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Aristotle
Aristotle created the "Great Chain of Being" theory. This theory stated that all species could be placed in order from lowest to highest on a perfect chain, starting at worms, and ending with God. -
Carl Linnaeus
He contributed to the classification of animals, plants, and minerals. -
James Hutton
He discovered the Theory of Uniformitarianism and Gradualism. -
Thomas Malthus
Thomas had a book, "An Essay on the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future Improvement of Society." This book was about population growth versus the food supply. He argued that human existence will outrin the ability to feed itself. -
Georges Cuvier
Georges established the idea of extinction. He was a proponent of catastrophism. -
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
He proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired traits. This meant that charcateristics that organisms acquired during their lifetimes would be passed onto their offspring. -
Charles Lyell
Charles Lyell published "The Principles of Geology." This argued that the formation of Earth's changing crust took place over a vast period of time. Darwin read this text while on the Beagle and was much inspired. -
Charles Darwin
Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection.
