Stephen Jay Gould
From RationalWiki
Stephen Jay Gould was a well-known evolutionary biologist who was probably best known for his books and his regular column in "Natural History". He is widely seen as one of the best communicators of evolutionary ideas to the public.
He would have been a wonderful person to hang out with. If you don't mind hanging out with agnostics! Unfortunately, as Gould passed away in 2002, hanging out with him is no longer possible nor healthy.
Gould is credited with the creation of the concept of Non-Overlapping Magisteria, or NOMA, in his book Rocks of Ages. This suggested that science and religion occupy such radically different territories that they have no relevance to one another.
Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion took great exception to the idea of NOMA.
[edit] Punctuated equilibrium
Gould is credited, along with Niles Eldredge, with developing the concept of punctuated equilibrium (often abbreviated "PE").
This hypothesis attempts to explain the apparent long periods of stability which seem to exist in the fossil record. It suggests that evolutionary development goes through long periods of statis punctuated with periods of rapid change. It is contrasted with the hypothesis of gradualism.
The hypothesis has perhaps become less compelling as more and more of the fossil record has been revealed.
