gradualism
/ˈɡrædʒuəˌlɪzəm/
noun
- The belief or policy that change should happen slowly and in small steps, rather than suddenly or all at once.
- The politician's gradualism in healthcare reform frustrated activists who wanted immediate change.
- The company's gradualism when introducing new technology helped employees adapt without stress.
- Many scientists support gradualism in climate policy, advocating for steady emissions reductions over decades.
- In biology, the theory that species evolve slowly and continuously over long periods of time, rather than in sudden jumps.
- The debate between gradualism and punctuated equilibrium continues among paleontologists.
- Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is often associated with gradualism.
- Fossil records sometimes show patterns of gradualism, with small changes accumulating over millions of years.
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