Couverture de The Power of Life

The Power of Life

The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Aperçu
Offre à durée limitée

3 mois d'Audible Standard gratuits

3 mois pour 0,00 €/mois, puis 5,99 €/mois. Possibilité de résilier chaque mois.
Essayez pour 0,00 €/mois
L'offre prend fin le 15 Juillet 2026 à 23 h 59.
Plus d'options d'achat

The Power of Life

De : Jessica Riskin
Lu par : Ellen Adair
Essayez pour 0,00 €/mois

3 mois pour 0,99 €/mois, puis 5,99 €/mois. Possibilité de résilier chaque mois. Offre valable jusqu'au 15 juillet 2026 à 23 h 59.

Acheter pour 17,99 €

Acheter pour 17,99 €

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2026 BY THE NEW YORKER

“A truly remarkable achievement.” —Jill Lepore

“A gorgeous story of human nature and animal behavior—and of the way science itself evolves.” —Dava Sobel

The tumultuous life and radical science of a revolutionary thinker, and the history of an idea that changed the world


In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. Yet for centuries, evolutionary theorists have endeavored to discredit Lamarck and his theory of self-transforming organisms, rejecting the idea that animals play an active role in shaping their own evolution. In his lifetime, he was mocked by his adversaries and personally insulted by Napoleon. In this virtuosic melding of biography, history, politics, and science, Jessica Riskin sets out to correct the record. Riskin tells the story of Lamarck’s life and work as an intense struggle between rival forces to answer questions that remain foundational to our modern worldview: What is a living being, and what is science?

New findings suggest Lamarck’s basic claim was, in many ways, right, and a reconsideration of his life and work is long overdue. Denying the agency of living beings has informed two centuries of eugenic policies and environmental destruction, allowing people to regard the living world as so much raw material to shape and exploit for economic, industrial, and imperial gain.

Deeply researched, strikingly original, and beautifully written, The Power of Life shines a much-needed light on an underappreciated biologist whose radical ideas offered a more inclusive, collaborative, and enlightened approach to science.
Professionnels et universitaires Science Sciences et technologies
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
Aucun commentaire pour le moment