Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Alexander Roslin
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish biologist best known for establishing a system for naming of organisms. Linnaeus is also sometimes regarded as the 'father of modern taxonomy'. Wikipedia says,
"The first edition of Systema Naturae was printed in the Netherlands in 1735. It was a twelve-page work... By the time it reached its 10th edition in 1758, it classified 4,400 species of animals and 7,700 species of plants... Although the system, now known as binomial nomenclature, was partially developed by the Bauhin brothers, Gaspard and Johann, 200 years earlier, Linnaeus was first to use it consistently throughout the work..." (Wikipedia: Carl Linnaeus, 8.15.21 UTC 05:33)The rest of this post is some quotes from Linnaeus.
Names
"The first step in wisdom is to know the things themselves; this notion consists in having a true idea of the objects; objects are distinguished and known by classifying them methodologically and giving them appropriate names." (System Naturae, 1735)
"Nomenclature, the other foundation of botany, should provide the names as soon as the classification is made... If the names are unknown, knowledge of the thing also perishes." (Philosohia Botanica, 1751)
"Botany is based on fixed genera." (Philosohia Botanica, 1751)
"The names of the plants ought to be stable, consequently they should be given to stable genera." (Philosohia Botanica, 1751)
