Shifting paradigms in geomorphology: the fate of research ideas in an educational context

The acceptance of new ideas into the mainstream of geomorphological education is illustrated from the development of theories dealing with Earth history, glaciation, uniform flow, mass movement, continental mobility, cyclic erosion, and drainage networks. The lag between the conception of new ideas and their incorporation into mainstream texts has varied from negligible to more than 200 years. On one hand, despite its then untestable assumptions, the Davisian cycle of erosion gained rapid favor as the dominant paradigm of the early 20th century before it was found wanting. In contrast, concepts of uniform flow and slope stability, confirmed in the 18th century, waited almost 200 years for incorporation into geomorphology texts sensu stricto, although they had long been available in books on hydraulics and soil mechanics. Continental mobilism had a wild ride, culminating in the eventual acceptance of the plate-tectonics paradigm in the later 20th century. Explanations for the fate of these and other ideas are varied. New ideas are often opposed by establishment conservatism, language barriers, the perceived surrealism of new concepts, and simple ignorance. In contrast, new ideas may be accepted, sooner or later, by virtue of simplicity, forceful and well-connected leadership, or the death of opponents. Although mitigated by the information revolution of recent decades, these forces still persist and influence the extension of new ideas into a larger arena.