Value of 'naming'

[Barry M. OConnor]

At 7:45 PM 7/17/96, Jerry Bricker wrote:
>>
>I wonder if Standard Daylight Time went over well with the world's
>various inhabitants when it was first introduced.  I'm sure there was a
>certain amount of anger and pain when individuals living by the local sun
>angle suddenly had to adhere to a system clearly devised to service an
>entire planet.  Are we talking about anything less when proposing
>standardized common names?  Local names will certainly go by the
>wayside.  Isn't that the reason for the standardization?  I suggest that
>taking the long view (one to two centuries) is what is involved here.  Of
>course, we Americans (most of the recent contributers to this thread)
>can't imagine such a commitment due to our politician's and public
>servant's unwillingness to commit to an issue for more than the latest
>soundbite!
>
>Jerry Bricker


Frankly, we've had "official" Latin names for over 200 years, now, and
we're still arguing about "common" names.  As for us Americans, I think the
metric system has been "official" over the rest of the world for quite a
while as well.

Barry M. OConnor                phone: (313) 763-4354
Museum of Zoology               FAX: (313) 763-4080
University of Michigan          e-mail: bmoc at umich.edu
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079  USA