Cyclical and Acyclical Evolution

Nov 26, 2018 // placholder for now

the idea that evolution, in a variety of contexts, can be either cyclical or acyclical

1. for example, fashion trends can the thought to be cyclical, what was cool in the 80s might pop up as cool again today.
2. evolution of species could be thought of as acyclical since it’s unlikely neanderthals start popping up again
3. there’s also the concept of local cycles in a larger acyclical scheme where some patterns might resurface but the overall trend is progressive or tangential

i wonder if there’s a field/sub-field in academia devoted to analyzing different evolutionary patterns and identifying which of these 3 categories they fit into