Linnaeus 2007

 
This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus. There will be celebrations all around the would but Sweden is leading the way [Linnaeus 2007].

Linnaeus' Life and Achievements

Carl Linnaeus is the most well-known Swedish scientist, both internationally and in Sweden. He has left traces in many ways: there are places that bear his name, there are locations on the Moon that have been named after him, he is depicted on Swedish banknotes, and "Linnea" is a popular first name for girls in Sweden. Carl Linnaeus placed his stamp on a complete era of scientific history - the Linnaean era. The Linnaean era is characterised by an ambition to catalogue, organise and give names to the whole natural world.

Mapping Nature

Linnaeus is probably best known as a botanist, and for his sexual system. His scientific achievements, however, also extend into the mineral world and zoology, in addition to botany. He was curious about the complete natural world, and wanted to map the whole of nature. This mapping has given us the naming convention known as the "binary nomenclature", that Linnaeus introduced. Linnaeus published a number of rule-books on which the system was based, and the system, after some initial resistance, has come not only to dominate natural history, but also to influence other scientific fields. Linnaeus clarifies language, he bases his science on a rigid terminology, formulates the concept of species and sets the broad dimensions of natural history. Humans in his system, for example, are known as Homo sapiens and they are primates in the class of mammals, Mammalia, - all of these are names and concepts that Linnaeus coined.

The Linnaean Conceptual Structure

The Linnaean conceptual structure has become popular both within the academic world and among hobbyists. The concept has spread throughout the world, initially by those known as the "Linnaean apostles", a group of disciples who reached farther afield throughout the world than any Swedes had previously reached. Their deaths in far-flung places carry a hint of heroism, they died for the sake of science. The continued influence of Linnaeus has stimulated scientific journeys, cataloguing and strange destinies, but it has also had a more calm interaction with nature at many places across the globe, with its placid nature of collection and systematic thought. Linnaeus creativity and sense of curiosity has left traces not only in science but also in literature and in other fields of culture.