# Quantavolution and Catastrophe: Introduction to the Series & Q-C Test

**Author:** Alfred de Grazia  
**Year:** c. 1981  
**Series:** Quantavolution & Catastrophe (Series Introduction)  

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## Local Files

| File | Type | Words | Size |
|------|------|-------|------|
| [`../q_intro.txt`](../q_intro.txt) | Plain text | ~18,052 | 124 KB |

**Source:** https://grazian-archive.com/quantavolution/QuantaHTML/plaintext/q_intro.txt

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## Synopsis

This short volume serves as the introduction to the entire Quantavolution & Catastrophe series. De Grazia defines *quantavolution* — rapid, quantum-leap change in nature and human culture driven by catastrophic events — as opposed to *uniformitarianism* (gradual change over long periods) or simple *evolution*.

The key feature is the **Q-C Test** (Quantavolution-Catastrophe Test): a set of critical criteria for evaluating any claim about ancient history, geology, or mythology. The test asks: does the evidence require a catastrophic interpretation? Does a catastrophist explanation fit better than a gradual one? This is the methodological heart of the entire series.

Essential reading before any other volume — it explains the vocabulary, the goal, and the epistemology that shapes all 15 subsequent volumes.

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## Structure

1. **Part 1 — Introduction to the Series:** What quantavolution is, why the series was written, and how the volumes relate to each other  
2. **Part 2 — The Q-C Test:** The methodological criteria for catastrophist interpretation of any body of evidence

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## See Also

- [Author Index](../README.md)
- [Chaos and Creation](chaos-and-creation.md) — first substantive volume
- [Lately Tortured Earth](lately-tortured-earth.md) — Earth-science companion

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Keywords: #Intro #Quantavolution #Catastrophe #Series #Qc #Test