evolutionism

thumb | right | alt=Monochrome photo of Charles Darwin, he appears to be an older middle aged man with a neutral expression, light skin, wrinkles under his deep set but fairly wide open eyes, and a chest length white beard extending up to his temples. He is wearing a hat with a rounded top, a medium width brim and a cloth band, his shoulders which are the only part of his body beyond head in frame seem are covered by a dark, apparently black, top of unclear cut. The background behind him is non-descript, possibly a plaster wall | Charles Darwin, whose [[On the Origin of Species introduced the theory of evolution to society at large, photographed in 1881]] Evolutionism is a term used (often derogatorily) to denote the theory of evolution. Its exact meaning has changed over time as the study of evolution has progressed. In the 19th century, it was used to describe the belief that organisms deliberately improved themselves through progressive inherited change (orthogenesis). The teleological belief went on to include cultural evolution and social evolution. In the 1970s, the term "Neo-Evolutionism" was used to describe the idea that "human beings sought to preserve a familiar style of life unless change was forced on them by factors that were beyond their control."

The term is most often used by creationists to describe adherence to the scientific consensus on evolution as equivalent to a secular religion. The term is very seldom used within the scientific community, since the scientific position on evolution is accepted by the overwhelming majority of scientists. Because evolutionary biology is the default scientific position, it is assumed that "scientists" or "biologists" are "evolutionists" unless specifically noted otherwise. In the creation–evolution controversy, creationists often call those who accept the validity of the modern evolutionary synthesis "evolutionists" and the theory itself "evolutionism".