Carolus Linnaeus is credited with establishing modern taxonomy. His work is credited with establishing modern botanical and zoological classification systems. Linnaeus, like Aristotle before him, employed reasoning to create his classification system. However, he presented a new concept: a hierarchical system of nested groups within groups, often known as hierarchical ordering. Linnaeus attempted to employ a "natural" classification of taxonomic ordering at first; for example, he divided all living organisms into two primary categories (Kingdoms) that he referred to as "plants" and "animals." As a result, all newly found organisms had to be assigned to one of these categories initially. It appeared to be "natural." However, the effort at a strictly "natural" method gradually gave way to a far more arbitrary set of criteria, such as changes in the form and structure of minor portions of the flower for plants. These distinctions let him distinguish between groups, but the choice had nothing to do with any apparent "natural" function of the plant, flower, or floral components. The kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species were his major groupings in the hierarchy of groups; there were seven levels of groups within groups. This was an arbitrary number, and since Linnaeus' time, more levels have been added. Linnaeus began writing a brief, easy-to-remember name in the margins of some of his books. The genus was followed by either only one word from the lengthy differentia or another word from a previous name. This meant that every species could be called without ambiguity with just 'two words.' He was the creator of the binomial system of naming organisms, often known as binary nomenclature. The Linnaean system of classification had a utility that far outweighed its artificiality, thanks to a combination of an easy-to-remember binomial name (even if it was in Latin) and the ease with which new organisms could be identified, characterised, and then fitted into their respective groups and groupings. It has survived and is still in use in a heavily modified form.

Dency Varghese

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