Evolving Thoughts

Evolution, culture, philosophy and chocolate! John Wilkins' continuing struggle to come to terms with impermanence... "Humanus sum, nihil humanum a me alienum puto" - Terence

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Quote: Ghiselin on the Synthesis

The notion that "the" Synthesis was somehow complete at one time or another in its history implies that the participants were aiming at some culminating event, like the Resurrection of Christ.The canonical texts are being treated as if they were The Gospel according to Saint Doby, The Gospel according to Saint Ernst, The Gospel according to Saint G. G., The Gospel according to Saint Julian, The Gospel according to Saint Bernhard, and The Gospel according to Saint Ledyard. Scientists are explorers, not prophets. For them to display themselves otherwise is as dishonest as it is misleading.
Ghiselin, Michael T. (2001), "Evolutionary synthesis from a cosmopolitan point of view: a commentary on the views of Reif, Junker and Hossfeld", Theory in Biosciences 120:166-172.
Can I get an amen!? Amen, brother.