gradualists
Cautious change advocates
Gradualists favor slow, incremental change rather than sudden or revolutionary transformation.
The term appears most often in political and social contexts, where gradualists advocate working within existing systems to achieve reform: The gradualists argued that lasting change required patience and compromise.
The approach contrasts with radicalism, which seeks immediate, fundamental change.
Gradual political change doctrine
- incrementalismChange through small steps
- stepwiseProceeding by degrees
- phasedIntroduced or removed incrementally
- piecemealIn separate stages
bit-by-bit · baby-steps · gradational · sequential · cumulative · iterative · progressive · moderate
Progressing at low speed
- unhurriedTaking one's time
- measuredCarefully considered, unhurried
- steadyFixed, not fluctuating
- sustainedKept up continuously
continuous · persistent · protracted · prolonged · extended · drawn-out · patient · plodding
Gradual political change doctrine
- ameliorationMaking something less bad
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
- moderationAvoidance of excess
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
negotiation · conciliation · accommodation · revision · adjustment · amendment · improvement · modification
Natural selection theory
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- uniformitarianismPast mimics present processes
microevolution · macroevolution · phylogeny · fossil record · genetic drift · divergence
reformism
Gradual political change doctrine
- incrementalismChange through small steps
- stepwiseProceeding by degrees
- phasedIntroduced or removed incrementally
piecemeal · bit-by-bit · baby-steps · gradational · sequential · cumulative · iterative · progressive · moderate · methodical
slow-moving
Progressing at low speed
sustained · continuous · persistent · protracted · prolonged · extended · drawn-out · patient · plodding · leisurely
reformism
Gradual political change doctrine
- ameliorationMaking something less bad
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
- moderationAvoidance of excess
compromise · negotiation · conciliation · accommodation · revision · adjustment · amendment · improvement · modification · transformation
Darwinism
Natural selection theory
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
uniformitarianism · microevolution · macroevolution · phylogeny · fossil record · genetic drift · divergence
gradualistsrevolutionaries
Those seeking systemic overthrow
radicals · insurrectionists · extremists · firebrands · zealots
gradualistsabolitionists
Those opposing human bondage
subversives · insurrectionaries · anarchists · disruptors · wreckers
gradualistsreactionaries
Those opposing progressive change
hard-liners · conservatives · die-hards · traditionalists · obstructionists