Darwinian and panbiogeographic frameworks

[Carmine Colacino]

>
>>Well, actually I derived it from a definition found in the American Herit=
age
>>Dictionary of the English Language,which my knowledge of the theory and i=
ts
>>historical discussion and its rejection is consistent with my
> understanding of
>>contemporary useage.
>
> What defines "contemporary usage" to justify your acceptance of the Ameri=
can
> heritage Dictoinary definition of orthogenesis?
>
I just want to point out a little incongruence here.
It is known Mayr, for instance, as well as Gould, another instance,
misunderstood the meaning of orthogenesis equating it to some kind of mysti=
c
force, =E9lan vital, etc.
That is NOT the meaning orthogenesis had in continental Europe.
For some strange reason, nobody went to check out what it actually means,
resting on the authority of Mayr, Gould (and others).
It is not surprising then that you may find a definition in the American
Heritage Dictionary which may define correctly the "contemporary usage" of
the word, and still be wrong :-)

My half a cent worth.

CC


--
Dr. Carmine Colacino
Herbarium Lucanum & Dept. of Biology
University of Basilicata
85100 Potenza, southern Italy
Tel. ++39/097-120-2216; Fax ++39/097-120-2256
e-mail: colacino at unibas.it
url: http://www.unibas.it/utenti/colacino/mediterraneo.html