Punctuated equilibrium
Last updated: Saturday, 7 December 2024
Proposed in 1972 by paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould, as an alternative to Darwin’s view of gradual evolution, which claimed new species arise through the gradual accumulation of small changes over long periods.
Against phyletic gradualism!
Punctuated equilibrium proposes that species exhibit long periods of morphological stasis, punctuated by rare instances of rapid speciation.
Discontinuities? Speciation “events”?
The punctuated equilibrium model has been applied in fields outside biology, to explain patterns of stability and rapid change. Technologies may experience long periods of refinement, punctuated by radical innovations. Stable industry structures and practices can be suddenly disrupted by technological advances, regulatory changes, or exogenous shocks. Disruptions such as social movements or political crises can trigger rapid changes, interrupting long-term stability.
Highlighting the importance of historical contingency, path dependence, and non-linear change.
- [&] Contrast with: muddling through?
Tags: time
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