Abstract
This lecture is devoted to the synthetic theory of evolution : I) its history, from Antiquity to Charles Darwin, then the synthetic theory of evolution of the early 20th century ; II) the main principles of neo-Darwinian theory, which integrates Charles Darwin's principles with genetics and mathematical formalism ; III) the evidence for the evolution of species and populations ; IV) the major questions still to be resolved, including those addressed in the rest of the lecture.
