Lamarck

As a frequent visitor at Buffon’s household and the traveling companion and guide of his patron’s son, Lamarck can be considered the immediate successor of the illustrious philosopher and author of the Epoques de la nature. His style may not have been as effusive, but he had the same ability to digest facts and use them to develop illuminating concepts. He differed, however, in his scientific education and the focus of his studies. Buffon addressed much of his work to physicists rather than to naturalists, and combined an extensive knowledge of mathematics and physics with an unusual ability to deduce basic principles from general observations. His work had a precision and insight that is less apparent in Lamarck’s. On the other hand, Lamarck’s detailed studies of physiology of plants and lower animals enabled him to envisage broader relationships than anything Buffon was able to discern. Those who devoted their work exclusively to the study of man and higher animals found it difficult to understand these complex forms of life and to offer explanations for the varied phenomena they display. To them, life appeared to consist of a host of different organs and functions appropriate to the nature of each individual. It seemed pointless, if not reckless, to attempt to penetrate the secrets of these forms of life and speculate on their origins. Lamarck had good reason to say that ‘It is extraordinary that it did not become possible to explore the most important phenomena of life until we began to concentrate our studies on the most rudimentary animals and the complexities of their organization. It is equally remarkable that it was almost always by examining minute, inconspicuous objects of seemingly trivial importance that it was possible to gain the important insights that enabled us to discover the laws governing their development and trace its course through time.’