Continued Sarcasm or New Synthesis?

[Ken Kinman]

Tom,
     I'd be interested to know if there is any one thing that such hard-core
cladists find particularly dreadful (or badly thought-out) about PhyloCode?
                        ----Ken
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>From: Thomas DiBenedetto <TDibenedetto at DCCMC.ORG>
>To: 'Ken Kinman' <kinman at HOTMAIL.COM>, TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG
>Subject: RE: Continued Sarcasm or New Synthesis?
>Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 17:07:33 -0400
>
>I think there is a factor missing from the debate over the Phylo-code. We
>see proponents of various alternative systematic philosophies bashing
>cladists, and cladistics in general, as if the Phylocode were some
>necessary
>extrapolation from cladistic principles. The authors of the Phylocode
>certainly make the case that its principles are deduced from general
>cladistic principles, but there are many of us, who considered ourselves
>hard core cladists, who find the Phylocode to be absolutely dreadful and
>wrong-headed. As a result of my own personal history, I have contacts with
>at least two of the factions of cladists who are considered by most to be
>the most "hard-core", and amongst them, I find the prevailing opinion of
>the
>Phylocode to be unanimous and negative.
>I suspect that the issues will be joined with increasing frequency and with
>increasing heat in the months and years to come. I just wish to leave
>everyone here with the understanding that the Phylocode should in no way be
>considered as the prevailing view amongst cladists. There are some elements
>of the phylocode proposals that are positive and important. Of course, the
>use of ranks is unscientific, and has lead to some horrid "scientific"
>analyses. And the underlying motivation of the phylocode proponenents, to
>re-orient our nomenclature and classification with phylogenetic principles,
>is very important and long-overdue. But other aspects of the proposal are
>very badly thought out, and I doubt that they will find general acceptance.
>Let the fun begin!
>
>Tom
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