While Charles Darwin is often credited with the theory of gradualism, Hutton's work laid the foundation for it. He was a Scottish geologist who, in the late 18th century, proposed the theory of uniformitarianism. This theory stated that geological processes occurring today are the same as those that occurred in the past.
Hutton's observations led him to conclude that Earth's features were formed slowly and gradually over vast periods of time. This concept of gradual change in geological processes, known as gradualism, influenced Darwin's thinking and contributed to his development of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
It's important to note that Darwin later refined the concept of gradualism, proposing that evolution occurs through small, gradual changes over time, a concept known as gradualism in biology. While Hutton's work focused on geological processes, his idea of gradual change paved the way for Darwin's later development of the theory of evolution.
