confidence

[Mr Fortuner connection modem]

Lawrence R. Kirkendall now raises the problem of the confidence we have in the
validity of the species concept corresponding to an identification. I believe
this is something else again: the difference between identification and
classification.

Identification is "the assignment of an unidentified object
to the correct class once a classification has been established." If this
"correct class" proves to be (or is suspected to be) alpha-taxonomically
incorrect, fault (and lack of confidence) lies with the classification
process, not with the identification process.

Renaud
Fortuner
fortuner at math.u-bordeaux.fr