Question

Write the reasons why Lamarckism is wrong.

Answer 1

Hint: Lamarck gave the theory of inheritance of acquired characters. Inheritance is a process in which one class acquires the property of another.

Complete answer:
Lamarckism is the theory which is given many names. These names are –
Lamarckism
Lamarckian inheritance
Neo-Lamarckism
It is the theory which states that a parent can pass the physical characteristics that it acquires through use or disuse during its lifetime on to its offspring. This theory is also called the inheritance of acquired characteristics or soft inheritance. It is inaccurately named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, as he was the one who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories as a supplement to his concept of orthogenesis, which is defined as a drive towards complexity. The theory contrasts with Darwinism.
Lamarckism is considered as a wrong concept because the characters acquired by an organism during its lifetime due to use or disuse do not affect the genetic makeup of the organism. They are simply phenotypic changes.

Note: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, simply known as Lamarck was a French naturalist. He was a soldier, a biologist, an academician, and an early proponent of the idea that biological evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws.
Darwinism states that species originate on the basis of natural selection, i.e., the survival of the fittest. In nature, only those organisms are able to survive which are able to adapt according to the changes in the environment.
Lamarckism is not an accepted theory because characters acquired by use or disuse do not change the genetic makeup of the organism.