BUFFON, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de. - Great French naturalist, b. at Montbard (Burgundy) on 7 Sept. 1707, and d. at Paris on 16 Apr. 1788.
He began his training in mathematics, but, having inherited a vast estate, he devoted himself to problems of forests, of mineralogy and of metallurgy. With these studies, at the age of 26, he entered the Academy of Sciences. He was appointed intendant at the Jardin de Plantes in Paris in 1739 and held that office until his death. He expanded this Institute in all branches of Natural History and made of it a scientific organization that is still today the glory of France.
His publications are famous: in 1749 he began the publication of the Histoire Naturelle générale et particulière, in 1749 he undertook the work Histoire de la Terre and then published Histoire des animaux and Histoire de l'homme. Other books are: Époques de la nature (1778), Histoire des quadrupèdes (1750-76), Histoire des oiseaux, Histoire des minéraux (1783-88).
From his works there appears his unitary conception of nature. According to B., all organisms are formed, like crystals, from innumerable organic molecules, invariable. He held that species could evolve and be modified through the influence of the environment, of geographical distribution and of the struggle for existence. An independent spirit, neither philosopher nor anti-philosopher, but only a scholar and a student, he does not attack religion; he is indeed full of admiration for the Creator of so many beings, but especially of man, «a creature of predilection».
Bibliography2 worksP. Flourens, B., histoire des ses travaux et de ses idées, Paris 1850; L. Roule, B. et la description de la nature, ibid. 1924. Alberto Stef
BIBL.: P. Flourens, B., histoire des ses travaux et de ses idées, Paris 1850; L. Roule, B. et la description de la nature, ibid. 1924.
Stefanelli, Alberto. “Buffon, georges-louis leclerc, conte di.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, col. 188. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/buffon-georges-louis-leclerc-conte-di.
MLA
Stefanelli, Alberto. “Buffon, georges-louis leclerc, conte di.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, col. 188. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/buffon-georges-louis-leclerc-conte-di.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec3_buffon_georges_louis_leclerc_c,
author = {Stefanelli, Alberto},
title = {Buffon, georges-louis leclerc, conte di},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {III},
pages = {188},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1949},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/buffon-georges-louis-leclerc-conte-di}
}
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