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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:15:15 -0500
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Dr. Wenner writes:
>Finally, one respondent resorted to demanding answers to a set of WHY
questions.  Sorry, but those are teleological, not scientific questions. 

Comment:

The question "Why?" does not always imply teleology. "Why?" is the beginning
of all scientific inquiry. The merest child wants to know, if the earth is
spinning like a merry go round, why don't we get dizzy? For centuries,
people have asked: why do bees dance? 

The honey bee colony is one of the most sophisticated and complex insect
systems known, rivaled only by ants and termites. The colony is a marvel of
efficiency. Were it not, bees would not be able to survive through six month
winters, or droughts -- situations that would kill off other species. 

So it is logical to suppose that the bees would only allocate a large
expenditure of energy on "dancing" if it provided some sort of "pay-off".
Conversely, it seems ridiculous to suppose that a system that encodes time
and direction would have evolved without any useful function to the colony.

Of course, it could have. Nature has many such strange features that have no
apparent function. Or does it? When studied closely enough, almost all these
features can be found to have some sort of usefulness for the organism,
usually related to self-preservation. Obviously, if a colony did have a way
of communicating information to other members, it would very useful. 

The questions that interest many of us are "How could all this be going on
inside a brain the size of a grain of salt?" and "How do honey bees
visualize the world?" Computer scientists are developing ever tinier
microprocessors so some of these questions may soon be answerable, as well. 

> Teleology is based on the proposition that the universe has design and
purpose. Teleology represents a basic argument for the existence of God, in
that the order and efficiency of the natural world seem not to be
accidental.  Teleologists oppose mechanistic interpretations of the universe
that rely solely on organic development or natural causation. -- © Microsoft
Encarta <


pb

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