The authors of the PLoS paper compare how often medical researchers and
evolutionary biologists use the word 'evolution' when referring to the
evolutionary process (as defined by the PLoS authors) in a massive sample of
erm 30 papers.
Lo and behold, the medical researchers turn out to have their own lingo in
which 'emerge' and other alternatives are preferred. It's not what I would
call evidence that scientists are overly sensitive souls with a
bred-in-the-bone determination not to stand on the toes of fundamentalist
christian colleagues. To quote the paper itself:
<quote> The frequent use of the term 'emergence' rather than 'evolution'
seemed more to be the result of a simplified phraseology that has 'emerged
and spread' out of habit and repeated usage. </quote>
They enumerate a few other factors that might be contributing to this.
Oddly, they show no interest whatsoever in doing the rather obvious - asking
medical researchers why they use 'emerge' rather than 'evolve'.
Chris
> -----Original Message-----
> From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Kenward
> Sent: 04 March 2007 22:09
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Save At-Bristol's WildWalk!
>
> Why is it so I important to get the evolution thing right,
> and, perhaps, not to "imply" that it happens? Perhaps because
> the heathens are at the gates.
>
> I found a rare lead on Slashdot to something that appeared on
> PLoS Biology.
>
> It seems that some scientists are reluctant to use the "E"
> word in their papers. Being implicit is, they suggest, a bit
> of a cop out.
>
> I won't bore y'all with the details here. Try this, which
> tracks back to the sources I plundered:
>
> http://michaelkenward.blogspot.com/2007/03/do-biomedical-resea
rchers-believe
> -in.html
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2tklgg
>
> Be scared, be very very scared.
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