Chevalier de lamarck biography definition

Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck August 1, — December 28, was a French naturalist and an early proponent of the idea that evolution descent with modification occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws. Lamarck, however, is remembered today mainly in connection with his now superseded theory of heredity, the "inheritance of acquired traits" see Lamarckism.

In a wider context, Lamarckism remains of use when examining the evolution of cultures and ideas, is generally held in terms of some religious views on karma and inheritance of sin , and remains applicable to some extent for bacteria and microorganisms. In the case of religion, many traditions accept the view that there is an inheritance of acquired spiritual traits—that actions taken in one's life can be passed down in the form of spiritual merit or demerit to one's lineage.

The concept of original sin visits the same issue, with the mistake of the original ancestors Adam and Eve being inherited by all humanity. See Lamarckism and inheritance of acquired cultural and spiritual characteristics below.

Jean baptiste lamarck discovery

Lamarck was also one of the first to use the term biology in its modern sense, and he coined the term invertebrates. Lamarck was born in Bazentin-le-Petit, Picardie into an impoverished family hence the title of chevalier , knight. Lamarck served in the army before becoming interested in natural history and writing a multi-volume flora of France.

After years working on plants , Lamarck was appointed curator of invertebrates. He also began a series of public lectures. Before , Lamarck was an essentialist who believed species were unchanging; however, after working on the mollusks of the Paris Basin, he grew convinced that transmutation of species, or change in the nature of species, occurred over time.