What is "mutationism"

n. A theory emphasizing mutation as a creative principle and source of discontinuity in evolutionary change, particularly associated with the founders of modern genetics.

Mutationism refers to historical and contemporary views of evolution that emphasize the role of mutation and that are understood as alternatives to Darwinism. In the mutationist view, change may occur in discrete jumps (i.e., gradualism is not assumed), mutation is seen as the source of novelty (while selection is not seen as creative), and the direction of evolution is understood to reflect both mutation and selection.