Klarinet Archive - Posting 000572.txt from 2004/03

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@------.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] "Biologically Correct" ?? (With relevance to
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 06:40:52 -0500

At 09:53 PM 3/9/2004 -0800, Ormondtoby Montoya wrote:
>Bill Hausmann and Joseph Wakeling were discussing:
>
> > For example, you took the data that
> > homosexual behaviour increases when
> > population density increases, and jumped to
> > the conclusion that it was because of "stress".
>
>and
>
> > What other possible purpose could that have
> > had EXCEPT to study their reaction under the
> > artificially created population STRESS?
>
>
>
>I am *not* offering my opinion on the amendment, but I was the one who
>cited this experiment and I need to clarify something about it.
>
>I can tell you that the experiment's stated purpose (it has been
>repeated many times) was to model the population dynamics that occur in
>nature. Obviously you can't reproduce nature on a laboratory bench,
>but the experiments were somebody's attempt to test the dynamics of
>"real" populations in nature. Density and sex ratio *do* change in
>nature and are worth studying. Reacting to environmental changes is
>part of "nature"...
>...I did not use the word "stress" in my description of this experiment.
>Someone else supplied it, and I think it misses the point of the
>experiment.

I introduced the word "stress" but it was very obvious from the experiment
design, and clearly the exact POINT of the experiment (I believe the
scientists who study these things even USE the term "population
stress"). Such stressful situations surely DO occur in nature (or why
would they bother to study them in the lab?), but are rare and outside the
norm, resulting in unusual behavior, as they saw.

> Whether this
>has any moral or ethical importance is a separate issue (which I am not
>debating).

I have also left moral and ethical implications out of it. The subject is
complicated enough as it is!

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!