Charles Bonnet and the Order of the Known

Charles Bonnet began his career as a naturalist, from an early age establishing a reputation as a careful observer. It is for those youthful observations, as well as for some suggestive speculations proposed relative to this field, that he is best remembered in English-speaking countries: regarding the taxonomic de­ mands of natural history he refurbished the idea of a chain of beings; regarding the question of generation he marshaled evidence in support of preformation theory; and regardin...