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Sure. Another post on the front page now is about trees[1]. Where's the line between a short tree and a bush? We humans see the difference, but biology (a hard
by cies 5y ago
Sure. Another post on the front page now is about trees[1]. Where's the line between a short tree and a bush? We humans see the difference, but biology (a hard science) shows that using their classification rules there is no difference between a tall bush and a short tree.
[1]: https://eukaryotewritesblog.com/2021/05/02/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-tree/ https://eukaryotewritesblog.com/2021/05/02/theres-no-such-th...
- snet0 5y agoThis is simply conflating terms, though. If your field re-defines a commonly used term to mean something very precise, obviously you're going to encounter problems when you try work backwards. "Tree" in the meaning of "some phylogenetic categorisation that contains elements x, y, z" may not exist in biology, but "tree" in the meaning of "big leafy thing made of wood" exists as sure as anything. Drawing lines is for scientific language, not general-purpose language.