In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. In this melding of biography, history, politics, and science, Jessica Riskin tells the story of Lamarck’s life and work as an intense struggle between rival forces to answer questions that remain foundational to our modern worldview: What is a living being, and what is science?
Packed with admirable scholarship; the author is an excellent stylist ... She shines as a cultural historian ... Biographers such as Ms. Riskin frequently claim their subjects are more momentous than they were. Nonetheless, as this book shows, Lamarck really was a scientific pioneer, recognizing the importance of the insight that living things change over time ... Whether, as Ms. Riskin believes, he warrants full rehabilitation as a theorist, however, is another story. Ms. Riskin argues persuasively that Lamarck made important contributions that deserve to be recognized, but he remains where he belongs: in Darwin’s shadow.
A transportive and engaging examination of the life and legacy of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck ... Richly detailed yet accessible, this work recenters a vital voice in the history of evolutionary thought ... Compelling and intellectually rigorous.
