Re: Creationism

This is a little off-topic, but the term was mentioned, so I'll ask: What is
meant by "higher taxa"? Does it refer to the roots or the leaves of the tree of
evolution? I suspect it refers to the leaves, but in the Computer Science world
they draw trees upside down, so higher taxa might mean the roots. Just to make
sure we avoid confusion, better answer that higher taxa refers to the kingdom
end or the species endof the evolutionary tree.

--- "Terry M. Gray" <grayt@lamar.colostate.edu> wrote:

> Michael,
>
> I don't know the answer either, but in a quick scan I found the term
> in my college general biology textbooks (two different ones--Biology,
> Curtis, 2nd Edition, 1975; Life on Earth, Wilson et al., 2nd Edition,
> 1978).
>
> The notion of "macroevolution" (species selection, etc) is part of
> the punctuated equilibrium story. Steven Stanley's book with that
> title is from the late 80's, early 90's. Of course, macroevolution in
> this sense is in contrast with gradualism. Macroevolution now
> commonly refers to common descent and all manner of evolution,
> whereas microevolution refers to "change within species". See http://
> www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/glossary.html
>
> Here's a note about the term "macroevolution"
>
> Even among scientists, the term "macroevolution" is a vague concept.
> Many authors think that there is a qualitative difference between
> adaptive evolution and the origins of higher taxa or forms. In the
> original formulation, Y'uri'i Filipchenko (in 1927) used the term to
> mean origination of a novel species by splitting from an ancestral
> species — what we now call speciation or cladogenesis. Today it is
> more widely used to mean "large-scale" change, such as the evolution
> of novel "body-plans", "grades" of ecological niche specialization,
> or "key innovations".
>
> from
>
> http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/rncse_content/
> vol21/1610_defining_evolution_12_30_1899.asp
>
> TG
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 23, 2005, at 8:36 AM, Robert Schneider wrote:
>
> > Michael, I don't know the answer to that question, but it is used
> > in standard textbooks on evolution, e.g., Peter Price, Biological
> > Evolution, 1995. It would be interesting to know who coined the term.
> >
> > Bob
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Roberts"
> > <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk>
> > To: "Roger G. Olson" <rogero@saintjoe.edu>; "Carol or John
> > Burgeson" <burgytwo@juno.com>
> > Cc: <asa@calvin.edu>
> > Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 2:33 AM
> > Subject: Re: Creationism
> >
> >
> >> Who made up the term "microevolution?"
> >>
> >> Michael
> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger G. Olson"
> >> <rogero@saintjoe.edu>
> >> To: "Carol or John Burgeson" <burgytwo@juno.com>
> >> Cc: <asa@calvin.edu>
> >> Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 3:46 AM
> >> Subject: Re: Creationism
> >>
> >>
> >>> Hi Burgy,
> >>>
> >>> The antibiotic resistance of TB is clearly a product of
> >>> "microevolution".
> >>> Every creationist knows that! So, even though this cartoon was a
> >>> funny,
> >>> the creationist will view it (perhaps rightly so) as a strawman
> >>> to falsely
> >>> persecute the Truth(tm).
> >>>
> >>> Roger
> >>>
> >>>> Here is a link to a funny cartoon on ID.
> >>>>
> >>>> http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20051218/ldb051218.gif
> >>>>
> >>>> Burgy
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
>
> ________________
> Terry M. Gray, Ph.D.
> Computer Support Scientist
> Chemistry Department
> Colorado State University
> Fort Collins, CO 80523
> (o) 970-491-7003 (f) 970-491-1801
>
>
>

Bill Hamilton
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
586.986.1474 (work) 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
"...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31

        
                
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Received on Fri Dec 23 17:21:48 2005