Could life have evolved as described by Lamarck's theory of evolution, instead of Darwin's?

Background Information

As we all know, life as we know it today is caused by the process of natural selection, sometimes referred to as survival of the fittest, as proposed by Darwin. Essentially, the organisms better at surviving would be more likely to pass on their genes.

Before Darwinism became widely accepted, Lamarck proposed a similar theory. The following picture describes it perfectly (with the example of a giraffe):

The difference between his and Darwin's theory is that he believed that a traits acquired in the lifetime can be passed on.

Question

Could life as we know it arise if Lamarck's theory was correct rather than Darwin's?

posted over 8 years ago

AMACB‭

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