Who proposed the idea that evolution occurs due to catastrophic events?

The idea that evolution occurs due to catastrophic events is attributed to Baron Cuvier, a French naturalist and paleontologist. Cuvier is best known for establishing extinction as a fact based on his studies of fossilized bones. He proposed that the Earth's geology and the life within it have been shaped by a series of catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, which would lead to sudden changes in the environment and result in the rapid extinction of species. This concept is in contrast to gradual evolutionary processes, like those suggested by Charles Darwin, who focused on natural selection over long periods.

Cuvier’s theory, known as catastrophism, emphasized that the remnants of extinct species could be found in the geological record, leading to the idea that life's history is marked by these traumatic and rapid shifts. This perspective paved the way for further understanding of species changes and the fossil record, highlighting the influence of dramatic environmental changes on biological evolution.