On popularizing science, especially in biological systematics
Journalists are constantly trying to popularize science – “popularize” meaning simplifying complicated contexts using more generic metaphors.
The problem with popularization is that it is (always) wrong. Every simplification of a scientific statement is false, since no simplification can catch the whole complexity of the simplified statement. If it could, then science would ultimately be reducible into a single contradictory statement. Ie, science would be contradictory.
This fact is a general problem for science, but has an especially severe practical effect in biological systematics. Biological systematics is fundamentally about dividing the biological diversity into some kinds of groups, whereas “popularization” of these groups means joining the groups into more inclusive groups. Together, dividing and “popularization”, ie joining, do thus appear potent to create an all-encompassing system of hierarchical groups of the biological diversity, today called “cladistics”, which, however, is an illusion. The problem is that a division can’t be consistently joined, because as a join, it is a contradiction.
Instead, thus illusion is a cognitive biases. And, the general problem with it is that it leads from liberalism to racism. From dividing reality, it leads to the idea that the divisions are real, instead of artificial, and thus that there must be a real joining of the division, ie, that there must be real races.
Popularization of science does thus in biological systematics lead to race biology.
Another contribution to understanding of conceptualization http://menvall.wordpress.com/
Source: https://menvall.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/on-popularizing-science-especially-in-biological-systematics/
