Lysenkoism

American  

[li-seng-koh-iz-uhm] / lɪˈsɛŋ koʊˌɪz əm /

noun

1. a genetic doctrine formulated by Lysenko and asserting that acquired characteristics are inheritable.

---

Lysenkoism British  

/ lɪˈsɛŋkəʊˌɪzəm /

noun

1. a form of Neo-Lamarckism advocated by Lysenko, emphasizing the importance of the inheritance of acquired characteristics

---

Etymology

Origin of Lysenkoism

1945–50; named after T. D. Lysenko; -ism

Example Sentences

Lysenkoism was around long enough that, to his eternal disgrace, the proponent of the bizarre theory of plant heritability got his name attached to it.

From Washington Post

When Lysenkoism was applied to agricultural policy in Communist countries like the Soviet Union or China, the end result was invariably famine.

From Salon

Lysenkoism – despite being dead wrong – became the accepted orthodoxy in the academies and universities of communist Europe until the mid-1960s.

From Salon

For example, the pseudo-genetics of Lysenkoism, so disastrous for agriculture elsewhere, never became the official position owing to strong resistance from prominent Chinese biologists, despite intense political pressure.

From Nature

Stalin embraced lysenkoism as the basis for Soviet agricultural policy, while also denouncing and persecuting Lysenko’s scientific critics.

From The Guardian