Dear Steve,
I really haven’t paid as much attention to letter XXXI this week as I should have done. I can’t give you a good reason.
Having just reread the letter and reviewed the discussions I have had with my assistant, I think the view that I am taking with regard to XXXI is that classic situation not so much of two naturalists disagreeing about something, but each providing observed evidence for their stance, for evaluation. I believe that the Monographer Scopoli, in his published leaflet, stated his position, which Gilbert disagrees with, in particular how a bird of a certain species manages its young when under threat (by carrying them away in their beak). But Gilbert has not seen this, and cannot categorically rule out that it happens. He is, though, very doubtful given the nature of the bird’s beak.
For me, it is a curiosity that arguments such as those must be conducted at a snail’s pace, instead of today’s ability to (all intents and purposes) communicate the issues instantaneously across the world. Are such arguments today more intense (especially if crowd-sourced)? Has the speed of modern communication improved scientific debate, or merely accelerated disagreement? And of course, there have always been people who like to stir things up – is that a colloquialism that Gilbert would recognise?
Gilbert had mentioned Monographers, people who focus on one species or type, and learn as much as they can about their chosen subject. Such was Scopoli.
I asked my assistant if she were aware of anyone who may be classed as a Monographer today. There were two names in particular that immediately grabbed my attention: Thomas Seeley, who wrote the book Honeybee Democracy, and Deborah M. Gordon and her book Ants at Work: How an insect society is organised. The latter is interesting, as it was reviewed by Seeley.
Since that has arisen, I have been trying to determine what my fascination is with both Ants and Bees. I’m not at all sure that I can answer that question. But there is something about both species that I think has always interested me; I couldn’t help but ask a potentially silly question;
How similar are Star Trek’s “The Borg” to Ants and Bees? It turns out, quite a bit. Not a perfect match, of course; after all, in science fiction anything can happen.
All The Best
Bill.
Link to Previous Letter XXX, 11 Oct 26, The Fruit if the Tree (or possibly bush)
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