[Taxacom] evolution education

[Richard Zander]

Relativism is always a sticking point. I and doubtless most scientists subscribe to "relative relativism," a kind of via mediocritas that salutes the extremes as valuable visions and checkpoints, but promotes a focus on that which seems to work for the person having to actually do the work. Suppose there were no pacifists? What do they teach us? 

 
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Richard H. Zander 
Missouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA 
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/ and http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Modern Evolutionary Systematics Web site: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/21EvSy.htm



-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of dipteryx at freeler.nl
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 10:21 AM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] evolution education

Van: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu namens fautin at ku.edu
Verzonden: do 3-2-2011 15:26
 
> [...] The puzzlement to us -- at least speaking for those 
> with whom I have discussed this extensively -- is those 
> who love nature yet deny evolution.

***
I don't see it. In my experience there is no word with as many
meanings as "nature". I am going by the assumption that nature
is in the eye of the beholder, that is, "natural" = "according 
to the speaker's personal nature (= character)".

Where a farmer will happily step out into nature (i.e. a living,
breathing, green environment, exposed to the elements) a 
botanist will observe a green wasteland (a monoculture of 
a mere handful species of grasses, where nothing else grows). 
The botanist's nature will be wasteland to the farmer (urgently 
in need of mowing, sowing and tending).