French aristocrat understood #evolution 100yr before #Darwin – and even worried about #climatechange
Georges-Louis Leclerc proposed #species change and #extinction back in 1740s. After #CharlesDarwin published #TheOriginOfSpecies, he started reading a little-known 100yo work by Leclerc
Its contents were quite a surprise. “Whole pages [of his book] are laughably like mine,” Darwin wrote. “It is surprising how candid it makes one to see one’s view in another man’s words.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/07/the-french-aristocrat-who-understood-evolution-100-years-before-darwin-and-even-worried-about-climate-change