Response from NATURE

[John Grehan]

For all that I may strongly disagree with Geoff on certain other matters, I
find myself largely in sympathy with his points responding to statements in
the Nature article. The final point where nature claims an "inability of
taxonomists to forge united initiatives" is the most troubling, and one for
which Geoff is not sure of the answer. I have not read the Nature article
so I would be interested to know how that article substantiates its claim.
Its a serious indictment of taxonomists and one that I currently find
puzzling. In my albeit limited experience of taxonomy any  lack of effort
to forge united initiatives' (whatever that might mean) has not been
apparent to me. To the contrary, if TAXACOM is any indication, and the
development of collections networks etc., there is a definite awareness of
the need to work together to promote taxonomy (certainly a radical
difference from the apparent isolationism of taxonomy a few decades back).
Is it possible that a 'strawman' is being raised by the article?

John Grehan