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Every living thing : the great and deadly race to know all life  Cover Image Book Book

Every living thing : the great and deadly race to know all life

Summary: "In the 18th century, two men dedicated their lives to the same daunting task: identifying and describing all life on Earth. Their approaches could not have been more different. Carl Linnaeus, a pious Swedish doctor with a huckster's flair, believed thatlife belonged in tidy, static categories. Georges-Louis de Buffon, an aristocratic polymath and keeper of France's royal garden, viewed life as a dynamic swirl of complexities. Both began believing their work to be difficult, but not impossible--how couldthe planet possibly hold more than a few thousand species? Stunned by life's diversity, both fell far short of their goal. But in the process they articulated starkly divergent views on nature, on humanity's role in shaping the fate of our planet, and onhumanity itself. The rivalry between these two unique, driven individuals created reverberations that still echo today. Linnaeus, with the help of acolyte explorers he called "apostles" (only half of whom returned alive), gave the world such concepts asmammal, primate and homo sapiens--but he also denied species change and promulgated racist pseudo-science. Buffon coined the term reproduction, formulated early prototypes of evolution and genetics, and argued passionately against prejudice. It was a clash that, during their lifetimes, Buffon seemed to be winning. But their posthumous fates would take a very different turn"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780385666800
  • Physical Description: xiv, 407 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
    regular print
    print
  • Publisher: [Toronto, Ontario] : Doubleday Canada, [2024]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subject: Linnae, Carl von -- 1707-1778
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc -- comte de -- 1707-1788
Naturalists -- Sweden -- Biography
Naturalists -- France -- Biography
Life (Biology) -- History -- 18th century
Natural history -- History -- 18th century
Biology -- Classification -- History -- 18th century
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 0 of 1 copy available at Salt Spring Island Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Holdable? Status Due Date
Salt Spring Island Public Library 570.92 ROB (Text) 33123009859969 Non-fiction Volume hold Checked out 2024-07-02

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