brief introduction
Buffon 1707 was born in France on September 7th, 2007. His father was a Lord in a region of France and a member of parliament. Well-off families make Buffon not have to worry about daily necessities. As a teenager, Buffon studied law according to his father's wishes. 1727, Buffon met a Swedish mathematician. Under his influence, Buffon focused on the field of mathematics. A few years later, Buffon crossed the English Channel and arrived in England. There, he was infected by the academic atmosphere in Britain, impressed by the theory of the great scientist Newton, and began to study physics. After returning to France, he translated the works of British scholars into French, conducted his own research and published scientific papers. 1739 was awarded the title of cooperative academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences and was appointed as the director of the Royal Botanical Garden. Since then, his research direction has turned to the evolution of animals and plants and the earth.
Wide interests, in-depth research and beautiful writing are Buffon's strengths, which is also the guarantee for him to complete the vast 36-volume natural history. This masterpiece covers a wide range of knowledge, including the earth, birds, minerals, oviparous animals and so on. It is a complete natural history of the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom except invertebrates. Perhaps because of his aristocratic background, Buffon despised "low-level" invertebrates and refused to degrade himself to study them. However, don't deny Buffon's scientific spirit. He attaches great importance to experiments and thinks that only experiments can clarify some biological concepts. Therefore, when necessary, he will also take off his luxurious shirt and do experiments on animals himself. Poverty can make people depressed, and wealth can make people impetuous, while Linnai and Buffon obviously overcame the negative effects of poverty and wealth. The encyclopedic writing of "Natural History" will not happen overnight. To endure loneliness, settle down and study, the nobles who indulge in debauchery can't do this. Buffon's works provided rich materials for later researchers, and his beautiful and moving writing also led the interest of the French public to the field of biology.
Another contribution of Buffon is to exclude theology from scientific research. Based on various data, Buffon believes that the age of the earth can't be only thousands of years as mentioned in the Bible, and the age of the earth is at least 65438+ million years. Buffon also boldly suggested that man should be one of the animals. In his books and statements, he discusses them on the basis of practical evidence instead of quoting religious teachings. Without the shackles of religion, the great development of biology is possible.
However, Buffon did not agree with Linnaeus's classification system of animals and plants. Through the study of animal reproduction, Buffon admitted that the division of "species" is correct and conforms to the true face of nature. However, the classification above "species" is subjective and arbitrary, and the concepts of class, order and genus are only people's imagination and do not conform to the laws of nature. In his view, "as long as people are willing, corals in fresh water can be regarded as the last species in the animal kingdom and the first species in the plant kingdom."
Buffon's scientific works made him a "noble" in the scientific community. He was accepted as an academician of the Academy of Sciences by major European countries, and was awarded the title of "Count Buffon" by King Louis XV of France. Before that, Buffon's title was "Knight". Buffon lived an easy life in his later years, receiving a large salary from the state in addition to the income from the territory. Buffon died in Paris on 1788.
Buffon is famous for his works in natural history. He was one of the first scientists to question creationism. In his study of comparative anatomy, he found that many animals have imperfect and useless degenerated organs.
Buffon described the evolution of the universe, the solar system and the earth in his encyclopedic masterpiece Natural History. He believes that the earth is condensed by hot air, and the birth of the earth is much earlier than 4004 BC mentioned in Genesis, and the age of the earth is at least 654.38+ million years. Biology is formed in the historical development of the earth and changes with the change of environment. Buffon even boldly suggested that people should list themselves as a genus of animals. He wrote in his works: "If we only pay attention to faces, apes are the lowest form of human beings, because they have all human organs except the soul." "If the Bible doesn't make it clear, we may have to find a common ancestor for humans and apes."
Although Buffon used a hypothetical tone to cover up his theory of evolution with the creator and gods, he was besieged by the church. Under pressure, Buffon had to declare against his will: "I have no intention of opposing the Bible. I give up all the statements about the formation of the earth in my works and those that contradict the story of Moses. " Until18th century, religion still stubbornly maintained its rule over science.
When he worked in the Royal Museum, he compiled his masterpiece Natural History. 1739 Director of Paris Botanical Garden. 1753 was elected as an academician of the French Academy of Sciences.
Buffon wrote a masterpiece of natural history. Buffon 1749 to 1788 published a set of 36 volumes of natural history, including the history of earth formation, animal history, human history, bird history, reptile history and Buffon's selected works. This is a popular book explaining the origin of the earth and living things. The book has 44 volumes, the first 36 volumes were completed during Buffon's lifetime, and the last 8 volumes were compiled and published by his students on 1804. The first volume of natural history was officially published on 1749. The earth theory in the book puts forward the hypothesis of the origin of the earth, which holds that the earth is a block separated from the collision between the sun and the comet and gradually cooled down. Buffon's thought was further elaborated in the book Natural Times published in 1779. The formation process of the earth is divided into seven stages, and the estimated age of the earth is 75,000 years. But in my personal notes, I think the age of the earth is 3 million years. Natural History has made many discussions on the theory of water formation of rocks. It is considered that the surface ups and downs of mountains and valleys are caused by the action of high tide, low tide and current on the seabed, which exaggerates the geological function of the ocean. Volumes 32 ~ 36 of Natural History are the natural history of minerals, which contains a lot of information about minerals from predecessors, leaving a reference for future generations. Buffon's thoughts on species variation and evolution had positive enlightenment at that time.
He inferred from a large number of physical specimens, opposed the "authoritative" hypothesis, and made a materialistic explanation of nature. The literary achievements of the book are also widely praised, and its writing is delicate, vivid and full of emotion. For example, The Stages of Nature is an epic, with vivid and anthropomorphic descriptions of lions, tigers, bears, dogs, wolves and foxes. In addition, the famous French sentences "Writing is like a person" and "Style is a person" are all derived from his famous saying "Style is a person". . He classified animals artificially and graded them according to their relationship with people. However, this naturalist writer used a quite scientific method: he carefully observed, formulated and applied the principles of evaluating biological species to find out the consistency of the three countries. He not only described the anatomy and physiology of animals in words, but also used prints to help people understand the characteristics of different biological species more deeply. Buffon's description of animals from the physiological point of view provides artists with rich choices, and he can choose such and such characteristics to paint. For example, Buffon described the horse like this: "The greatest battle of mankind has always been to tame this arrogant and fierce animal. It bears the fatigue of fighting with others and enjoys the glory of winning the battle; It is as fearless as its master, aware of the danger but brave to face it, accustomed to the sound of swords, even falling in love with it, pursuing it, and full of energy when it hears the sound of war; In hunting, in competitions and on the way to horse racing, it shares the joy of its owner. It is so radiant and dazzling. However, it is both docile and brave. It can't tolerate its temper and is in a dilemma. It not only obeys the hand of the reins, but also seems to understand its intention and act according to its perception: either rush or step. The purpose of every action is to please-this animal is completely selfless, only lives for the will of others, and even has the ability to predict the will of others, and then accurately implement it in action. It is considerate, serves wholeheartedly, without reservation, without rejection, and does its utmost to die. " Artists' attitude towards life in natural history. He used an unusually calm and carefree language to eulogize every grass and tree in nature, showing the dignity and spirituality of creation in the margin.
He is one of the pioneers of modern evolution, and has published many views on evolution. He doesn't believe that the earth is only 6000 years old as Genesis says, and he estimates that the history of the earth is at least 70000 years. In his unpublished works, he estimated the age of the earth at 500,000 years. He studied many plants and animals and observed some fossils, and noticed that creatures in different geological periods were different. He accepted Newton's argument that the laws of mechanics that act on the earth can also be applied to other planets. Nature should include living things; Nature is a whole, and each part is interrelated and restricted. He also pointed out that Linnaeus only noticed the subtle differences between species, but did not regard biology as a part of the natural order.
He thinks that species are changeable. The reason of biological variation lies in the change of environment; When the environment changes, organisms will undergo corresponding variations, which will be passed on to future generations (acquired inheritance). He believes that organisms with simple structures occur naturally, and the corresponding parts in sperm and ovaries are the basic components of organisms. He disapproves of "pre-formation theory" and supports "gradual formation theory".
There are two facts that lead him to form an evolutionary view: first, there are obvious differences between fossil materials and ancient and modern creatures; Second, the degraded organs, such as the lateral toes of pigs, have lost their functions, but the internal bones are still intact. Therefore, he thinks that some species are degraded. His view of evolution was strongly criticized by the church, forcing him to give up his argument that was inconsistent with the doctrine.
The article "Squirrel" in Buffon's Selected Works has been included in the new textbook "Pre-Chinese" and has been changed.
Count Buffon, a scientist
Buffon was born in France, 1707. His father was a Lord in a region of France and a member of parliament. Well-off families make Buffon not have to worry about daily necessities. As a teenager, Buffon studied law according to his father's wishes. 1727, Buffon met a Swedish mathematician. Under his influence, Buffon focused on the field of mathematics. A few years later, Buffon crossed the English Channel and arrived in England. There, he was infected by the academic atmosphere in Britain, impressed by the theory of the great scientist Newton, and began to study physics. After returning to France, he translated the works of British scholars into French, conducted his own research and published scientific papers. 1739 was awarded the title of cooperative academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences and was appointed as the director of the Royal Botanical Garden. Since then, his research direction has turned to the evolution of animals and plants and the earth.
Wide interests, in-depth research and beautiful writing are Buffon's strengths, which is also the guarantee for him to complete his 44-volume masterpiece Natural History. This masterpiece covers a wide range of knowledge, including the earth, birds, minerals, oviparous animals and so on. It is a complete natural history of the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom except invertebrates. Perhaps because of his aristocratic background, Buffon despised "low-level" invertebrates and refused to degrade himself to study them. However, don't deny Buffon's scientific spirit. He attaches great importance to experiments and thinks that only experiments can clarify some biological concepts. Therefore, when necessary, he will also take off his luxurious shirt and do experiments on animals himself. Poverty can make people depressed, and wealth can make people impetuous, while Linnai and Buffon obviously overcame the negative effects of poverty and wealth. The encyclopedic writing of "Natural History" will not happen overnight. To endure loneliness, settle down and study, the nobles who indulge in debauchery can't do this. Buffon's works provided rich materials for later researchers, and his beautiful and moving writing also led the interest of the French public to the field of biology.
Another contribution of Buffon is to exclude theology from scientific research. Based on various data, Buffon believes that the age of the earth can't be only thousands of years as mentioned in the Bible, and the age of the earth is at least 65438+ million years. Buffon also boldly suggested that man should be one of the animals. In his books and statements, he discusses them on the basis of practical evidence instead of quoting religious teachings. Without the shackles of religion, the great development of biology is possible.