§193 and §246 of Philosophia botanica do not support that Linnaeus was a “typologist”

Abstract

§193 and §246 of Linnaeus's Philosophia botanica have recently been invoked to suggest that Linnaeus used, or even introduced, the "Method of Type", which implies that a genus is centred around a "typical" species. However, there is no support for this conclusion in either of the two paragraphs, rather the opposite. A recapitulation of the last twenty years' reassessment of Linnaeus's taxonomic philosophy is given.

Linnaeus, the essentialism story, and the question of types

“…Lidén concludes his note by stating that Linnaeus's tendency to leave a description of the character of a prima species in place rather than updating it “has been used as an additional indication of an implicit typological approach […] [which is] certainly uncalled for” (Lidén, 2020: 215). It is unclear who Lidén considers to have made such a claim.…”

“…Moreover, he notes that the nature of the procedure of cancelling out characters by comparison with a set of known congeners allows for any species to serve as standard of comparison. Therefore, he argues, the interpretation of “ prima ” as “typical” is unjustified in this context: “there is no typical or foremost species implied” (Lidén, 2020: 215).…”

“…As a matter of fact, Lidén himself notes that before setting out to collate species Linnaeus would have only established generic circumscriptions “more or less”. The circumscription of a genus was “potentially subject to revision with detailed comparisons ( collatio )” (Lidén, 2020: 215). This shows that Linnaeus not only used prima species to extract classificatory knowledge, but also to extend it.…”

“…In a recent issue of Taxon, Magnus Lidén draws attention to recent scholarship in the history and philosophy of science that has challenged a widespread narrative about the "typological" or "essentialist" nature of Linnaeus's taxonomic philosophy (Lidén, 2020). In a welcome call for more interaction and engagement between taxonomists, historians, and philosophers, Lidén encourages readers of Taxon to consult some of these papers: "Taxonomists could learn from it."…”

“…In a recent issue of Taxon , Magnus Lidén draws attention to recent scholarship in the history and philosophy of science that has challenged a widespread narrative about the “typological” or “essentialist” nature of Linnaeus's taxonomic philosophy (Lidén, 2020). In a welcome call for more interaction and engagement between taxonomists, historians, and philosophers, Lidén encourages readers of Taxon to consult some of these papers: “Taxonomists could learn from it.” However, Lidén also points out that these reappraisals of Linnaeus's taxonomic principles and practice fail to fully execute their task, as they continue to attribute to Linnaeus a form of typological thinking that he in fact steered clear of.…”