A theory or practice of explaining things, especially in biology or society, based on how successive generations develop and change.
From 'generational' plus the suffix '-ism' (a doctrine or system of belief). This is a philosophical and scientific term that emerged in the 19th century to describe systematic theories about generational processes.
Biologists once used generationism to explain how living things transformed across generations—it was eventually replaced by Darwin's evolution, but the word stuck around to describe any theory obsessed with explaining change through generational succession.
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