Regardless of what Lamarck actually said, Lamarckism is nowadays the name given to the theory of evolution that relies on the assumption that acquired characteristics can be inherited. The significant feature of Lamarckian theory is the idea that new genetic variation tends to be adaptively directed, rather than 'random' (i.e. non-directed) as in the Darwinian theory. The orthodox view today is that the Lamarckian theory is completely wrong.
