Illuminations Episode 10: Universal Knowledge

Guests Lorraine Daston, Ann Blair, Rebecca Bushnell, Staffan Müller-Wille, James Rosindell, and Amy Tigner discuss Francis Bacon's dream of a universal research garden, the religious motivations behind the quest for knowledge, the significance of naming plants, the development of botanical gardens and Linnaeus's taxonomy system, the importance of cataloging life forms and conservation efforts, and the spiritual worth of all creation and the need for species conservation.