Abstract

Buffon's Natural History was reedited by a French politician and biologist, Jean de Lanessan, in 1884. Lanessan wished to demonstrate that Buffon originated a theory of evolution based on inheritance of acquired characters. He hoped to advance a French theory that avoided the unpleasant implications of Darwinian natural selection. He also expected to show that the Church persecuted Buffon, who was the fount of a liberal, democratic, and anticlerical Republic.

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