Re: “A fading field,” 1 about the disappearance of traditional taxonomy, about fifteen years ago, I was accepted into a master’s program in botany and plant systematics at a nearby university. The first day of class in September, I was told that the masters program in botany/plant taxonomy was canceled.
I was most unhappy. I complained to a friend, a physics professor at the same university, who explained that geology, botany, and similar fields were being shut down so that all the money could go into molecular biology. But what about taxonomy? Eh, it’s all molecular now, I was told. It’s beyond astounding—I just don’t have a word for it—to consider the loss of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge and the accompanying way of thinking.
Diggitt McLaughlin
Meadville-Lombard Theological School
Chicago, IL
DiggittMcL@gmail.com
It is not just taxonomy, but virtually every branch of classical biology is under threat. Ever ...
