great cataclysms, undocumented eruptions that ripped through natural law, could only account for such changes as the destruction of the dinosaurs and changes in climates, and the movement of continents. The Roman Catholic Church found the theory convenient to account for obvious conflicts between discrete passages of Holy Scripture and the findings of the "natural philosophers" like Newton, Galileo, and Copernicus. . The "Theory of Uniformitarianism" was offered as a counter theory to the concept of "catastrophism." The British geologist Sir Charles Thomas Lyell ("The Principles of Geology") attempted to dispel what he perceived were the weaknesses and vagaries of "catastrophism" by his geological investigations that showed that natural laws have not changed over millions of years and still operate in their original force. . Online Connections See "Catastrophism" for a brief definition with links to a definition of "Uniformitarianism." . Our Course Connection The theories of "catastrophism" and "uniformitarianism" help illuminate the schism between the world views of such disparate personalities as Jonathan Edwards, Edward Taylor, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin.  |