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James Hutton
James Hutton was a Scottish naturalist. He died on the 26th of March 1797. James Hutton wasn't much of an evolutionary theorist, but had an idea that the Earth was an organism in itself. This can be thought to have some influence on evolutionary thought. -
Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin was a British physician and botanist who was the grandfather of Charles Darwin. He died on the 18th of April 1802 at the age of 70.
His most important scientific contribution was his book titled 'Zoonomia'.Although it was mostly a medical work, it still included some ideas of Erasmus' on evolution. His idea was that "the strongest and most active animal should propagate the species, which should thence become improved" - a quote from Zoonomia. -
William Paley
William Paley was an English philosopher. He died on the 25th of May 1805. He was well known as his work was studied in schools. In his works 'Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity', he argued that such a system as evolution can be accredited to an intelligent god. He argued in his works that such a creator has to have existed to have a such a 'well-made' mechanism. -
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a French biologist. He died on the 18th of December 1829. He also served a soldier for France. Lamarckism, which was named after Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, is the idea that traits of organisms can be inherited by the parents. He wrote three books that explained his thoughts of evolution. He thought that changes to animals can be accredited to the environment around them. His theory is now obsolete as he wrote that living organisms could rise out of inanimate objects. -
John Henslow
John Henslow was an English botanist. He died on the 16th of May 1861 at the age of 65. He was known as a good friend and mentor of Charles Darwin. John Henslow never published any work on evolution, but served as a great influence on Charles Darwin's works. -
Charles Lyell
Charles Lyell was an English geologist. He died age 77. He never served a direct influence on evolutionary thought but assisted Charles Darwin in his works. He also helped in published both Charles' and Alfred's works. -
Robert Chambers
Robert Chambers was a Scottish thinker. He died on the 17th of March 1871. His work had some inspiration from Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. His evolutionary work included 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'. He put forward the idea that everything in the present can be taken back to an earlier form. His theory, which was similar to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's is now proven to be false. -
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin was an English naturalist or bioligist. He was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin. Some of Charles' work was inspired by Erasmus' work. He lived to the age of 73. Considered on of the most famous evolutionary theorists, Charles Darwin's book 'On the Origin of Species' set the foundation on the theory of evolution. His theory was basically evolution through natural selection, that characteristics of organisms are 'chosen' to either succeed or fail within their environments. -
Alfred Wallace
Alfred Wallace was another British naturalist or biologist. He died at the age of 90. He worked and was also friends with Charles Darwin. Alfred was most known for coming up with the theory of evolution completely independently of Charles Darwin. Although not receiving nearly as much credit, he was equally as intelligent. Having shared the same theory as Charles, it was natural selection that he thought evolution was based off of.
