Paleontology is science, not art

["Matthew Bonnan" <mbonnan@hotmail.com>]

Toby White says:

> Paleontology is not engineering.  It has
> precious little economic importance as a means of production, nor is the
> knowledge gained likely to be of much practical importance.  It is an
> intellectual art form, primarily -- an entertainment medium.  The rules of
> the form absolutely require adherence to scientific rigor, but the reason
> people will spend countless uncompensated, or grossly under-compensated,
> hours doing it is because of its aesthetics, its entertainment value.

I understand what you're driving at, Toby, but this is not really what 
paleontology is about.  Paleontology is science.  Science is a very narrow 
discipline which seeks to address specific, answerable questions about 
matter, energy, and all related physical world topics.

As scientists, we work within a philosophical framework of what can best be 
called "methodological naturalism."  This means as scientists we assume a 
series of cause and effect relationships, and that if we cannot gather data 
or disprove a question, we are not doing science.  "Methodological 
naturalism" is best equated with how your auto mechanic views problems with 
your car.  He/she assumes from the beginning that the problem is something 
within the physical world, that there is a physical world cause and effect, 
and relies on this methodology to fix your car.

In the same way, paleontologists propose a hypothesis (which can be based on 
accute observation or something as ephemeral as a dream), which is a 
generalization used to guide the early stages of the research.  For 
instance, segnosaurians are more closely related to sauropomorphs than 
theropods is a testable hypothesis which can be falsified.  We then set out 
to collect data, in this case perhaps bony characters and landmarks present 
in segnosaurs, sauropodamorphs, and theropods.  These data might then be 
used in a cladistic analysis to yield a probabilistic outcome of how closely 
these animals were related to other known dinosaurs, which, of course, can 
always be falsified.  Although all scientists are influenced by their 
cultures, they do not, instead, say segnosaurians should be more closely 
related to theropods because that fits better with their culture or because 
of asthetic appeal (and, yes, although you could argue that some scientists 
would do just that, they are no longer practicing their discipline if they 
do).  While a scientist may name a dinosaur "Bambiraptor" after a cultural 
icon, this is separate from the science that is practiced when evaluating 
the animal and how its relationships affect our picture, based on evidence, 
of dinosaur relationships in this case.

> It [paleontology] is the real-world equivalent of "The Bead Game" in 
> Hermann
> Hesse's "Magister Ludi".
> Like all arts, some of the elements are cast in stone, while others float
> on culture.

I'm sorry, but this is in error.  Yes, the findings of science (and of 
paleontology) do move beyond their narrow discpline to the arts and culture, 
but once this happens science is not be practiced.  While part of the 
attraction to studying paleontology may be tied into asthetics, that is not 
where the science of it lies, nor is that the extent of what paleontology 
contributes.  You argue that it is not a pragmatic science, but you compare 
science with engineering which is not scinece, but rather technology or 
applied science.  Please do not take this last sentence as meaning 
engineering is not as "good" as science or anything like that -- it is of 
course an extremely important applied science that has helped humankind a 
great deal.  Many people, scientists included, do not descriminate between 
science and technology, but there is a major difference.  The gas laws, for 
instance, carry no asthetic, moral, or ethical meaning, but the technology 
of building a rocket, bomb, or gas stove, using these laws, obviously does.  
It is in this sense I speak of the difference between science and 
technology.

The theory of evolution is "descent with modification."  Paleontology is a 
sub-discpline that helped to show, among other things, that life is 
hierarchacly based, that the fossil record is sequential, and that organims 
have changed over time.  These observations, though seemingly obvious, have 
incredible implications in that they support the theory of evolution, 
"descent with modification."  We are all related, we all share a common 
ancestor.  Paleontology is one sub-discpline that provides us with strong 
evidence for this theory which has profound implications.  To simply say 
paleontologists are rigorous but mostly performing art is to ignore or 
belittle these major contributions to our understanding of the physical 
world.

The study of dinosaurs themselves, while it has led to numerous (and 
wonderful) artistic and entertainment spin-offs, adds to the evidence 
supporting the theory of evolution, and has given us insight into extinction 
(that concept in itself is remarkable) and where our mammalian ancestors fit 
into the "big picture."  Although I understand you were never intending to 
"belittle" paleontology, Toby, paleontology is not art.  It is a narrowly 
defined scientific discipline aimed at posing answerable questions and then 
finding ways, under the assumption of metholodical naturalism, to support or 
falsify these questions.

Lastly, I should point out that I never meant that paleontology was somehow 
a lesser science because it deals with a lot of filters and problems in 
relation to other sciences.  This makes paleontology a frustrating and 
difficult discipline at times, but it in no way makes it any less of a 
science than all others.  Paleontologists are scientists.  When a 
paleontologist or anyone else steps beyond the narrow boundaries that define 
science and apply the knowledge of paleontology to art, technology, or 
philosophy, they are no longer doing science and are engaged in other 
equally wonderful, but non-scientific, disciplines.

Matt Bonnan
Dept Biological Sciences
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
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