parsimony/biology

[Phil Bunch]

>This does not, however, mean that cladograms are
>the patterns in need of explanation, but are the explanations.
>
>Sorry if my attempts have been perceived as "nonsense."
>
>Kirk

Far from "nonsense" the attempt to clarify this problem is
fundamental.  Cladograms are explanations pure and simple.  The word
explanation is derived from the Latin explanare, "to flatten out."  A
cladogram flattens a multi-dimensional state space into a two
dimensional representation.  Even if the data set representing the
state space were perfect,  the flattening out process would be bound
to introduce distortions. IMHO the trick is not to be deceived by the
distortions.

Phil Bunch