Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Proposed an early theory of evolution based on the inheritance of acquired characteristics, though later superseded by Darwin's theory.
Most quoted
"It is not the organs, that is to say, the nature and form of the parts of the body of an animal, which have given rise to its habits and its particular faculties. It is, on the contrary, its habits, its manner of life, and the circumstances in which its ancestors have found themselves, which have, in the course of time, really constituted the form of its body, the number and state of its organs, and, in short, the faculties which it possesses."
— from Philosophie Zoologique, 1809
"Second Law: All the acquisitions or losses wrought by nature on individuals, through the influence of the environment in which their race has long been placed, and hence through the influence of the predominant use or permanent disuse of any organ; all these are preserved by reproduction to the new individuals which arise, provided that the acquired modifications are common to both sexes, or at least to the individuals which produce the young."
— from Philosophie Zoologique, 1809
"It is not the organs, that is to say, the nature and form of the parts of the body, that have given rise to their habits and particular faculties, but it is, on the contrary, their habits, their manner of life, and the circumstances in which the individuals of which the race is formed have found themselves, that have with time constituted the form of the body, the number and state of their organs, and finally the faculties which they possess."
— from Philosophie Zoologique, 1809
All quotes by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (412)
The soul animates the body through needs.
Changes in environment induce changes in habits.
Biology is the science of life in action.
The past informs the present form of life.
Organs atrophy from disuse, grow from use.
The unity of composition in all living bodies.
Evolution is a slow, steady process.
My dear colleague, the facts speak for themselves in nature's grand design.
In my declining years, I see the beauty in life's transformations.
The study of fossils reveals lost worlds.
Nature laughs at our rigid classifications.
To understand life, observe its ceaseless motion.
The thread of life weaves through generations.
Blind worms teach us about adaptation's power.
My life's work: unveiling nature's hidden laws.
Poverty cannot dim the light of discovery.
The mollusks hold secrets of ancient seas.
In the quiet of my study, nature reveals her truths.
Critics may scorn, but evidence endures.
Life's meaning lies in its perpetual becoming.
Contemporaries of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829).