D.E. saves the world
Alex Duncan (aduncan@mail.utexas.edu)
23 Oct 1995 12:43:53 GMT
In article <hubey.814329230@pegasus.montclair.edu> H. M. Hubey,
hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu writes:
>Where do we start. Negative feedback! Where does it come from?
>Perhaps what you want to say is that evolution is not a science
>and hence none of the mathematics which has been so unreasonably
>effective for all science cannot be used in your field.
Again, I must suggest you actually do some reading. Try Futuyma's book
"Evolutionary Biology".
If your criteria for science is that every problem must be solvable
through differential equations, then I guess biology doesn't qualify.
Since it's clearly beneath you, perhaps you should avoid it.
Hubey's response to my claim that there are such things as neutral traits:
>I already explained this to you once. You cannot know because you'd
>have to wait forever in order to be able to know that. Remember
>this thing called "falsifiability". Confirmation and verification
>has already been given up by scientists and philosophers of
>science. WE went through this only a couple of weeks ago.
Again, I would suggest that you read Futuyma's book.
If a trait varies, and the variation is found to have no correlation
whatsoever with the reproductive fitness of individuals, then I would
suggest that it is neutral. Yes indeed, in the future conditions may
change so that some variant of the trait is selected for or against.
That doesn't change the fact that traits can have neutral selective value.
>people who've done so should be ashamed. I'll accept it as
>an approximation like in all sciences.
>
>And I repeat, it cannot be done.
You should start posting to a molecular biology newsgroup and tell them
your thoughts on this. I'm sure they'd be interested to hear them.
Alex Duncan
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1086
512-471-4206
aduncan@mail.utexas.edu
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