evolutionism
Evolutionism is the view that the history of life is the result of gradual, natural processes that produce biological diversity. In modern biology, it refers to the theory of evolution—the idea that species change over time through heritable variation and mechanisms such as natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, and gene flow, with all life linked by common descent. The term has historically carried broader connotations, sometimes emphasizing a naturalistic and progressive view of development, and in some contexts has been used pejoratively by critics of evolutionary science.
History: early ideas of transmutation; Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed inheritance of acquired traits. Charles Darwin and Alfred
Evidence and scope: the fossil record, comparative anatomy, embryology, molecular biology, biogeography, and observable speciation support
Terminology today: while some scholars use "evolutionism" in historical or philosophical discussions, most scientists refer to