# Harvard Science Book Talk: Jessica Riskin, in conversation with Naomi Oreskes,"The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck" #### calendar\_today Date and Time **March 24, 2026** 06:00PM - 07:00PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Harvard Science Center, Hall E** 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 [ Free Tickets arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jessica-riskin-at-the-harvard-science-center-tickets-1981621254516) ![Jessica Riskin headshot and Book Cover; Naomi Oreskes headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum7191/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-03/Riskin-mail_0.jpg?itok=PTatknW6) In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. Yet for centuries, evolutionary theorists have endeavored to discredit Lamarck and his theory of self-transforming organisms, rejecting the idea that animals play an active role in shaping their own evolution. In his lifetime, he was mocked by his adversaries and personally insulted by Napoleon. In this virtuosic melding of biography, history, politics, and science, Jessica Riskin sets out to correct the record. Riskin tells the story of Lamarck’s life and work as an intense struggle between rival forces to answer questions that remain foundational to our modern worldview: What is a living being, and what is science? New findings suggest Lamarck’s basic claim was, in many ways, right, and a reconsideration of his life and work is long overdue. Denying the agency of living beings has informed two centuries of eugenic policies and environmental destruction, allowing people to regard the living world as so much raw material to shape and exploit for economic, industrial, and imperial gain. Deeply researched, strikingly original, and beautifully written, *The Power of Life* shines a much-needed light on an underappreciated biologist whose radical ideas offered a more inclusive, collaborative, and enlightened approach to science. --- **Jessica Riskin** is the Frances and Charles Field Professor of History at Stanford University, where she teaches modern European history and the history of science. She is the author of *The Restless Clock* and *Science in the Age of Sensibility* and is a regular contributor to a number of publications, including *Aeon*, the *Los Angeles Review of Books*, and the *New York Review of Books*. **Naomi Oreskes** is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, *Merchants of Doubt* (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. --- For more information and videos of Harvard Science Book Talks, see . **Contact Info:** [science\_lectures@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu) See also:- [ Science Public Lecture Series ](/event-type/science-public-lecture-series) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://science.fas.harvard.edu/node/1623381/event-feed.ics) Copy link link