Reliance on Terminology

Writing is an important life skill that no one can ever be perfect at. English classes abound follow two guiding rules: be precise, and be concise. In certain realms this is absolutely the case. Writing for a scientific audience is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of those frequently bellowed rules. When it comes to a more general audience though, this does not stand. Trying to explain complexities (such as evolutionary mechanisms or quantum mechanics) using scientific terminology, will only get the general public confused.


Unfortunately, the general public already has been preconditioned to using definitions that differ from scientific definitions. Evolution does not mean speciation, theory does not mean idea, and fittest does not mean strongest.

This is why scientists must be less concise in order to get the true meaning across. Even the textbook definition of evolution, "the change in allele frequencies within a population over time," carries baggage that a scientific audience does not see. What is an allele? What is meant by allele frequency? What is a population? This is a problem scientists need to stay aware of in order to correct those that misrepresent or misappropriate scientific terminology.