The miracle of universities

Full text

1993
). PlinCiples
ol
kin
sdcctlon
dlc-
tJ<e
111:11
bumam
ot
tbc
pretcnt
-
allon
~
5C'lme
comfon.
tocby
to
provide
•
better
(or
,;mply
liwblc)
wor
ld
rQf
their
offspri.ng.
O.eatcn
wmald
be
ostr:aci.zed, and thclr num-
l
lit.?ri
WOtlld
Ilk.cry
be
too
small to
be
of
co
n8cquc:nt:c.
~lso
,
Kay
•s
cl
.a
i
nt
is
coodogC"
.
nl
upon
the
1\0tioo
that
attitudes
t
().
w:i.rd
rcprO<'..hJC:t.ior1
a.re
ltertrable. I
..,.
.,._
.
.,...
problems
wilb
this klea.
F"llSC,
tbc
general
implication
is
thal
re>
fl'Oducth>c
-""'·
--
.-
In
a~
sense.
into~
Thh
ide'.a.
like
othtt
assc:rtioos
th:lt
c:dtiC2I
<OnCq>lS
.....,
be
tt.oct'd
lO
specific
nairolopc-JI
P'J.Cb"«'a}'S
~
Is
at
bc$
hlgtlly
COl
ltrovcrslal.
and
at
~'Qf'$t
s.h
n·
1>lywr
o
ns(Kitchcr
1982; Gould 1
977,
1981,
1987
, 19')3).
Sc<:o
.
nd,
lf su
c;
h
111
.•
Utud
es
nrc
C\
lltu.raUy
heritab~
.
tJ
\i.s
llcri10l>lll1y
docs
oot
ha<e
.
the
force
of
na1ural sctectioc1.
People
~
al"'ll)'S
frtt
co
choose their
09ion
attitudes
ai\d
bclld
systcmS,
regardless
of
their up.
JxirWng.
Should
we,
dlo1,
dcopllr
oi
<Wcsrlon
...
•
tool
""
cocurolling
popubtioo growth as
lbnlio
(
1968)
SUllBC>lS1
Culttr.sl
cvu
lut
iOn,
or •soc:iaJ sc.tcc-
llon"
(H:itdffi
1989), ho
lds
lhe
key
to
tltls
prob
l
em
. C
~d
turaJ
.
evo
lut
ion
:1
t.
I
OU'S
for
the
r-.tpid
turnover
of
kleas
alld belle(
~)
'
~en-s
in
soctecics much
'"°"'
r•pjdly !boo would
be
requlred
fot
any
one
idea
or
set
ot ideas
10
be
hard~
into
our
brains
in
a Wiiso-
nian
"'1$C
(
Goold
1961)
.
IE
is
h<tt
11ul
the
twio
toots
ol
COttCiOfl
and
c:cM::nloo
can
~
wtlere
other
memom
moy
bil.
In
ttte
k>ng
run. oeillK"r
Gd'u1
( 1
996)
nor
Klly
(1997)
Is cntlrely
eo,..
rea
or
lnc;orrcct. Educati
<n
1 about
cthlc81>rovidts ordy a steppil-.g
stone
10
lJ)e
l'QJ
so
lut
ioo
10
t.hc:
huma11
pc:lt)tlla1lon
quandarJ'.
To
resolve
1.hJ
s
di~mm
:a
,
it
wiJJ
be
necemry
co
ttlin
·
qlll9!
'°""'
oi
""'
frttdomS
th>t Ebe
Western " 'orld
c:hc::ri:.sba.
As
•latdin
pol,,..
-
(19611.
1969.
1?78.
1993
).
<he
tthlc:IJ
f<>Ulldadoo
of
our
lcg:IJ
S)'jtCO.l
ls
ooc
of
a mutual
~
not
to
engage i.tl cenaiD
acll\'ltJc.s.,
1hcn:by
cwtailing
our
own
frealoin.
If
SanR:
(1956)
i:s
cairttt
t>ut
hunwi
(n.-cdom
Is
oolf
truly
resttlacd
by
Ebe
physkally
imJ>06"DIC
ond
!he
r<Stri<>
tbls
l-0
wlticll
humans
COrlS('nl,
then
the problem
is
ooc
of
obtalning lht:
comcnt
of
.indiv
i<h.Jal~
not
to
engage
in ac:tS
detrimental
tO
th
e
SOCIC
I}' O(
wbk
l1
th
ey are a
pan
.
No
one
watlld
Imp~
·
that
re><:bblg
this
,..~e
will
be
<"'..&5y;
huwc\n,
reaching
ir
will
be
nee-
~
if
WC
ate
to
al'Okl
Ute
1.anpicas-
ant
3Jccmach""C
d a more OtX\'dcd,
:ind
ultim2lely
,
mot<
-
WOf1d
fo<ourcbildttn.
8rian
H..
Tilln'ft
Ocp.inmm.c
(If
DiOll\fiOlt
lkti:M"c•.
$111.11
;
lw•tt:m
lrillbbna
Un~My
Sl.U
7'6,
l-f#lw'nllfld
,
I.A
'10492, U.S.t\., email b
w.in.:nk
l
t1.('dt1
Uttratul"t' Ciied
atow._ J. L.
l96cS
.
~
ol
group
idea.kin
,
KMutt
21
ll8'i0
.
llfown,,J
. L 1'7S..
1bc
nobioft
o/btbntot
,
Nonc:..~Yort.
lkth.arcl
, a.LJ.
VI
. 197S
Tk
~-
ol
.6
dill
bddl•iot
bf
titl
sdn.'liOft.
QwnMy
~i<'wol0t<>kasr
~·
·13-
Gdvt.
S.
D.
1966.-
1bc
human
!XIOUbtlofl
problem;
ed\l('J'tlf.18
and
c
l
un~lr~
bch;iy.
ior.
CcMUCrv-.l
liOtl B
i()logy
10i90l)
-90:\,
Go
uld,
S.
J.
tm
.
£\•t:r
lJint;l'
l>.1.nt.11n
. w.
VII
.
l'iOrtOll,
l'\"C'W
Yocti:,
(,o
uld,
S..
J.
1981.
TI~
rnifi1neaa:u
l'CI
or
man
.
w, W,
Norton.1'<-w
Vqrll:
.
Gould, S, J. 1987.
1be
utdlln
In
I
.
Ile~
.
"II
. 1"
Nonoa,
New
York..
Gilul4.
$.
J.
199l.
fWll link:
pigpel
,
'«'
. w.
NftnOa.
Ntw
\'Ol'k.
Gtccnbeq;. J. 191'9.
Gaxtk'
ton.poetN
ot
btt
odor
iQ
till
~
5rimtc
JO'-
J09'S--
1
°'7
.
H~
'fl
. 0. 1972.
Altrui.'il'O
a"41
f'rbl
C'd
pbr--
llDflW~.
dUidy
iO imc'®J.
ANUll
lnl~
<tl&:ok.igy
a.,.J
S~tk't
}I
1
9J.-.7JJ
,
Hatdln
. G.
l.96&
'rbc: trllfl(l(ly
pt
th
e
con.-
mo1
1•.
S...'ie.acc
16
~ 121:;\-1
l<fQ.
H11rd
ln. G.
J?(f).
Pl)plbtlOO..
ci:
•otuaton,
and
blnh
1.-"00lroL 2nd «l"k)o,
'I\"'
.
II
,
fr«m:tn
,
s..,
fo
'r.udseo.
HIU'din
. G. 1978,
Su.1:ioJ
1hc:
wild
uhM
. ?i.O
muon
.
William
Ka
ut'matlft.
Lot M
oa,
°""""''
IUnlia.. G.
15182.
~....._Zr-
p:i
171163
-1
86..
tl.Udia,. G.
198!>
.
lhlo»n
cailOcr-
ck~
llM.
~4Cicnce
.
~Zoo&
OliJlt
2
S!
"69-"76.
tbfll:tilq.
G.
199
3.
thine
wjt!Ma
Hdta..
UXIOtd
tilli\'mirf
~
Nc:w
Y
l!Wk.
K.aJ
. c.
6.
1997
.
1br
.....
~
(11/
~
1DCID$.C°.......,.•ati0ft
Bi1*'17
I
bl
.
"41-t.u&
Khdlitr. P. 1981. 1'hc
hfPOltubnilk
knpcn-
tr.~.
~
203-21'
in
P 'lhoNp!Mln, edi-
tor
.
Wun
in
ddu1~
t1hkt.
Sc:iUC'
Uni\'C'1'$il')'
of
Nc:w
V~>f1c
Pre-.
l'\,._w
Y
Ort".
.t.111ymird&nitJi,
J. 1
964.
Groop ttketk;ln
and
kJ
n
sc
l
¢1,;
1k)n; a rejtllndt!r. N•lllA: 2011
11"
5-
1147.
Mkbod,
Jt.
e.
19Q
2.
The
rMOry
or
''°
Kkc-
ooo
.
An.DIUti
ltc•icw
4'f
~)'
Mid.
Syll-
lOl'ldlie$
13
~-SS.
$1.rtn;
J.•P.
1956
. 8dfV,
•.0
aoc~
WUbiQKloo
Sq.we~
Hew
Yatlt.
Shm:aM. P. W'. 1977.
Ntpotbm
Md
dx
no-
lllliOCI
of*'-
alh.
5dcaa:
l9'7
11
Z~
''"·
~
_R.
L,
and
It
. lt:i1tt. 1976. tQplodlp-
loid)'
and
lk
~Won
<ti
llO$I
~u.
Sdcncc
i91a•
9'-16).
The M
lrack
of
Uni•'tnk~
ln
a
recent
edilQria.t
abOot
ll-.e
f.Ulun:
()(
unf\.-'CISities
10
prodt.tCC COWienr.I·
tiOl1
bk>loglsEs,
Recd
"'""'
ceor-
11oo
Biology
u
,1
267-
1269
)
explains
how
biS
quest for
oademl
c jobs
WOj
umuccc..roJ
dc$pke his
pncticll
bockground and expcricrux:
In
cor>
5C."J'\".1tioo
-rettred aato.ilks
anc
l
gm·c:m--
n1ei1lal otf.ccs.
Noss
explains t
K>W
l\aI"
rowt)
• trained profi:ssors
ca
n hardly
kad
lbe
dei;'Clopmen1
of
opc.n·
nW>.dcd
and welJ.rounded profcsslonab. Metre
(CottseronllOtl
Biology
tUl
$9-260).
lo
a
l:ner
edilOrial, :ugucs Iha!
fX>uod.
:1rics
lo
ac:idania
shoWd
be
<Ofttt1cd.
g1'illg
-..
""
lntC1'disclpWoaly
cduC1dOO
""111
luJ""""1
expcttcnoe.
While I
:>gttt
wtth
Noos
and
Mdfc
. I
molo!2in -
aaxpwlC<
lnlO
@DC»
ate
progranis
is
subjtt.'t to
the:
&amc
prejudices
that
NOS5
dc:sc~baJ
In
hi"
SC2fch
tO.r
j
ob$.
\V
ork
ex1.>erlca1cc
,
ge
nuine
researcJ1
and
co
mcrv;itJon
il1<eres1.
an<I
lm'Olvc:mcnt
h1
co~·
;a.
tio.
11
programs are
nOll
co
nMdered
ptus-
""'(r•ther
,
tliey
migh1
be
nlln,.,..)
for
appticorus
to
grodu:lte
~
/\fie<
R2ding
aboul
OIC
bW
O»t
the
uon-
ha..,
1n
hiri1>3
farulty
,
i1
OC'CW1'td
ro
me
tlut
the
~
bi:as
might
""
"""""''
lo
--
pro-
..,.....
for graduote Pl'Ollf'm:I
(be-
Qlneorm11icin
fli
Q1!l!i7
V,'\11111'1¢
1 l , Nr. 6, l
)f«.ml!(r
1998

1110 U!Jm
ca
·use-rl.e
sek!<:tK>n
is
dollc:!
by
basi.-
c.1lty
the
same
peop
le). I
believe
rJ\al
lnatl)
' gr.1duate pr
ograms
make
Wee·
ctons
b:LSed
cxc
lltS
ive
ly
on
acadenuc
accompJistunents,
su<:b
as
gradll.1·
lion
front
an
i~y
league
institu
t
ion
or
spe<:iJJ<.:.
honors
progr.un. while
i8
·
noring
other
tr.tilS tb:tt l))ig.bt
be
as
imponanl.
A leg.irinl
ale
•
<'<>Cati
(
ut
for
cooservatJon.
as
weU
as
clear
goals
tow.u-
~
.
pr.acti<:al
env
i
romnentaJ
ac,.
tivitieS
(l)()We\'tt
)\ard
dley
migl)t
be
to
a~scss),
shoul
d
be
bea\'ily
consjd
·
ere<I.
by
the
graduate
ac
cept3nCc
comiil.iltees. l·Ilglll)·
<..~1npetilive
Stu·
dcnis
ln
acadcol.la
are
.
to
as
good a po.
sition. as
3lJ)'
l()
't\o"()ct
$UCCCSsfu
Uy to-
wards: enVirotut.entat
comm
i
tmenLo;,
btn
.
Ibey
1'
1W
aot
. necessruiJy
have
the
tu.<)til'llti
<>o
Of
the
ft".5.isCt
_
ncc
3J.ltt
~n
tet1ce-
lo
frusc.rru:iOn
tlt..1.t
iS
required
for
vo·or:t:i.Jlg
in
COllSCJ""'.ltJoo.
1b1is.. traits
ot-J:.er
thai1
aca.dentic
ooes
must
aJso
be
.
cons
i
dered
ln
the
selecUoit
of
grad-
lt:1tc
s11tdc-.n1s..
Not
onl)
'
are
graduates
unab
le
to
c.1ay out.
the
jobs
a\'allable.
as
Noss
and
tvleffe
e..xpl:Un,
but
v.
•t
also
la<..ic
propk
wlrJ1
the
skills needed
fot
tJ1e
jo~
.
We
a
ll
koow
that
we::
v.iU
not
prt)tect
l>
iOOi-.
•
ersity
l>y
merely
nm·
11Jng
gels
or
n\odellng
extinctions
.
We
also
need
to
take
actioo
,
COJll.RlU
•
nicatc
V.
'
ith
tbc::
public
,
coo'in<:c
dcd·
Sioc1
makerS, figl1t
ar1d
lose
countless
banlc-s,
and
sdll
pull
ourselves
to-
gether
on
mo.n
not
i
ce
to
race
the
0~1
chaUeiige.
The
traits
i
mportant
for
wott;ing
in
<..-onsen·ation arc
J'l<)t
necessarily
r.111.ked
prope
.rly
in
lhe
se
lf!<:-tion
Cri-
teria
of
univcrsl
t.lcs.
The
c11ttlcula
rdl'ely
<:onSider instruL"l:ion
in
<..'ritical
fiekls ot ttlis di
sc
i
pline
. a.od
the
pro-
fCS$0.r5
invol,·cd
in
tbc
programs
sel
·
do111
)\aw
reaJ.,vorld
experience
it1
oonscn
1
atioo
. All
or
these
facts
select
against
the
product
i
on
of
good
coo·
serv..tlion biologiStS.
llaus,
I
l>oeli~
·
e
il is a mirack?. rllal
u11
i
~
·
el'Sities
still
produce some good
prof~slona
ls
who
c..-an
actually
acc..-omplish
some·
lhtng
for
coi\servalion.
Be~
of
the
reL1tio.;·c
ocwues.s
of
conservation
b
i
<>
l
t~.
it
is
mn
surpris-
(..'iJru¢.('&~.._,
..,
8
i°"-'
lt~
\ '(llumc: I
t.,
~o
.
6
.
D«'<:
mb<:r
19?8
iog
that
. unl.,·ersi:lics
ar
c
not
tit
lO
at
·
tettd
lo
its
needs.
1be
time is
due
,
boure\'Cf,
\\'hCJl
UJliYershies
:lttd
gr.id·
uate
programs
n1USt
l>e
reorgan
_
ized
to
fillfW
rl>e
J>eV.
'. requ1ttn1ents
of
the
re-Al
vo·ortd.
83.o;
ic tbcorcti.cal
research
musr
continue
,
but
the
ivory'
tower
of
:Ka<lcmJa
must
also
be
also
ope11ed
to
professionals
wtx,
'Will
fotro
the
type.
or
biologiSts
needed
for
<..X>nst:rvJ.
tion.
l>eflQl1(1)t:n1
QI
JJi,.'(olOK)
•
11!1)(
1 E'•t(l(Udo)ll\l.ty
Biell·
OJJ
Y•
\k
1N'
-c!Sicf
(I
r Teu•1CS6tt,
Ku
<1
xvillc,
TN
3
'1996-1190(1
. t
l..
S.
A..
cm.:i
il
jriv~tk
.
e~
Revisiting
the
ll
uman
Din.enslon in
f.otlse('l-ation
BJoloJ)'
t.tiuch
attention
tw
n:::<..-cntt)'
bceo
direeled
tO\vard
i11cre.aSing
a\varc-
ncss
of
cbe
hutrutJ1
con1po11eor
in
C<Wervali<
>n
l>
iology (
Cannon
et
al.
1996: Noss 19')
7:
Jacobson & McDuff
19\18;
Mdfe
1998). The>c
and
palJ<:J>
cited
tllerei.n 1nake-
nun
y
good
points
that
shotlld
be
taken
to
b~rt
by
all
conscn·
atiQn biologists.
Sul
some
cautionary
remarks
need
to
be
ex·
pressed
before we are star:npeded
int<,
d
im
inishing
the
sckoce
coinpo-
nent
in
conscn•:tt
i
<>
n
t0
ac<..
"()
IJJJ1.l~
date
addJtional
non
.
science
training.
Wit.Uc
no• ttcnying
•be
JcgicJn:t1g·
of
lhe
-baste
111essage
expressed
by
the
abov
e atn])OrS, I
~rant
to
call
atleu
-
tion
tO
some
potentially <b.m:aging
corollaries
ai
1d
to
put
Lflese
issues
in
a
more
batan
cc
d fran1ework.
Fcvo•
of
us
woul<I
<letl)
'
the
cril.k:ally
hnponant
1l0o~tnce
comp0t1e11cs
or
conscr,::itio.o,
even
from
v.•
ith
in
tile
bastion
s
of
academic
ecolOf,.'Y.
The
problem
is
not
increasing
a·w-are-
ncss
of
thJs aspect
of
coi\Sen<atton
among
co
n:scrva
tk>n
biologists, as
seems
i.n1pli<:
it ill
some
of
the
above
opin
i
on
ploces
.
but
radier
1:oodernlz.
ing
academic
pn:>g.ratns
that
s
uppon.
the
education
of
fucure
co
n
se
rvatk>n
biologists
(N065
1997: Metre 1998).
Sucb
cha.iiges n1ust et
ttble
r.tther
than
Wsadv:aot:age tmd
cr:grad11.1tc
and
graduate-stude1us:
in
pre
paring:
for
ooo-acadcrol.c jobo (N065
199
7)
.
Cons
en •
ation
is
inherentl)
'
i
nterd~
plinary, so
how
do
1\
'e tr.1itl ititerdis-
ciplio:uians
io
a
<l.i.5<:ipline-orlcoted
acadenl.ic
e11~in>nment?
\\tiuch can.
be
done
witbi.11
exis
til
lg
acade1nic
structUttS
t.o
iropfO\
'C
th
e qtrality
a11d
q·ua1llil')'
of
inte.rdiScipU.na.ry
a~
proaches,
and
I
hav
e
been
n1uch
in
·
v<>
l
,red
with
th
is
effort
for
at
,k:3:it
tlle
-
L1St
three
decades.
F
aculty
evafu·
a1lon
and
reward stnK'.tures
arc
plv·
otal
in
tbj$
rc~nl
aod
are
:tl'g1tibly
rJ1e
n}osr
difficult
barri<-:rS
to O\•er-
comc
(No,.
1997; M<ffc 1998). Pan
of
the
prob
l
ero,
as
emp~ized
by
Noss (1997),
iS
that
acad
e
mic
admi.0-
i
straton;
and
i.nany tac1df)' roero.bcrs
sti
ll
cling
to
pre
Ju
dic
es
against
St
'u·
dents
i
nterestod
in
11on
·academic
or
i
nterdiscip
li
nary
jo~
and
di5Co1arage
faculrr
\vbo
v.•ant
to
abet
such
ca-
reer
objccti'
'
C'S
.
In
our
zc-.tl
t<)
roO<knili:c
<..'Urricu
la
.
howe
.
ve
r.
we
.
shou
ld
not
lose
sigl)r of
the
limitations i.nbcrcnt
in
2 f0tir-ycar
w1dergr.aduate e
11:_p4!riet1c..-e
, <1r,
ti.)r
that
matt
er,
i.o
a
graduate
.
career.
Wit.h
O\ir
C\trre-Jlt
level
of
koov.
•
lcdgc
,
four ycan; is
shnp
ly
not
enough
time
to
produce
tile s
uper-human
g:r.tdu-
atc-s
called
for
in
appeals
for
more
in
·
terdisciplinarians.
Ou
r
g<iaJ
shoul<I
not
be
lo
produce
lor
s
of
graduates
who
koow
a
U.ttle
3bout
mao)
'
Sl1b-
jea
s,
aod
conscqucntl}
'
not
much
aboui
aJl}'lhing.
lnsread
, I
sugsest
rwo
mod.els
for
the
tr.dn.blg
or
inrcr
·
di
Sdplinarians
.
One
m<Jdct is
ill~
trnted
by
the
person
\\
1
ho
lu:10\\'S
oc1~
subji:ct
in
depth
and
also
has suffto
cient
b10\\
ifedge <>f otbc:r diSciplincs
to
oomo1untcate With speci.11.ists
in
tht:t.c!
areas
and
to
parti<..'ipatc
in
t
eam
research
i.nvol~ir1g
l\v<>
or
ll.K)te disci·
pJlnes.
The
second
1nodel is
son1eone
who
acl1t1Uy koov.rs UlOre thaJJ
ooe
discipline
in
depth
.
The
fust
type
of
lnte.rdJsciplilL'Utln
cait
be
-
prod
u
ced
,
ba(Cl)',
in
2 fl)ur·ycar u.odcrgrAduate
()f()fp°.lln
arld should
be
..ctiv<::ly
en-
CO\tt:tgcd
at
.
th
e
gradttatc
kvd
.
The