paraplaying

[Curtis Clark]

At 13:42 2004-04-06, Ken Kinman wrote:
>      Well, I am very glad to read the first half of your statement.

Every paraphyletic group can be specified by a combination of clades and
boolean algebra, so I figure they must be real.

>As for the latter half------au contraire.  Paraphyletic mother taxa play
>very well with their offspring (exgroups) in my classifications.

*Your* classification. Exactly. Paraphyletic groups are schoolyard bullies.
A classification that includes Reptilia absolutely and totally precludes
the formal taxonomic recognition of the clades Archosauria, Dinosauria, or
Saurischia. It's your way or the highway. To me, that's not playing well
with others. And it's one of the reasons why the Phylocode people want
their own sandbox, since they can't play in yours, but you don't want them
to have their own, either.

Because clades don't overlap, such is never a problem with classifications
that only include clades.

>Seems to me that it is strict cladists that don't play well with others.

I don't play well with taxonomic bullies, if that's what you mean.


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Curtis Clark                  http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/
Web Coordinator, Cal Poly Pomona                 +1 909 979 6371
Professor, Biological Sciences                   +1 909 869 4062