Open AccessCuvier et Lamarck: deux naturalistes en miroir
Author(s) -
Cédric Grimoult
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
organon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2657-5337
pISSN - 0078-6500
DOI - 10.4467/00786500.org.20.003.12929
Subject(s) - natural history , epistemology , environmental ethics , history , zoology , biology , philosophy , ecology
Lamarck and Cuvier built opposite theories concerning the origin of living beings, their links and fate. If they could agree on the bases of the animal classification, they drastically differed in their interpretations. Lamarck claimed the reality of the transformation of species, whereas Cuvier challenged and attacked him fiercely. The two naturalists competed strongly for the leading place in natural history at the beginning of the 19th century, dialoguing indirectly through their scientific papers, which need to be reviewed in light of this debate. Their polemical discussion shows some major issues in the emergent science of biology.