Ordering Life

Karl Jordan and the Naturalist Tradition

Inbunden, Engelska, 2012

AvKristin Johnson,University of Puget Sound) Johnson, Kristin (Assistant Professor

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For centuries naturalists have endeavored to name, order, and explain biological diversity. Karl Jordan (1861-1959) dedicated his long life to this effort, describing thousands of new species in the process. "Ordering Life" explores the career of this prominent figure as he worked to ensure a continued role for natural history museums and the field of taxonomy in the rapidly changing world of twentieth-century science. Jordan made an effort to both practice good taxonomy and secure status and patronage in a world that would soon be transformed by wars and economic and political upheaval. Kristin Johnson traces his response to these changes and shows that creating scientific knowledge about the natural world depends on much more than just good method or robust theory. The broader social context in which scientists work is just as important to the project of naming, describing, classifying, and, ultimately, explaining life.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2012-10-10
Mått152 x 229 x 30 mm
Vikt680 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor392
FörlagJohns Hopkins University Press
ISBN9781421406008

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Introduction1. Joining the Naturalist Tradition"Beetles. Beautiful beetles"Becoming a ZoologistThe Cosmopolitan NaturalistsThe "nice berth": Curating a Zoological MuseumMobilizing the Naturalist Tradition2. Reforming EntomologyThe "strange mixture" of EntomologistsHow to Do EntomologyThe "making" of SpeciesA New Type of CollectionRetraining the Natural History Network3. Ordering Beetles, Butterflies, and Moths"The great desideratum"Revising the SwallowtailsMaking Systematics ScientificCrossing over to BiologyAmassing the Concreta4. Ordering NaturalistsMen of Two ClassesOrganizing EntomologistsThe End of Tring's Heyday"Science knows no country"A "nation of Entomologists"5. A Descent into DisorderTelling "which way the wind blows"The Balance of Europe Is UpsetThe StandstillRecovering Friends, Committees, and Congresses I"The requirements for a thorough investigation"Taxonomy in a Changed WorldThe Rise of Applied EntomologyThe Rise of Applied EntomologyVarious Utopias I: The Ithaca CongressVarious Utopias II: The International Entomological InstituteA Lad's Last Marble7. The Ruin of War and the Synthesis of BiologyThe Edges of EmpireWhere Subspecies Meet"The end of Tring as we have known and cherished it""Provided Europe does not get quite mad""Without the collection I am hopeless"8. Naturalists in a New LandscapeRecovering Friends, Committees, and Congresses IIThe Quest to "clear up the chaos" in Weevils and FleasAvoiding the Snake in the GrassGlorified Office BoysLate for a KnighthoodConclusionAcknowledgments

For those with an interest in the history of natural history. -- Ian Paulsen, GrrlScientist Guardian A very readable account of the long-lived naturalist/entomologist Karl Jordan (1861-1959). Choice Any college-level natural history holding will find this enlightening. Midwest Book Review Karl Jordan's innovative methods of classifying insect species are highlighted in this biography of the early 20th century entomologist. Science News Ordering Life, by Kristin Johnson, is one part biography to three parts history and philosophy of science. 'Jordan serves as a useful guide', Johnson writes, 'not only to understanding how knowledge about biodiversity is obtained but how the answer to that question has changed over time and why'. -- Louise Fabiani Times Literary Supplement There are layers of richness in Johnson's book and readers will doubtless draw their own conclusions for Johnson's pleasong style leads the reader by means of historical narrtive rather than proselytization. -- Malcolm J. Scoble Biological Journal of the Linnean Society