 Cope 's beliefs later evolved to one with an increased emphasis on continual and utilitarian evolution with less involvement of a Creator . He became one of the founders of the Neo @-@ Lamarckism school of thought , which holds that an individual can pass on traits acquired in its lifetime to offspring . Although the view has been shown incorrect , it was the prevalent theory among paleontologists in Cope 's time . In 1887 , Cope published his own " Origin of the Fittest : Essays in Evolution " , detailing his views on the subject . He was a strong believer in the law of use and disuse — that an individual will slowly , over time , favor an anatomical part of its body so much that it will become stronger and larger as time progresses down the generations . The giraffe , for example , stretched its neck to reach taller trees and passed this acquired characteristic to its offspring in a developmental phase that is added to gestation in the womb . 
