What was Loureiro's central scientific idea?
My central endeavor was to understand and systematically classify the natural world, particularly its botanical riches, as I encountered them in Cochinchina. I believed that through careful observation and empirical data, we could uncover the underlying order of nature. This order, I posited, was not arbitrary but governed by principles that could be discerned through a logical, analytical approach. My work aimed to reveal this inherent structure, much like uncovering the elegant proofs of mathematics.
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