#17
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was born on August 4, 1774 in Picardy, France to a military family. He was the youngest of 11 children. Many of his brothers as well as his father were soldiers. Lamarck too became a soldier for some time. Lamarck wrote many books, but his works did not become famous until after his death. His life was a constant struggle against poverty. He began to lose his eyesight in 1818, but was devotedly cared for by his daughters, given to him from his 4 marriages. When he died on December 28, 1829, he was given the funeral of a poor man. He was buried in a rented grave, and he was removed 5 years later. No one knows where his remains are.
Lamarck quickly became a major naturalist of the 19th century. In 1801 he began to publish his theories on evolution. He had two main theories: the environment gives rise to changes in animals; life was structured in an orderly manner and that many different parts of all bodies make it possible for the organic movements of animals. His theories were generally rejected during his lifetime, and it’s not until later that people began to realize the importance and significance of Jean’s theories.
While the idea was not highly thought of during Lamarck’s time, the idea of passing on characteristics to offspring that were acquired during an organism’s lifetime is now called Lamarkian, named after Jean-Baptiste Lamarck himself. Lamarck brought on the beginning thoughts of evolution, and while he gets credited for that, it was guys like August Weismann and Charles Darwin who brought the theory of evolution to us as it is today.
References
http://www.answers.com/topic/jean-baptiste-lamarck
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Lamarck_Jean_Baptiste.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/lamarck.html
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/jean-baptiste-lamarck/
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#12
ReplyDeleteNicely done. Your post is well structured with an introduction paragraph, 2 body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. I also liked how you referenced your information to show where the basis of your ideas came from. Your structure is clear and easy to understand from a reader’s point of view. Your post provides many points that are good and get down to the details. In your post I like how you took both sides of the topic and talked about the positive and negatives of human intervention. This topic really makes you think about the way we live on a day to day basis. With our actions we have taken will we be the one’s regretting our decisions down the road? Because if 35-150 species become extinct everyday due to human disturbances, when will the time come when were the species on the edge of extinction? Also our actions to help control the rate of species becoming extinct by preserving their habitats become questionable in the future. Because what will happen in the future if our society is in a demanding need for products (like wood or paper)? The only way to make these products is to cut down trees, these trees that are home to many species, that will probably once again become extinct after all the hard work in trying to protect them. For next time I would recommend adding more personal connections. Overall you have answered the question.
Excellent job!!!
#9
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
I have some question about your blog. What did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck died from?
Why did he marry so many times?
Final, what are some of his other threories on evolution?
Other than those few questions it was a great blog post.