apology and biology's future

[Ken Kinman]

TAXACOMERS:
     Joseph, please accept my apology for being such a grouch yesterday.
I'm sure you have good reasons for wanting this information.  I was just
doing a poor job of expressing the sadness some of us on TAXACOM have
when issues of broad "importance" (Mayr vs. Woese for example) elicits
almost no response, while the minutia of nomenclature (as an example)
often get a great deal of attention.
     This worries me a lot, as the specialization in biology seems to be
going down the same track as medicine, with general practiioners have an
increasing tough time, and plastic surgeons making huge profits mostly
to satisfy the vanity of the bored elite.  This is an
oversimplification, but the trend is there, and it disturbs me that
biology is heading for some major difficulties and that we will make the
age-old mistake of being reactive somwhere down the line, rather than
proactive while we have a chance to minimize the damage.      I deal
with detailed information as much as anyone else, but I think the
philosophy of science is suffering increasing erosion as technology and
information become overemphasized, and critical thinking (which is what
gives the human brain that spark of the divine) too often takes a back
seat.  But that is no reason for me to be cranky about it, and Joseph's
e-mail came along at a very bad time.  Again, I apologize for taking my
frustrations out on a colleague who was simply asking for information.
Upwards and onwards, and back to work.
                                 Ken Kinman

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