nomenclature

[Curtis Clark]

At 07:38 AM 4/4/01, Bill Shear wrote:
>In order to gain acceptance, Phylocode must show that it is superior
>to the Linnean system not only in its ability to reflect phylogeny,
>but in its ability to serve as a filing system for gaining access to
>information.

It fascinates me that, because some of its proponents think that Phylocode
should supplant the Linnaean system, *everyone* sees it as a contest. IMO
people have good and sufficient reasons to want to have formalized names
for lineage groups. Although Phylocode has some problems, it is generally
adequate to that task. To declare that Phylocode must be abandoned because
the Linnaean system is better is as tyrannical as the opposite. The only
reasons they can't coexist are reasons of personality, not of logic.

Btw, the Eudora spell-checker suggests Plywood for Phylocode and Lenin for
Linnaean.


--
Curtis Clark                  http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/
Biological Sciences Department             Voice: (909) 869-4062
California State Polytechnic University      FAX: (909) 869-4078
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