12.02.2018 Views

scopeofzoology

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

At the other extreme is preoccupation with the level of zoology that deals with whole<br />

organisms, with uniqueness and systems. In this connection, it has been stated that, just as<br />

architecture is more than the study of building materials, so is biology more than the study of<br />

macromolecules. To carry this analogy further, the architect has to learn a lot about the<br />

properties of bricks, but the brickmaker can function without any knowledge of architecture.<br />

Although no zoologist would hold the extreme reductionist view that it is always possible and<br />

desirable to explain happenings at one level of integration in terms of events at a lower level,<br />

it is informative and often essential to refer back to a lower level in order to understand better<br />

the workings of a higher order. Thus, an adequate understanding of zoology is impossible<br />

without a good working knowledge of chemistry, but chemistry can be understood without<br />

reference to Zoology.<br />

However, it is still often said that the only way to understand life is to start with the molecules<br />

and work upwards. The absurdity of this viewpoint is clear when we examine the approach of<br />

the naturalist. The natural historian's way of handling data is well illustrated by Darwin's<br />

observations on a group of small land birds in the Galapagos Islands. These islands are a<br />

compact group lying about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They were visited by Darwin<br />

when he was serving as a naturalist aboard the exploration ship H.M.S. Beagle in 1832. His<br />

observations on these islands strongly influenced Darwin's later thoughts about evolution.<br />

21

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!