James Hutton's Statement That "The Present Is the Key to the Past

question 41

Multiple Choice

James Hutton's statement that "the present is the key to the past" summarizes the hypothesis of:

• A) catastrophism, and is an obsolete geological principle.
• B) uniformitarianism, and is an obsolete geological principle.
• C) catastrophism, and is the currently held belief of geologists.
• D) uniformitarianism, and is the currently held belief of geologists.

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Definitions:

Ontological

Pertaining to the nature of being, existence, or reality, often considered within the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of what is.

Axiological

Relating to the branch of philosophy dealing with values, including those in ethics and aesthetics, as it pertains to research.

Creswell and Plano Clark

Authors known for their work on research methodologies, particularly in mixed methods research.

Qualitative

Pertaining to research or data that is descriptive in nature and concerned with phenomena that are not easily reduced to numbers or quantified.