Gradualism is one of the defining features of political liberalism and reformism. It is against abrupt strokes such as revolutions or uprisings. Instead, change ought to be brought about in small, discrete steps.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was opposed to the idea of gradualism as a method of eliminating segregation. The government wanted to try to integrate African-Americans and European-Americans slowly into the same society, but many believed it was a way for the government to put off actually doing anything about racial segregation:
This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.— Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC
Charles Lindblom was an influential professor and author who believed in muddling through ("incrementalism") as the right way to go. He pointed out the connexions between the political system, the market-place and democratic freedom.
In the natural sciences, gradualism is a theory that profound change is the product of slow but continuous processes. It is often contrasted with catastrophism. Gradualism was proposed in 1795 by James Hutton to explain geology, and was later was the basis for Charles Lyell's "Principles of Geology". William Whewell called the idea 'uniformitarianism'. It formed the basis of early evolutionary theory.
Charles Darwin was influenced by Lyell's "Principles of Geology". Everything we see from the past is explained by processes we can see going on today. The present is key to the past. So Darwin thought evolutionary must occur gradually, not in jumps ('saltations'), since we do not see big changes going on today. Extreme and rapid changes in an organism would be most likely to be fatal. It is almost universally agreed that complex organs such as the eye must have evolved by many small steps rather than by one or two mutations.
"Phyletic gradualism" is a term coined by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge to contrast with their model of punctuated equilibrium. They proposed that most evolution is marked by long periods of evolutionary stability or stasis, punctuated by rare instances of branching evolution. Their idea is less accepted today.
Ernst Kummer
Ernst Eduard Kummer (born 29 January 1810, Sorau, Brandenburg; died 14 May 1893 Berlin) was a German mathematician. At first he was a school teacher, teaching in a German high school gymnasium, where he inspired the Leopold Kronecker to become a mathematician. He became professor of mathematics in Breslau and then in Berlin. He is famous for several mathematical discoveries, including his work on number fields. Several mathematical ideas are named after him.
Leopold Kronecker
Leopold Kronecker (7 December 1823 Liegnitz, Prussia - 29 December 1891) was a German mathematician of Jewish descent.
At first he was a business man and earned a lot of money. Then he devoted himself to mathematics. He is famous for his work on number theory and algebra. He criticized Cantor's work on set theory. He was a pupil and lifelong friend of Ernst Kummer.
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences ("French": Académie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV. Its aim was to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was involved with many of the important scientific developments in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
It is one of the earliest academies of sciences.
Here are some incomplete lists of the officers of the Academy.
Búri
Búri was the first Norse god. He became the father of the other gods. He was married to Hárm. He ruled prehistory. He gave birth to the Nephaeleus. His reign ended when Thor and Loki were born.
Búri was born when the Divine Cow, Audhumla, licked him out of his icy prison. In his life, Búri lived alongside the ice giant Ymir. Ymir was also released from ice in a similar way.
Comparison of regions of Japan
The Comparison of regions of Japan highlights differences and similarities. The regions of Japan are a fusion of historical divisions and modern administrative needs".
The geography and administrative subdivisions of Japan have evolved and changed during the course of its history. Since the late-7th century, the regions of Japan have been grouped according to geographic position.
In the Meiji period, the modern regional system was made by Imperial decree. Japan was divided into regions ("chihō "). A regional council ("chihō gyōsei kyōgisai") was headed by the governor of the most powerful prefecture in the regional grouping. The council also included regional chiefs of central government ministries.
In this time, political development is marked by persistent loyalty to region and locality.
The Kansai region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Kinai" region, also known as "Go-Kinai", included the "Five Home Provinces" which surrounded the old capital city of Kyoto. In 645, "Kinai" was created as part of the Taika Reform. These lands are also called the Kansai region or Kinki.
The Kantō region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Tōkaidō" region or "Eastern Sea Circuit" was made up of 15 provinces on the Pacific Ocean from Sendai Bay to "Kinai". Fuji-san, Tokyo, Yokohama, and other important or well-known places are in this region. "Tōkaidō" also names a road which connects the provincial capitals of this region on the island of Honshū.
The Tōhoku region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Tōsandō" region or "Eastern Mountain Circuit" was made up of 13 provinces. "Tōsandō" also names a road which connects the provincial capitals of this region on the island of Honshū. "Tōsandō" included Musashi Province after 711.
The Chūbu region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Hokurikudō" region or the "Northern-land Circuit" was made up of 7 provinces on the Sea of Japan. "Hokurikudō" also names a road which connects the provincial capitals of this region on the island of Honshū.
The Chūgoku region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "San'indō" region or "Mountain-shade Circuit" was made up of 8 provinces on the Sea of Japan. "San'indō" also names a road which connects the provincial capitals of this region on the island of Honshū.
Since the late-7th century, the "San'yōdō" region or "Mountain-sun Circuit" was made up of provinces on south or 'sunny' side of the mountains. "San'indō" also names a road which connects the 8 provincial capitals of this region on the island of Honshū.
The Shikoku region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Nankaidō" region or the "South-sea Circuit" made up of 6 provinces (the island of Awaji, the 4 provinces of Shikoku, and Kishiu on Honshū). "Nankaidō" also names a road which connects the provincial capitals of this region.
The Kyūshū region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
Since the late-7th century, the "Saikaidō" region or the "West-sea Circuit" was made up of the 9 provinces of the Kyūshū region. "Saikaidō" also names a road which connected the provincial capitals of this region.
After 1878, the region included the Ryukyu Islands.
The Hokkaidō region is used as a basic framework for description and comparison.
In the late 19th-century, the "Hokkaidō" region or "North Sea Circuit" was made up of the 10 provinces of Yezo. The Kurile Islands became an 11th northern province which was added in 1875.
Hokurikudō