Upon inquiring on the use of metaphors, it is possible that one would instinctively think of metaphor use in literature. However, the use of metaphors is vital to the creation of scientific terminology as exemplified by various scientists that have used metaphors in the explanation of scientific concepts: Copernicus in the Theory of Heliocentricity, Newton in Newtonian physics, or Carl Linnaeus in Systema Naturae. In particular, metaphor has been a tool of speech utilized by Linnaeus in order to clearly define the scientific terminology in his encyclopedia Systema Naturae. Carl Linnaeus, was a man in the eighteenth century that dedicated a portion of his career to defining various scientific terms and to classifying various living species
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Metaphor is a tool under the umbrella of figurative language where one object is directly compared to another object. In reference to Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, Linnaeus seems to be "an interpreter of fertile metaphors," where he is interpreting observations from his own perspective and he is finding the most accurate metaphors to serve as descriptions for his perspective (Johnson-Sheehan 177). For example, in Systema Naturae Linnaeus classifies humans under, "MAN," where humans are, "the governor and subjugator" (3). It is clear that Linnaeus is using the word "man" as a metaphor for humanity and he is using metaphor as a biblical allusion in that "governor" and "subjugator" are terms referring to Adam as the "governor" of all living things in the Book of Genesis. Linnaeus could have used this religious metaphor because he had a religious bias prior to writing his encyclopedia. Therefore, it is through the metaphor of Adam that the reader was able to understand what being human meant in the eyes of Linnaeus. Another example is in Linnaeus' definition of stars where he seems to define stars as "bodies remote" (1). Stars as bodies is a metaphor for describing the essence of a star. It is quite possible that Carl Linnaeus did not know that stars were spherical masses of hot gas. In using "bodies" as a metaphor for a star, Linnaeus reveals his lack of knowledge in regards to what a star is. Once again, through the use of metaphor it is possible to understand the scientist's perspective. Subsequently, today it is well known that Linnaeus' perspectives in regards to the natural world are outdated and
Metaphor is a tool under the umbrella of figurative language where one object is directly compared to another object. In reference to Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, Linnaeus seems to be "an interpreter of fertile metaphors," where he is interpreting observations from his own perspective and he is finding the most accurate metaphors to serve as descriptions for his perspective (Johnson-Sheehan 177). For example, in Systema Naturae Linnaeus classifies humans under, "MAN," where humans are, "the governor and subjugator" (3). It is clear that Linnaeus is using the word "man" as a metaphor for humanity and he is using metaphor as a biblical allusion in that "governor" and "subjugator" are terms referring to Adam as the "governor" of all living things in the Book of Genesis. Linnaeus could have used this religious metaphor because he had a religious bias prior to writing his encyclopedia. Therefore, it is through the metaphor of Adam that the reader was able to understand what being human meant in the eyes of Linnaeus. Another example is in Linnaeus' definition of stars where he seems to define stars as "bodies remote" (1). Stars as bodies is a metaphor for describing the essence of a star. It is quite possible that Carl Linnaeus did not know that stars were spherical masses of hot gas. In using "bodies" as a metaphor for a star, Linnaeus reveals his lack of knowledge in regards to what a star is. Once again, through the use of metaphor it is possible to understand the scientist's perspective. Subsequently, today it is well known that Linnaeus' perspectives in regards to the natural world are outdated and