<P> Lamarckism ( or Lamarckian inheritance ) is the hypothesis that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime to its offspring . It is also known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics or soft inheritance . It is inaccurately named after the French biologist Jean - Baptiste Lamarck ( 1744 -- 1829 ) , who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories as a supplement to his concept of orthogenesis , a drive towards complexity . The theory is cited in textbooks to contrast with Darwinism . This paints a false picture of the history of biology , as Lamarck did not originate the idea of soft inheritance , which was known from the classical era onwards . It was not the primary focus of Lamarck 's theory of evolution ; further , in On the Origin of Species ( 1859 ) , Charles Darwin supported the idea of `` use and disuse inheritance '' , though rejecting other aspects of Lamarck 's theory . </P>
<P> Lamarckism ( or Lamarckian inheritance ) is the hypothesis that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime to its offspring . It is also known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics or soft inheritance . It is inaccurately named after the French biologist Jean - Baptiste Lamarck ( 1744 -- 1829 ) , who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories as a supplement to his concept of orthogenesis , a drive towards complexity . The theory is cited in textbooks to contrast with Darwinism . This paints a false picture of the history of biology , as Lamarck did not originate the idea of soft inheritance , which was known from the classical era onwards . It was not the primary focus of Lamarck 's theory of evolution ; further , in On the Origin of Species ( 1859 ) , Charles Darwin supported the idea of `` use and disuse inheritance '' , though rejecting other aspects of Lamarck 's theory . </P>
who proposed a theory of evolution based on acquired characteristics
who proposed a theory of evolution based on acquired characteristics
Jean - Baptiste Lamarck
Jean - Baptiste Lamarck