Why is uniformitarianism considered to be the foundation of modern geology?
1 Answer
The assumption of uniformitarianism allows scientists to extrapolate from the present to conclusions about the past.
Explanation:
Uniformitarianism can be summarized in the expression " The present is the key to the past"
By assuming that the geological process that can be observed today have always operated in the same way and the same rate in the past, geologists can draw conclusions about the age of rocks, and the nature of the earth.
Uniformitarianism is consistent with the philosophy of material realism that everything happens by natural cause. This allows the geologists to interface with other scientists that operate under the same philosophical basis of natural cause.
Darwinian evolution has been linked to uniform geology from the beginning. Darwin was greatly influence by Lyell's theories of uniform geology. Darwin's theory of evolution is based on the same ideas of slow uniform change as uniformitarianism.
All Theories of geology have been required to conform to the ideas of slow uniform change dictated by uniformitarianism. Plate tectonics when first proposed was rejected. One reason for the rejection was that the theory of plate tectonics when first proposed implied rapid and massive changes in the earth's history.
When Bretz proposed the theory of the Missoula flood it was rejected because it was in contradiction to the assumption of uniformitarianism. The flood was proposed as a one time massive change creating huge geological formations in the space of weeks not millions of years. Electron microscopic examination of the granite rocks has confirmed that the Missoula flood did occur
