Finding Order in Nature: The Naturalist Tradition from Linnaeus to E. O. Wilson

Farber, professor of the history of science at Oregon State University, examines 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)