unrealistic, the botanist didnt reply "ah yes, it is the humble [some latin bullshit], my fifth favorite tree in its order, most noteworthy for the shape of its leaves. it's actually most closely related to carrots." and then, of course, add "fuck yeah big tree"
I can understand your sentiment, but when I look at a giant black maple and say, "yeah this thing is related to lychee fruits", I'm not saying it to be a snob. I just think the world is an amazing place and love to share it
tbf, I've always loved the truth-seeking behavior at the heart of interdisciplinary academic squabbles about which science is more scientific than which other ones.
Leads to further pressures to improve methodology via cross-pollination anyway.
Though it does get out of hand sometimes. But in an environment with enough competitive young people, I think things getting out of hand on occasion is more or less inevitable, so whatever.
Of course, it's my own training in certain skillsets that makes me prefer this view.
It's kinda baffaling to me that we don't encourage more hybrid degrees for scientific reaearch. Like even if it was just 10% of the field that seems highly valuable
Yeah, I think a little friendly “competition” can be healthy, but it often turns into outright dismissal of other fields/ideas and needless cutting down because they view others as a threat. Someone else’s success undermines their own, that sort of thing. That is not productive and can even be damaging.
A meme accurately representing my plant morphology teacher screaming at me because I couldn't see if the god forsaken ovary was inferior or superior would not make me laugh, it would make me cry.
Agreed, but id rather hang out with the botanists and field ecologists anyway. I chose biology as a major precisely because the biologists were chill. The geologists drank too much and the engineers seemed uncreative. People who love and appreciate biology are my people.
If you're not already watching crime pays but botany doesn't on youtube you should start. It's just 30+ minute videos of a profane botanist from Chicago running around nature and pointing out cool plants and complaining about society