[Taxacom] teleology example

[Richard Jensen]

This coming from someone who believes that definitions don't matter?  
Come on John, you have used this out at times yourself.  My guess is the 
author was writing colloquially and had no intention of being 
teleological.  This is a common mistake - I have for years emphasized to 
my students that organisms do not evolve 'needed' adaptations, but that 
doesn't keep me from occasionally, whether in class or in casual 
conversation, referring to need without intending to.

Give the guy a break!

Dick J

On 3/7/2013 6:03 AM, John Grehan wrote:
> But this was not a case of a figure of speech or of multiple meaning.
> Purpose is purpose.
>
> John Grehan
>
> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 7:01 PM, Curtis Clark <lists at curtisclark.org> wrote:
>
>> On 2013-03-06 7:55 PM, Neal Evenhuis wrote:
>>> Well ... that may be our future. We're not writing for humans anymore --
>> just for electronic signals
>>
>> Suddenly everyone is a critic. This is an example of synecdoche: using
>> the whole for the part. It's no different from "The news America needs
>> to hear"--of course the author doesn't mean the continent.
>>
>> All this reminds me of heretic hunting to root out the evil of
>> teleology, discovered because teleologers don't drown when you toss them
>> in the river. Or something. If I were an early-career scientist, I'd
>> never write anything that could be read by Taxacomers unless I had
>> removed all figures of speech and words with multiple meanings.
>>
>> --
>> Curtis Clark        http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark
>> Biological Sciences                   +1 909 869 4140
>> Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona CA 91768
>>
>>
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-- 
Richard J. Jensen, Professor
Department of Biology
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel: 574-284-4674