Darwin vs Lamarck: Difference and Comparison

Life is all about science where the daily activities will come under science. Science has several theories that explain everything in the universe. Darwin and Lamarck are the kinds of research that come from the names of famous scientists Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Let’s dive into the details and try to learn about them.  

Key Takeaways

  1. Charles Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection, while Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.
  2. Darwin’s theory emphasizes genetic variation and survival of the fittest, while Lamarck’s theory focuses on inheriting traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime.
  3. Darwin’s theory is widely accepted in modern evolutionary biology, whereas Lamarck’s theory has been largely discredited.

Darwin vs Lamarck  

The difference between Darwin and Lamarck is that Darwin is a theory that relates to biology, which explains the species of organisms. In Contrast, Lamarck is one of the theories of provision that explains the parent organisms. The two theories had developed by Charles Darwin and Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Both Darwinism and Lamarckism state the species after experimental analysis.  

Darwin vs Lamarck

Darwin is the name of the theory that explains the selection of organisms. Darwin’s theory had developed by Charles Darwin with the help of others. Darwinism is the biological progression that states all organisms will emerge and develop by natural selection of a few dissimilarities in individuals that increase the surviving capacity. This theory had invented in the 18th century by Charles Darwin.  

In Contrast, Lamarck is one of the theories proposed by Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a French Neutralist explaining organisms’ evolution in Lamarck’s theory. The other labels of the Lamarck theory are Lamarckian Inheritance and Neo-Lamarckism. Lamarck’s theory explains the parent organism characteristics will obtain by the children where there are used or disused.  

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison Darwin Lamarck 
Meaning   Darwin is one of the theories that had proposed by English neutralists. Lamarckism is a theory invented by French Neutralists. 
Invention   Darwin theory had proposed by the famous neutralist Charles Darwin in the 18th century. The name Lamarck had come from the French Neutralist Jean Baptiste Lamarck by explaining the Lamarck theory. 
Explanation This theory states that every organism was inherited or developed from ancestors through natural selection.   Lamarckism states that the physical characteristics of an organism will develop in its progeny. These physical characteristics may use or misuse by the progeny.   
Difference   Darwin’s theory says, only some particular characteristics will inherit by the next generation.  Lamarck says that all the physical characteristics had inherited from the progeny. 
Example   The spikes of the deer are an example of Darwin Theory. The giraffe’s neck is an example of Lamarckism. 
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What is Darwin?  

Darwin’s theory is related to science that had been proposed experimentally. Darwin’s theory had proposed by Charles Darwin with the help of some others. Darwin’s theory reveals natural selection. This theory states that every organism was inherited or developed from ancestors through natural selection. Darwinism is the biological progression that says all organisms will emerge and develop by natural selection of a few dissimilarities in individuals that increase the surviving capacity. This theory had invented in the 18th century by Charles Darwin. Darwin is an English naturalist who developed this theory with the help of others. He says that the offspring of plants and animals have some dissimilarities where the new species will develop with some particular similarities. This theory is crucial because an individual can get some awareness of the tremendous diversity of Earth and its genesis, including the human order.  

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Darwinism is such a theory that represents biological theory. Every species from the previous generation contains some unequal similarities where particular similarities can observe. Darwinism has some key points that are  

  • Adaption  
  • Competition  
  • Variation  
  • Speciation  
  • Overproduction  

Variations in characteristics like fitness, organisms, birthright, and reproduction are met, then it had known as natural selection. These are the conditions of Natural Selection in Darwin’s theory. The naturalist Darwin observed that the progeny had inherited a crucial part of the characteristics, and these progenies are different in paternal.   

charles darwin

What is Lamarck?  

Lamarck’s theory states about the biological things in the diversity. Lamarck’s theory states that all the characteristics of the species are genetic from the parents. Lamarck’s theory had developed by Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a French Neutralist explaining organisms’ evolution in Lamarck’s theory. The other labels of the Lamarck theory are Lamarckian Inheritance and Neo-Lamarckism. Lamarck’s theory explains the parent organism characteristics will obtain by the children where the attributes were used or disused. In his statement, he opposed Darwin’s theory by saying all physical characteristics are also inborn for the coming generation. The giraffe’s neck is an example of Lamarckism. Lamarckism states that the physical attributes of an organism will develop in its progeny. These physical characteristics may use or misuse by the progeny.   

Lamarckism is an evolutionary theory that mainly focuses on the physical changes in the species. It focuses on the organs of the living being and those changes in the lifetime. The crucial statement in this theory is that all the attributes will be seen in the later generation species. But these physical attributes may be used or misused in individual living things. This theory is crucial because evolution is put on the map, and the environmental role is high in shaping the organisms living on Earth. The 2 major postulates of the Lamarck theory are,  

  • All the species will live in their environment with acquired genetics.  
  • The functional units will lose track if not used for so long.  
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Some major drawbacks of the Lamacks theory are no investigational proofs, according to this theory, have been provided, and the organisms cannot acquire new parts or organs according to their wish.  

lamarck

Main Differences Between Darwin and Lamarck  

  1. Darwin’s theory had developed by the famous neutralist Charles Darwin in the 18th century, whereas the Lamarck theory had proposed by the French neutralist Jean Baptiste Lamarck.  
  2. Darwin’s theory states about natural selection, whereas Lamarck’s theory says about physical characteristics.   
  3. Darwinism consists of 3 principles, whereas Lamarckism has 2 major postulates.  
  4. Darwin’s theory says particular genetics will adapt to the next generation, whereas the Lamarck theory says all the physical attributes will inherit by the progeny.  
  5. The spike of the deer is an example of Darwin’s Theory, whereas the giraffe’s neck is an example of Lamarckism.  
Difference Between Darwin and Lamarck
References
  1. https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article-abstract/7/6/1758/2467004
  2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27827201

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About Author

Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.