Evolution (term)
Encyclopedia
The English noun evolution (from Latin
ēvolūtiō "unfolding, unrolling") refers to any kind of gradual change.
It is used in biology, of biological evolution, in economics, historical linguistics, and many other technical fields where system
s develop or change gradually over time, e.g. stellar evolution
, cultural evolution, the evolution of an idea, metaphysical evolution, spiritual evolution
, etc.
The English term prior to the late 19th century was confined to referring to goal-directed, pre-programmed processes such as embryological development. A pre-programmed task, as in a military maneuver, using this definition, may be termed an "evolution."
The term evolution (from its literal meaning of "unfolding" of something into its true or explicit form) carries a connotation of gradual improvement or directionality from a beginning to an end point. This contrasts with the more general development, which can indicate change in any direction, or revolution, which implies recurring, periodic change.
By the 20th century, the dominant concept associated with the word "evolution" was biological evolution
as proposed by Charles Darwin
and others from the mid-19th century, which had originally been known as "transmutation
."
As a consequence, the adjective "evolutionary" came to refer to processes that imitate or parallel the mechanism of biological evolution, as in e.g. evolutionary computation
.
The use of "evolution" rather than "transmutation" for the evolutionary history of life
is motivated by the observation of generally increasing complexity over geologic time scale
s. This may be misleading, as biological evolution is not strictly a "goal-directed, pre-programmed process" and in the short term consists merely of situational adjustments, which may also result in a decrease of complexity.
The term devolution (or "backwards" evolution) is coined as an antonym to evolution, indicating such degeneration or decrease in quality or complexity.
In the context of the US American "creation-evolution debate
",
where "Creationism
" and "Evolutionism
" are contrasted as ideological worldviews, the term evolution (sometimes capitalized as Evolution) strictly refers to biological evolution, the process of random mutation coupled with natural selection
, not the general meaning of the term.
By the 21st century, evolution has the meaning of the result of self-organization
of pattern
s in complex system
s. It applies from matter formation
to, eventually, life
.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ēvolūtiō "unfolding, unrolling") refers to any kind of gradual change.
It is used in biology, of biological evolution, in economics, historical linguistics, and many other technical fields where system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
s develop or change gradually over time, e.g. stellar evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
, cultural evolution, the evolution of an idea, metaphysical evolution, spiritual evolution
Spiritual evolution
Spiritual evolution is the philosophical, theological, esoteric or spiritual idea that nature and human beings and/or human culture evolve, extending from the established cosmological pattern or ascent, or in accordance with certain pre-established potentials...
, etc.
The English term prior to the late 19th century was confined to referring to goal-directed, pre-programmed processes such as embryological development. A pre-programmed task, as in a military maneuver, using this definition, may be termed an "evolution."
The term evolution (from its literal meaning of "unfolding" of something into its true or explicit form) carries a connotation of gradual improvement or directionality from a beginning to an end point. This contrasts with the more general development, which can indicate change in any direction, or revolution, which implies recurring, periodic change.
By the 20th century, the dominant concept associated with the word "evolution" was biological evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
as proposed by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
and others from the mid-19th century, which had originally been known as "transmutation
Transmutation of species
Transmutation of species was a term used by Jean Baptiste Lamarck in 1809 for his theory that described the altering of one species into another, and the term is often used to describe 19th century evolutionary ideas that preceded Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection...
."
As a consequence, the adjective "evolutionary" came to refer to processes that imitate or parallel the mechanism of biological evolution, as in e.g. evolutionary computation
Evolutionary computation
In computer science, evolutionary computation is a subfield of artificial intelligence that involves combinatorial optimization problems....
.
The use of "evolution" rather than "transmutation" for the evolutionary history of life
Evolutionary history of life
The evolutionary history of life on Earth traces the processes by which living and fossil organisms have evolved since life on Earth first originated until the present day. Earth formed about 4.5 Ga and life appeared on its surface within one billion years...
is motivated by the observation of generally increasing complexity over geologic time scale
Geologic time scale
The geologic time scale provides a system of chronologic measurement relating stratigraphy to time that is used by geologists, paleontologists and other earth scientists to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred during the history of the Earth...
s. This may be misleading, as biological evolution is not strictly a "goal-directed, pre-programmed process" and in the short term consists merely of situational adjustments, which may also result in a decrease of complexity.
The term devolution (or "backwards" evolution) is coined as an antonym to evolution, indicating such degeneration or decrease in quality or complexity.
In the context of the US American "creation-evolution debate
Creation-evolution controversy
The creation–evolution controversy is a recurring cultural, political, and theological dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe....
",
where "Creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
" and "Evolutionism
Evolutionism
Evolutionism refers to the biological concept of evolution, specifically to a widely held 19th century belief that organisms are intrinsically bound to increase in complexity. The belief was extended to include cultural evolution and social evolution...
" are contrasted as ideological worldviews, the term evolution (sometimes capitalized as Evolution) strictly refers to biological evolution, the process of random mutation coupled with natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
, not the general meaning of the term.
By the 21st century, evolution has the meaning of the result of self-organization
Self-organization
Self-organization is the process where a structure or pattern appears in a system without a central authority or external element imposing it through planning...
of pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
s in complex system
Complex system
A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more properties not obvious from the properties of the individual parts....
s. It applies from matter formation
Cosmogony
Cosmogony, or cosmogeny, is any scientific theory concerning the coming into existence or origin of the universe, or about how reality came to be. The word comes from the Greek κοσμογονία , from κόσμος "cosmos, the world", and the root of γίνομαι / γέγονα "to be born, come about"...
to, eventually, life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
.