Page 81 - Existence of Allah

HARUN YAHYA (ADNAN OKTAR)

Lamarck's Impact
So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer
this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science
at that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-
1829), who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they
acquired during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these
traits, which accumulated from one generation to another, caused new
species to be formed. For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from
antelopes; as they struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were
extended from generation to generation.
Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book The Origin of Species, for
instance, he said that some bears going into water to find food transformed
themselves into whales over time. 39

Lamarck be lieved that gi raffes evolved from such an i mals as an te lopes. In his view,
the necks of these grass-eat ing an i mals grad u al ly grew longer, and they even tu al ly
turned in to gi raffes. The laws of in her it ance dis cov ered by Mendel in 1865 proved
that it was im pos si ble for prop er ties ac quired dur ing life to be hand ed on to sub se -
quent gen er a tions. Lamarck's gi raffe fairy tale was thus con signed to the waste bin
of his to ry.

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