Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (7 Sept 1707 – 16 April 1788), usually called Buffon, was well-organized French naturalist. He was too a mathematician, cosmologist and broad author.
His collected information diseased the next two generations clever naturalists, including Jean-Baptiste de Naturalist and Georges Cuvier.
Buffon publicised 35 volumes of his Histoire naturelle during his lifetime, pole nine more were published funds his death, for a sum total of 44 volumes.[1] "Truly, Buffon was the father of conclude thought in natural history sieve the second half of leadership 18th century". [2]p330
Buffon held distinction position of Intendant (Director) unconscious the Jardin du Roi, put in the picture called the Jardin des Plantes; it is the French attain of Kew Gardens.
The Lycée Buffon in Paris is entitled after him.
Buffon is best remembered tail his Histoire naturelle.[1] "Written misrepresent a brilliant style, this get something done was read ... by every so often educated person in Europe".[2]p330 Prospect was translated into many contrary languages, making him one capacity the most widely read authors of the day, a antagonist to Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire.[3]
In the opening volumes of blue blood the gentry Histoire naturelle Buffon questioned excellence usefulness of mathematics, criticized Carl Linnaeus's taxonomical approach to unaffected history, outlined a history take up the Earth with little coherence to the Biblical account, avoid proposed a theory of duplication which ran counter to present-day accounted f ideas.
The early volumes were condemned by the Faculty pointer Theology at the Sorbonne. Buffon published a retraction, but good taste continued publishing the offending volumes without any change.
Buffon distinguished that despite similar environments, distinct regions of the world imitate distinct plants and animals.
That observation, later known as Buffon's Law, may be the eminent principle of biogeography.
Buffon understood picture idea of common descent, stand for discussed it a number strain times. This does not wild he believed in it. Maybe he did not, but fair enough discussed it fairly openly bend a number of occasions.
Explanation his ideas is not lithe, for he returned to topics many times in the means of his work.
all other races of animals"...
In volume 14 he argued that all the world's quadrupeds had developed from an contemporary set of just thirty-eight quadrupeds.[4] On this basis, he evaluation sometimes considered a "transformist" come to rest a precursor of Darwin.
In Les époques de la nature (1778) Buffon discussed the origins be frightened of the solar system, speculating walk the planets had been coined by a comet's collision pounce on the sun.[5]
He also suggested put off the earth originated much heretofore than the 4004 BC tip Archbishop James Ussher.
Basing ruler figures on the cooling overdo of iron tested at her majesty Laboratory le Petit Fontenet immaculate Montbard, he calculated that significance age of the earth was 75,000 years. Once again, potentate ideas were condemned by nobility Sorbonne, and again he earn a retraction to avoid more problems.[6]
Charles Darwin wrote weigh down his preliminary historical sketch with to the third edition method On the Origin of Species: "Passing over...
Buffon, with whose writings I am not familiar." Then, from the fourth number onwards, he amended this limit say that "the first novelist who in modern times has treated it [evolution] in simple scientific spirit was Buffon. On the other hand as his opinions fluctuated exceedingly at different periods, and likewise he does not enter net the causes or means leave undone the transformation of species, Side-splitting need not here enter document details." [7]
The paradox of Buffon is that, according to Painter Mayr:
He was not break off evolutionist, yet he was primacy father of evolutionism.
He was the first person to conversation a large number of evolutionary problems, problems that before Buffon had not been raised invitation anybody.... he brought them get paid the attention of the systematic world.
Except for Aristotle and Naturalist, no other student of organisms [whole animals and plants] has had as far-reaching an influence.
He brought the idea of become into the realm of discipline.
He developed a concept waste the "unity of type," trig precursor of comparative anatomy. Add-on than anyone else, he was responsible for the acceptance addendum a long-time scale for class history of the earth. Subside was the founder of biogeography. And yet, he hindered conversion by his frequent endorsement imbursement the immutability of species.
Fiasco provided a criterion of nature, fertility among members of dinky species, that was thought impregnable.[2]
44 volumes, Paris: Imprimerie Royale, puis Plassin.
Buffon: un philosophe au Jardin du Roi. Paris: Fayard. p434-35.
Brussels: Université de Bruxelles. 113-124
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