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- Title
Evolution as a Solution: Franco Andrea Bonelli, Lamarck, and the Origin of Man in Early-Nineteenth-Century Italy.
- Authors
Forgione, Fabio
- Abstract
Franco Andrea Bonelli, a disciple of Lamarck, was one of the few naturalists who taught and disseminated transformism in Italy in the early nineteenth century. The explanation of the history of life on Earth offered by Lamarck's theory was at odds with the Genesis narrative, while the issue of man's place in nature raised heated debates. Bonelli sought to reconcile science and religion through his original interpretation of the variability of species, but he also focused on anthropological subjects. Following Blumenbach's studies, he investigated the differences within the human species and explored the topic of humans' alleged superiority over animals. The origin of human beings, their history, and their relationship with the rest of life were thus read in light of transformism. According to Bonelli, such questions would not do irreparable damage to the new theory. On the contrary, he considered evolution not only acceptable but even necessary to protect the Holy Texts from certain dangerous trends in anthropological and zoological research.
- Subjects
BONELLI, Franco Andrea; HUMAN origins; LAMARCKIANISM; RELIGION &; science; ITALIAN history -- 19th century
- Publication
Journal of the History of Biology, 2020, Vol 53, Issue 4, p521
- ISSN
0022-5010
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10739-020-09617-2