Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 79 (2): 279-283, 2006
COMMENTARY
Is natural history really dead? Toward the rebirth of natural history
In recent years natural history has been derided by some scientists as an old-fashion
endeavor that does not follow the model of “hard” science and therefore should be considered “dead” and replaced by modern ecology,
evolutionary biology, and conservation biology. We contend that natural history has much to offer to contemporary scientists and that it
has a primary role in the creative process of generating novel hypotheses and designing significant field experiments and
observations.
Key words:
ecology, naturalists,
biologists, basic science
