[Coral-List] Sea Angels and Mermaids
David M. Lawrence
dave at fuzzo.com
Tue Nov 24 12:32:47 EST 2009
We could just get back to "science" if science operated in vacuum. It
doesn't. It is a social endeavor, a human endeavor, and the reasons why
we do science is as important as how we do it and what questions we ask.
For some, coral research may be merely an academic enterprise. For
others, it might be they love an excuse for being at sea. For still
others, they may be passionately concerned with the fate (and
management) of one of the Earth's most fascinating ecosystems.
The "why" bits spill out into ways that people of differing genders view
the world -- or have been taught to view the world. For instance, I
believe there is research to the effect that men tend to be more
reductionist, whereas women tend to be more holistic in how they view
environmental systems. These differences affect how the research is
done, how the results are interpreted, and how the information obtained
is used to manage limited resources.
And questions of opportunities granted to aspiring researchers in a
field are always relevant.
Later,
Dave
Eugene Shinn wrote:
> When the Coral-List began it was intended as a way for scientists to
> communicate with other scientists. What happened? Its now Sea Angels,
> Mermaids, politics, and advertisements for coral management (social
> engineering) jobs. What ever happened to coral reef research? Can't
> we get back to science and away from all this moralizing? Gene
--
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David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786
7471 Brook Way Court | Fax: (804) 559-9787
Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: dave at fuzzo.com
USA | http: http://fuzzo.com
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