teaching of cladistics (was: clashing codes)

[Ken Kinman]

Curtis,
      Calm down a little.  I'm not trying to be offensive, but I am trying
to be provocative in order to get strict cladists to thinking about the long
term implications of their ideas and actions.
      As for your students, I'm sure they are very intelligent.  But if you
keep them "ignorant" of both sides of the story, then of course your version
is going to make sense to them.
      Might I suggest printing off a copy of my post "Paraphyly is real and
inevitable" from yesterday.  Give that to your students and see what kind of
discussions it generates.  You might be surprised.
         -----  Cheers,   Ken

P.S.  And please remember that I am a strong advocate of cladistic analysis,
as well as the introduction of cladistic reforms into classifications.  If
it weren't for the extremes of strict cladism, I would gladly call myself a
cladist without a second thought.  Sadly, I must be more precise and call
myself a cladisto-eclecticist.  So it goes.
*****************************************
Curtis Clark wrote:
     I promise to shut up (at least in response to you) on this matter, and
go back to my day job of teaching subversive cladist ideas to countless
impressionable college students, who are so ignorant that it actually seems
to make sense to them.





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