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peter gärdenfors

"In fact Linnaeus did something quite amazing for a priest's son over a hundred years before Darwin: he classified man among the animals. It was he who called man Homo sapiens."

Subject tags for this article: Darwin, Carl Linnaeus, emotions, human being,

Born: 1949
Doctorate in philosophy, Lund University 1974
Professor of Cognitive Science at the Department of Philosophy, Lund University

Interview by Eva Krutmeijer

Peter Gärdenfors both confirms and challenges a common view of philosophers. How often have we heard that they sit in their ivory towers and think deep thoughts way over our heads? Gärdenfors really does have his study high up in an old tower. You reach it step-by-step up a worn oak staircase. And he really does think deep thoughts - and new ones. But he also possesses an unusual talent for describing his research in ways that both enlighten and fascinate other people.

You and Linnaeus are both good story-tellers - are there any other similarities between you?

"Linnaeus is a good example of ‘man looks for meaning'. He arranged plants and animals according to a new pattern. In so doing, he created meaning. I'm greatly interested in why we humans are so obsessed by the search for meaning in life."
Exactly why was Linnaeus' work so important?

"He didn't go by the outer signs when he was classifying plants. He made directly for the reproduction mechanism and counted stamens and pistils. That was genius!"

But his ideas weren't limited to the plant kingdom, were they?

"No that's true. In fact Linnaeus did something quite amazing for a priest's son over a hundred years before Darwin: he classified man among the animals. It was he who called man Homo sapiens. He also assigned another species to the Homo family, Homo troglodytes, which was the only ape he knew. The chimpanzee later got a different name - but what's interesting is that Linnaeus associated human beings with apes."

Nevertheless, Peter Gärdenfors sees Linnaeus' greatest legacy as cultural rather than scientific.

"It's Linnaeus we have to thank for the fact that Swedes are such passionate nature-lovers. Generation after generation,out in the countryside with their flower books in their hands. It starts when you're little, playing around on outings in the forest, and it stays with you all your life."

Are you interested in the countryside?

"Very much. I enjoy being out in nature, looking at flowers, birds... I recently got back from an amazing trip to Uganda where I was lucky enough to get close up to a school of mountain gorillas. One morning when I was out alone I suddenly found myself eye-to-eye with the alpha male on the path."

Who backed down first?

"I did!"