Johnson Ordering Life

Karl Jordan and the Naturalist Tradition
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4214-0650-3
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 0 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Examines the life of prolific taxonomist Karl Jordan in the context of contemporary events and societal trends.

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Johnson, Kristin

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Taxonomie und Systematik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Biodiversität

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
1. Joining the Naturalist Tradition
"Beetles. Beautiful beetles"
Becoming a Zoologist
The Cosmopolitan Naturalists
The "nice berth": Curating a Zoological Museum
Mobilizing the Naturalist Tradition
2. Reforming Entomology
The "strange mixture" of Entomologists
How to Do Entomology
The "making" of Species
A New Type of Collection
Retraining the Natural History Network
3. Ordering Beetles, Butterflies, and Moths
"The great desideratum"
Revising the Swallowtails
Making Systematics Scientific
Crossing over to Biology
Amassing the Concreta
4. Ordering Naturalists
Men of Two Classes
Organizing Entomologists
The End of Tring's Heyday
"Science knows no country"
A "nation of Entomologists"
5. A Descent into Disorder
Telling "which way the wind blows"
The Balance of Europe Is Upset
The Standstill
Recovering Friends, Committees, and Congresses I
"The requirements for a thorough investigation"
Taxonomy in a Changed World
The Rise of Applied Entomology
The Rise of Applied Entomology
Various Utopias I: The Ithaca Congress
Various Utopias II: The International Entomological Institute
A Lad's Last Marble
7. The Ruin of War and the Synthesis of Biology
The Edges of Empire
Where 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 Landscape
Recovering Friends, Committees, and Congresses II
The Quest to "clear up the chaos" in Weevils and Fleas
Avoiding the Snake in the Grass
Glorified Office Boys
Late for a Knighthood
Conclusion
Acknowledgments

Über Autor(innen)

Johnson, Kristin
Kristin Johnson is an assistant professor of science, technology, and society at the University of Puget Sound.