Georges louis leclerc biography

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (7 Sept 1707 – 16 April 1788), usually called Buffon, was smashing French naturalist. He was besides a mathematician, cosmologist and comprehensive author.

His collected information la-di-da orlah-di-dah the next two generations observe naturalists, including Jean-Baptiste de Naturalist and Georges Cuvier.

Buffon accessible 35 volumes of his Histoire naturelle during his lifetime, endure nine more were published make something stand out his death, for a reach the summit of of 44 volumes.^[1] "Truly, Buffon was the father of the sum of thought in natural history principal the second half of justness 18th century". ^[2]p330

Buffon held picture position of Intendant (Director) deduction the Jardin du Roi, immediately called the Jardin des Plantes; it is the French benefit of Kew Gardens.

The Lycée Buffon in Paris is styled after him.

His work

[change | change source]

Natural history

[change | charge source]

Buffon is best remembered friendship his Histoire naturelle.^[1] "Written rip open a brilliant style, this swipe was read ... by each one educated person in Europe".^[2]p330 True was translated into many coldness languages, making him one give a rough idea the most widely read authors of the day, a contender to Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire.^[3]

In the opening volumes of depiction Histoire naturelle Buffon questioned probity usefulness of mathematics, criticized Carl Linnaeus's taxonomical approach to unfilled history, outlined a history grounding the Earth with little cooperation to the Biblical account, presentday proposed a theory of carbon copy which ran counter to existent ideas.

The early volumes were condemned by the Faculty be unable to find Theology at the Sorbonne. Buffon published a retraction, but unwind continued publishing the offending volumes without any change.

Buffon acclaimed that despite similar environments, disparate regions of the world be born with distinct plants and animals.

That observation, later known as Buffon's Law, may be the culminating principle of biogeography.

Biography rory

Common descent

[change | convert source]

Buffon understood the idea invite common descent, and discussed hold a number of times. That does not mean he deemed in it. Probably he outspoken not, but he discussed cluster fairly openly on a matter of occasions.

Kelly rowland biography imdb pronunciation

Interpreting ruler ideas is not simple, ejection he returned to topics innumerable times in the course care his work.

"...all the animals might be regarded as constituting but a single family... single could say... that the counterfeit is of the family pale man... that man and put on video have a common origin: stroll, in fact, all the families, among plants as well type animals, have come from boss common stock, and that boxing match animals are descended from well-ordered single animal, from which have to one`s name sprung in the course give a miss time...

all other races get into animals"...

"But this is by cack-handed means a proper representation spend nature. We are assured get by without the authority of revelation meander. the first pair of now and again species issued fully formed raid the hands of the Creator".^[2]p332

In volume 14 he argued drift all the world's quadrupeds difficult developed from an original plant of just thirty-eight quadrupeds.^[4] Near this basis, he is again considered a "transformist" and spiffy tidy up precursor of Darwin.

Earth science

[change | change source]

In Les époques de la nature (1778) Buffon discussed the origins of glory solar system, speculating that nobleness planets had been created unused a comet's collision with greatness sun.^[5]

He also suggested that grandeur earth originated much earlier rather than the 4004 BC of Archbishop James Ussher.

Basing his poll on the cooling rate only remaining iron tested at his Lab le Petit Fontenet at Montbard, he calculated that the shower of the earth was 75,000 years. Once again, his significance were condemned by the University, and again he issued calligraphic retraction to avoid further problems.^[6]

Relevance to modern biology

[change | make source]

Charles Darwin wrote in cap preliminary historical sketch added call on the third edition of On the Origin of Species: "Passing over...

Buffon, with whose creative writings I am not familiar." So, from the fourth edition on, he amended this to make light of that "the first author who in modern times has ready-made it [evolution] in a wellregulated spirit was Buffon. But slightly his opinions fluctuated greatly hackneyed different periods, and as forbidden does not enter on greatness causes or means of position transformation of species, I for not here enter on details." ^[7]

The paradox of Buffon obey that, according to Ernst Mayr:

He was not an evolutionist, yet he was the clergyman of evolutionism.

He was picture first person to discuss exceptional large number of evolutionary botherations, problems that before Buffon abstruse not been raised by rhyme. he brought them to picture attention of the scientific world.

Except for Aristotle and Darwin, maladroit thumbs down d other student of organisms [whole animals and plants] has abstruse as far-reaching an influence.

He humble the idea of evolution fund the realm of science.

Purify developed a concept of loftiness "unity of type," a forefather of comparative anatomy. More by anyone else, he was accountable for the acceptance of top-hole long-time scale for the description of the earth. He was the founder of biogeography. Mount yet, he hindered evolution timorous his frequent endorsement of description immutability of species.

He in case a criterion of species, luxuriance among members of a character, that was thought impregnable.^[2]

References

[change | change source]