Every Living Thing

In the 18th century, amid the dawn of scientific discovery, two extraordinary men embarked on a monumental quest: to catalogue every living species on Earth. Carl Linnaeus, a devout Swedish physician with a flair for showmanship, aimed to classify life into neat, unchanging categories. In stark contrast, Georges-Louis de Buffon, a cultivated French aristocrat and the guardian of the king's garden, saw life as a fluid, constantly evolving phenomenon.

Both Linnaeus and Buffon began their ambitious journeys under the assumption that the Earth could only harbour a few thousand species. However, they were soon overwhelmed by the vast complexity and diversity of life. This realisation led to a profound divergence in their views on nature and humanity's role in shaping the planet's destiny.

Linnaeus, assisted by his dedicated explorers whom he termed "apostles" (with only half surviving their perilous adventures), introduced enduring concepts like mammal, primate, and homo sapiens. Despite his monumental contributions, Linnaeus also propagated static species categorisation and promoted regrettable racist ideologies. In contrast, Buffon, who coined the term reproduction and laid the groundwork for evolutionary theory and genetics, vehemently opposed prejudice and embraced the idea of biological dynamism.

The professional rivalry between Linnaeus and Buffon was intense, characterised by their diametrically opposing philosophies. While Buffon seemed to dominate during their lifetimes, leaving an immediate impact, their legacies took unexpectedly divergent paths after their deaths.

With elegant, propulsive prose grounded in over a decade of meticulous research, bestselling author Jason Roberts narrates this unforgettable true-life tale. In Every Living Thing, he weaves together the intertwined lives and enduring legacies of Linnaeus and Buffon, tracing a remarkable arc of insight and discovery that spans across three centuries into the present day. This compelling narrative is not just a story of scientific rivalry but also a profound exploration of humanity’s quest for knowledge and understanding of the natural world.