Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, formalized the modern system of naming organisms called binomial nomenclature.
Biographical Overview
Born in Sweden, 1707-1778
Botanist
Founder of the modern scheme of species classification, recognized as the father of modern ecology
According to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe –
“With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly.”
In the words of Swedish author August Strindberg
“Linnaeus was in reality a poet who happened to become a naturalist.”
One of Linnaeus’ younger acquaintances, English botanist James Edward Smith, later purchased Linnaeus’ library and collections comprised of 14,000 plants, 3,198 insects, 1,564 shells, about 3,000 letters and 1,600 books. Smith founded the Linnean Society of London five years later with the tagline motto: Naturae Discere Mores, meaning “To Learn the Ways of Nature.” Unlike the Royal Society, with the motto “Nullius in verba” meaning to “take no ones word for it,” the Linnaean Society is not a scientific organization.
Named in his honor, the Society is the oldest extant biological society in the world. Since then, Linnaeus’ name and image appeared on numerous Swedish postage stamps and banknotes. More than a century later, the Society (emblem pictured right) later hosted the notorious reading of Charles Darwin’s and Alfred Russel Wallace’s papers on natural selection in July 1858.
Worldview
Using a biblical worldview perspective, Linnaeus successfully applied the scientific method to investigate the laws of nature, His worldview is notable from what he said –
“The Earth’s creation is the glory of God, as seen from the works of nature by man alone.”
“All the species recognized by Botanists came forth from the Almighty Creator’s hand, and the number of these is now and always will be exactly the same, while every day new and different florists’ species arise from the true species so-called by Botanists, and when they have arisen they finally revert to the original forms. Accordingly to the former have been assigned by Nature fixed limits, beyond which they cannot go: while the latter display without end the infinite sport of Nature.”
“Live innocently; God is here.”
“I well know what a spendidly great difference there is [between] a man and a bestia when I look at them from a point of view of morality. Man is the animal which the Creator has seen fit to honor with such a magnificent mind and has condescended to adopt as his favorite and for which he has prepared a nobler life; indeed, sent out for its salvation his only son; but all this belongs to another forum; it behooves me like a cobbler to stick to my last, in my own workshop, and as a naturalist to consider man and his body, for I know scarcely one feature by which man can be distinguished from apes, if it be not that all the apes have a gap between their fangs and their other teeth, which will be shown by the results of further investigation.”
“The study of nature would reveal the Divine order of God’s creation, and it was the naturalists task to construct a ‘natural Classification’ that would reveal this order in the universe.”
“One is completely stunned by the resourcefulness of the Creator.”
“I saw the infinite, all-knowing and all-powerful God from behind.… I followed His footsteps over nature’s fields and saw everywhere an eternal wisdom and power, an inscrutable perfection.”
“Nature makes no jumps.” [Natura non facit saltus]
“Botany is based on fixed genera.”
“The flowers’ leaves… serve as bridal beds which the Creator has so gloriously arranged, adorned with such noble bed curtains, and perfumed with so many soft scents that the bridegroom with his bride might there celebrate their nuptials with so much the greater solemnity.”
“There are as many species as the Infinite Being created diverse forms in the beginning, which, following the laws of generation [reproduction], produced many others, but always similar to them.”
