[Taxacom] An improved definition of cladogenesis

[Anthony Pigott]

The actual quote is "All science is either physics or stamp collecting.",
quoted in J. B. Birks, Rutherford at Manchester (1962), so he was including
stamp collecting in science.

Of course, not all physics is simple, small scale stuff; lots of it is about
very large scale and complex stuff, for example, Thermodynamics, Geophysics
and (what I often think is humanity's greatest intellectual achievement)
Astrophysics.

Admittedly, physicists do have a tendency to remind others of the more
fundamental nature of their science - as undergraduates, we often teased
chemists that all the important chemistry was really physics, the rest was
cookery.

Incidentally, I was lucky enough to study Physics at UCL while Sir Harrie
Massey was head of department. He worked with Rutherford at the Cavendish
Lab in the early 30's. One of those 'connection' things.

Anyway, what's wrong with stamp collecting? I expect a lot of physicists do
it!

Best wishes 

Anthony


-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Mesibov
Sent: 15 March 2010 01:26
To: Richard Zander
Cc: TAXACOM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] An improved definition of cladogenesis

Richard Zander wrote:

"Lord Rutherford once said "Science is physics. Everything else is
stamp-collecting." This doesn't apply here, but I thought I'd throw it in.
:) "

[The man was a nuclear physicist, and he's also quoted as saying "Anyone who
expects a source of power from the transformation of the atom is talking
moonshine". Rutherford died in 1937.]

It certainly does *not* apply here. Anyone who thinks that discovering and
documenting biodiversity is like stamp collecting just doesn't understand
biology. It's 'collecting' in the same sense that 'discovering universes' is
'collecting': a spectacular understatement.
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
(03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Website: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/mesibov.html

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