Proposal
Uniformitarianism is commonly viewed as antithetical to young-earth creation, given uniformitarianism’s reputation as the framework that freed the sciences from Moses, to use Lyell’s phrase. Young-earth creation affirms a history that features dramatic and unique events. This appears diametrically opposed to uniformitarianism, which is associated with the belief that the present is the key to the past. However, this perception may reflect a simplistic understanding of the origin and tenets of uniformitarianism.
In Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle (1987), Stephen Jay Gould demonstrates that the controversy surrounding the discovery of deep time was not only between gradualism and catastrophism, but also between two dichotomous views of the nature of time. These dichotomous views can be metaphorically described as an arrow (directional, progressive) versus a cycle (consistent, predictable). Gould argues that while both metaphors are necessary to comprehend the nature of time, Uniformitarianism favors time's cycle at the expense of time's arrow.
Gould outlines four distinct ways in which Lyell defines the term “Uniformitarianism” (1987, 119-124). Of these, two comprise “a set of methodological statements about proper scientific procedure” (1987, 118): these are (1) the invariance of physical law and (2) the uniformity of process. The other two comprise “a group of substantive beliefs about how the world really works”: these are (3) the uniformity of rate and (4) the uniformity of state. When viewed through the lens of the debate over time’s nature, it becomes evident that Lyell’s four tenets of uniformitarianism reflect a philosophical preference towards time's cycle.
Turning to Scripture, we see both metaphors of time in Creation Week. Time’s arrow is evident in the sequential and progressive events which bring order and fill the primordial formless emptiness of Genesis 1:2. Time’s cycle is apparent in the regular cycles established in the course of Creation Week – the signs and seasons, days and years of Genesis 1:16. This is consistent with an understanding of God, the sovereign Creator, creating a universe with a purpose and destiny (time’s arrow) that operates in a consistent manner based on His faithful character (time’s cycle).
Because Creation Week uses both of these metaphors of time, we find that certain tenets of uniformitarianism actually do comport with Scripture. These would be the uniformity of natural law (Hebrews 1:3, Genesis 8:22, Jeremiah 33:25) and the uniformity of process, which, properly understood, is an extrapolation of the uniformity of law. It is only Lyell's uniformities of rate and of state which conflict with Scripture, as these uphold time’s cycle to the exclusion of divine interventive events, such as the creative events of Creation Week.
During the 9th ICC, Sarah Maithel began a discussion on the roles and limits of uniformitarianism in creationist geology (Maithel 2024). This discussion should be extended to the field of creationary astronomy. Creationary astronomy differs from other disciplines of young-earth creation in its relation to time. In geology and biology, creation scientists can study processes that have occurred in the millennia since Creation Week. In astronomy, due to the vast sizes and distances involved, the objects of our study date almost exclusively to the time of Creation Week. This means that an understanding of Creation Week processes is critically important in astronomy.
As we have demonstrated, Creation Week invokes the cyclicity of time foundational to uniformitarianism, specifically in the principles of the uniformity of law and of process. We should allow these principles to guide our efforts to build a creationist model of astronomy. Creation astronomy may benefit from the metaphor of time's arrow and time's cycle as we seek to understand apparent age, stellar formation and development, and other features of the cosmos.
Gould, Stephen Jay. 1987. Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Maithel, Sarah A. (2023) "The Role of and Limits on Uniformitarian Principles in Creationist Sedimentology Research," Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism: Vol. 9, Article 47.
Keywords
uniformitarianism, philosophy of time, creationary astronomy
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Copyright
© 2025 Hannah R. Klein. All rights reserved.
Uniformitarianism and Creationary Astronomy
Uniformitarianism is commonly viewed as antithetical to young-earth creation, given uniformitarianism’s reputation as the framework that freed the sciences from Moses, to use Lyell’s phrase. Young-earth creation affirms a history that features dramatic and unique events. This appears diametrically opposed to uniformitarianism, which is associated with the belief that the present is the key to the past. However, this perception may reflect a simplistic understanding of the origin and tenets of uniformitarianism.
In Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle (1987), Stephen Jay Gould demonstrates that the controversy surrounding the discovery of deep time was not only between gradualism and catastrophism, but also between two dichotomous views of the nature of time. These dichotomous views can be metaphorically described as an arrow (directional, progressive) versus a cycle (consistent, predictable). Gould argues that while both metaphors are necessary to comprehend the nature of time, Uniformitarianism favors time's cycle at the expense of time's arrow.
Gould outlines four distinct ways in which Lyell defines the term “Uniformitarianism” (1987, 119-124). Of these, two comprise “a set of methodological statements about proper scientific procedure” (1987, 118): these are (1) the invariance of physical law and (2) the uniformity of process. The other two comprise “a group of substantive beliefs about how the world really works”: these are (3) the uniformity of rate and (4) the uniformity of state. When viewed through the lens of the debate over time’s nature, it becomes evident that Lyell’s four tenets of uniformitarianism reflect a philosophical preference towards time's cycle.
Turning to Scripture, we see both metaphors of time in Creation Week. Time’s arrow is evident in the sequential and progressive events which bring order and fill the primordial formless emptiness of Genesis 1:2. Time’s cycle is apparent in the regular cycles established in the course of Creation Week – the signs and seasons, days and years of Genesis 1:16. This is consistent with an understanding of God, the sovereign Creator, creating a universe with a purpose and destiny (time’s arrow) that operates in a consistent manner based on His faithful character (time’s cycle).
Because Creation Week uses both of these metaphors of time, we find that certain tenets of uniformitarianism actually do comport with Scripture. These would be the uniformity of natural law (Hebrews 1:3, Genesis 8:22, Jeremiah 33:25) and the uniformity of process, which, properly understood, is an extrapolation of the uniformity of law. It is only Lyell's uniformities of rate and of state which conflict with Scripture, as these uphold time’s cycle to the exclusion of divine interventive events, such as the creative events of Creation Week.
During the 9th ICC, Sarah Maithel began a discussion on the roles and limits of uniformitarianism in creationist geology (Maithel 2024). This discussion should be extended to the field of creationary astronomy. Creationary astronomy differs from other disciplines of young-earth creation in its relation to time. In geology and biology, creation scientists can study processes that have occurred in the millennia since Creation Week. In astronomy, due to the vast sizes and distances involved, the objects of our study date almost exclusively to the time of Creation Week. This means that an understanding of Creation Week processes is critically important in astronomy.
As we have demonstrated, Creation Week invokes the cyclicity of time foundational to uniformitarianism, specifically in the principles of the uniformity of law and of process. We should allow these principles to guide our efforts to build a creationist model of astronomy. Creation astronomy may benefit from the metaphor of time's arrow and time's cycle as we seek to understand apparent age, stellar formation and development, and other features of the cosmos.
Gould, Stephen Jay. 1987. Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Maithel, Sarah A. (2023) "The Role of and Limits on Uniformitarian Principles in Creationist Sedimentology Research," Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism: Vol. 9, Article 47.