Anstey Peter R, Harris Stephen A
Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci. 2006 Jun;37(2):151-71. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2006.03.001.
This paper argues that the English philosopher John Locke, who has normally been thought to have had only an amateurish interest in botany, was far more involved in the botanical science of his day than has previously been known. Through the presentation of new evidence deriving from Locke's own herbarium, his manuscript notes, journal and correspondence, it is established that Locke made a modest contribution to early modern botany. It is shown that Locke had close and ongoing relations with the Bobarts, keepers of the Oxford Botanic Garden, and that Locke distributed seeds and plant parts to other botanists, seeds of which the progeny almost certainly ended up in the most important herbaria of the period. Furthermore, it is claimed that the depth of Locke's interest in and practice of botany has a direct bearing on our understanding of his views on the correct method of natural philosophy and on the interpretation of his well known discussion of the nature of species in Book III of his Essay concerning human understanding.
本文认为，英国哲学家约翰·洛克通常被认为对植物学只有业余兴趣，但他在当时的植物科学领域的参与程度远比我们之前所知的要深。通过展示来自洛克自己的植物标本集、手稿笔记、日记和信件的新证据，证实了洛克对早期现代植物学做出了适度贡献。研究表明，洛克与牛津植物园的管理员博巴茨家族有着密切且持续的关系，并且洛克向其他植物学家分发种子和植物部分，这些种子的后代几乎肯定最终进入了那个时期最重要的植物标本馆。此外，有人声称，洛克对植物学的兴趣深度和实践与我们对他关于自然哲学正确方法的观点的理解以及对他在《人类理解论》第三卷中关于物种本质的著名讨论 的解释直接相关。
