*First Bay Area Biosystematists Meeting of 2011-2012 Academic Year* * * *Tuesday evening, 15 November, 2011*
at UC Berkeley, BARROWS Room 122 *"*THE SPECIES PROBLEM: A CONCEPTUAL PROBLEM?*"* * * The first Biosystematists meeting of the year will be held in Berkeley. We will have a talk from a Philosopher of Science on our long debated issues about what are species. His talk will be followed by active audience participation (this all following traditional pizza and beer, of course!). *Abstract:* One of the puzzles about the species problem – the use of multiple, inconsistent species concepts – is that the more we learn about biodiversity, the worse the problem becomes. Some theorists have concluded either that there are no such things as species taxa, or that there are multiple kinds of species taxa. Alternatively though, we might conclude that the species problem is not exclusively empirical, but at least partly conceptual. If so, we can better understand the species problem - and a genuine solution to that problem - through first, the conceptual framework in which species concepts function, and second, the way individual species concepts get meaning and get applied to biodiversity by researchers and theorists in different biological disciplines. *Featuring:* *Richard A. Richards Please see a link to his recent book here<http://books.google.com/books?id=UzCB656NilUC&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=the+species+problem+richard+richards&source=bl&ots=pxiXixU_DA&sig=jA8NXvQP5hNBJ6px8UqLAbuW9nA&hl=en&ei=NmWwTobJCeONsQLjqN2xAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false> * The venerable Biosystematists group (http://www.biosystematists.org/), operating since 1936, is the only inter-institutional seminar/discussion group on evolution for the Bay Area. The group was heavily involved *in* the Modern Synthesis itself (see the history on the website), so this is an especially appropriate topic! *Schedule and venue:* 5:30 - social gathering with beverages (beer and soft drinks) and informal pizza dinner: cost ca. $10, to be collected at door, 122 Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley campus. 7:00 - talk followed by discussion, in same room. *Reservations required for beverages and dinner* (but not the talk). Please email reservations to your host, Kristy Deiner: [email protected] *Sunday, Nov. 13th* For a map of campus and view of Barrows Hall http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/DE45.html<http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/ABCD123.html> All are welcome, members or not. If you want to join the Biosystematists, sign up for our mailing list at: https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/[email protected] See you all soon! Kristy
