Wilson did not say mathematics is not important. He said that one can make meaningful contributions to science without being expert at advanced mathematics. He also did mention collaboration and stated that he sought such collaboration in his own work, which he stated benefited from his doing so.
David McNeely ---- "Thomas J. Givnish" <[email protected]> wrote: > I heartily agree. Easy for EO to say math isn't important; he doesn't mention > his collaboration with the mathematically inclined Robert Macarthur, leading > to the theory of island biogeography. And the problems with Wilson's foray > into group selection theory are testimony to the kinds of problems people > without strong math skills can get into, especially if they're seduced by > mathematicians without a solid ecological/evolutionary grounding. > > Yes, it might be true that most mathematicians lack strong ecological > intuition. But so do many ecologists! There is a substantial list of people > we could cite who have made major contributions to ecology and evolutionary > biology in no small part because they do have a strong mathematical > background. Why aren't they mentioned? Or don't they exist, in Wilson's > worldview? In Wilson's case, math was not his strong suit; arguably, writing > was. So should we advise students NOT to enter ecology if their writing isn't > up to Pulitzer caliber? I hope not. People can bring a variety of skills to > bear to make a contribution in almost any field. Writing off mathematical > ability, as Wilson does, doesn't help, and trivializes the profound insights > that mathematically savvy, ecologically well-grounded scientists have > provided. And it reinforces the delusion that many people "aren't good at > math", when in fact they didn't have a good set of math teachers, or took the > math at the wrong stage of their development. > > Thomas J. Givnish > Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany > University of Wisconsin > > [email protected] > http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html > > > > > > On 04/09/13, Mitch Cruzan wrote: > > I couldn't agree more - it can only help. > > > > On 4/9/2013 6:22 PM, David Inouye wrote: > > >Don't Listen to E.O. Wilson > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Math can help you in almost any career. There's no reason to fear it. > > > > > ><http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/e_o_wilson_is_wrong_about_math_and_science.html>http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/e_o_wilson_is_wrong_about_math_and_science.html > > -- -- David McNeely
