The Man Who Named the World: Carl Linnaeus

Michael Webster

• 27 oktober 2025
• 9798232374006

Samenvatting:

Before Carl Linnaeus, the study of life was chaos. Every plant, animal, and mineral was buried under sprawling, localized descriptions—a nomenclature so fragmented that no two scientists could agree on a single name. Then came the ambitious Swedish vicar's son who, with one elegant and revolutionary act, created the universal language of biology.

This comprehensive biography traces the extraordinary life of Linnaeus (1707–1778): from his impoverished beginnings and formative expedition to the Arctic wilderness of Lapland, to his explosive publishing breakthrough in the Netherlands that launched the controversial Sexual System of classification.

Explore the dramatic arc of the Enlightenment's greatest systematist: his rise to academic celebrity at Uppsala, the global dispersion of his knowledge by his daring students, the Linnaean Apostles, and the complex philosophical struggles and political maneuvering that defined his final years.

Delving into his character, his scientific revolutions, and the lasting cultural impact of his work, this book reveals Linnaeus not just as the father of modern taxonomy, but as the complicated, intensely human mind who organized nature—and whose simple, two-part names remain the indispensable foundation of science today. Approx.175 pages, 34000 word count