Why were some of Carolus Linnaeus’s human categories based on myths and travelers’ tales?

Carolus Linnaeus’s inclusion of categories such as H. monstrosus (fantastical peoples) and H. ferus ("wild man") in his human taxonomy reflects the nature of scientific knowledge during the 18th century. At that time, naturalists sought to organize all known animal forms into logical schemes, but they often lacked direct, empirical evidence for many human groups discovered globally.123

Consequently, Linnaeus and other Enlightenment-era scholars relied heavily on subjective impressions and secondary accounts provided by travelers, missionaries, and explorers. These sources frequently contained tall tales and myths, which Linnaeus incorporated into his classifications alongside physical descriptions. This practice highlights the limited scientific understanding of the era, as well as a failure to distinguish between biological features and culture—the latter of which Linnaeus often conflated with temperament and customs. Ultimately, these early attempts at categorization were shaped by the ethnocentrism of the period and the reliance on anecdotal reports rather than rigorous, firsthand observation.312