Jean Lamarck

Jean Lamark was a French botanist and invertebrate zoologist who formulated one of the earliest theories of evolution. In 1768 he wrote a book on his botanical observations, which French naturalist Georges Louis Buffon arranged to publish in 1779 as Flore françois (Plants of France). As a result of the book and his friendship with Buffon, Lamarck was elected to the Academy of Sciences. He became an associate botanist in 1783, but his most significant work was …

…throughout his career. His final treatment of his hypothesis was included in his multi-volume work on invertebrates. Here, Lamarck explains his scale of nature as being controlled by three biological laws: environmental influence on organ development, change in body structure based on use and disuse of parts, and the inheritance of acquired characteristics. However, Lamarck's views were never clearly presented nor coherently argued. As a result, his ideas were not seriously entertained during his lifetime.