Finding Order in Nature: The Naturalist Tradition from Linnaeus to E. O. Wilson (Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in... |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Brazil History > Item 144
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Finding Order in Nature: The Naturalist Tradition from Linnaeus to E. O. Wilson (Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in...
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by Paul Lawrence Farber
Sales Rank: 197218
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List Price: $19.95
$19.95
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on 8-5-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 152 pages
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press June 15, 2000
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0801863902
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0801863905
Book Dimensions:
8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
Weighs: 4 ounces
Product Review
Before the 18th century, scholarly interest in the natural world was largely the province of medical doctors, artists, and alchemists. During that century, however, and for many reasons, the study of nature spread to all sectors of society. As Paul Farber points out in this history, most private libraries contained Buffon's 36-volume encyclopedia of animals, and practical-minded politicians such as Thomas Jefferson urged that the natural world be catalogued with an eye to economic potential and utility, the gods of the Enlightenment. The resulting attention to classification and systematics influenced natural history for generations. This work of sorting remains at the heart of basic science, Farber continues, and if some scholars scorn it as old-fashioned, the need to catalog the world continues to be pressing as the biodiversity crisis mounts. looking at the contributions of thinkers as various as Nicholas Baudin, Julian Huxley, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Stephen Jay Gould, and Edward O. Wilson, Farber shows that the "naturalist tradition," which seeks to identify the underlying order of nature, is not only of central importance to the life sciences, but also an ideal vehicle for communicating advanced research to the educated public. --Gregory McNamee
From Publishers Weekly
Farber, professor of the history of science at Oregon State University, looks at the almost three-century-long tradition of natural history in this slim book, part of the Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in the History of Science series. Natural history, according to Farber, falls between "folk biology" and mainstream science. "What distinguishes natural history from the 'folk biology' of earlier studies is the attempt of naturalists to group animals, plants and minerals according to shared underlying features and to use rational, systematic methods to bring order to the otherwise overwhelming variation found in nature." What distinguishes it from contemporary science is the latter's reliance on experimentation. Farber does an impressive job of demonstrating how practitioners like Linnaeus, Buffon, Saint-Hilaire and Cuvier advanced the field and set the stage for the development of science as we know it today. Also discussed are the roles played by newly developed natural history museums, botanical gardens and zoological parks in both the scientific enterprise and in galvanizing public opinion about the importance of the natural world. The great showman P.T. Barnum, although more flamboyant than those heading the world's leading state-run institutions, played a similar role in attracting the public to natural curiosities, according to Farber in this estimable volume. 15 halftones and 7 line drawings. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Finding Order in Nature: The Naturalist Tradition from Linnaeus to E. O. Wilson (Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in...
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