Structure

Jason Roberts employs a deliberate dual biographical structure in Every Living Thing that functions as more than mere organizational convenience—it becomes a rhetorical argument about the nature of scientific progress itself. By presenting Linnaeus and Buffon as parallel subjects born in the same year (1707) but shaped by radically different circumstances, Roberts creates a controlled comparison that isolates variables: What happens when two men of equal historical moment approach the same intellectual problem from opposing philosophical positions? This structural choice transforms biography into comparative analysis, allowing readers to evaluate not just individual lives but competing systems of thought.

The structure operates through strategic juxtaposition and convergence. Roberts alternates between his subjects in the early sections, establishing their contrasting origins—Linnaeus's poverty and struggle versus Buffon's inherited wealth and privilege. This back-and-forth rhythm creates mounting tension as both men develop their classification systems independently, setting up an intellectual...