Cladistic hypotheses

[Frederick W. Schueler]

"Edwards, G.B." wrote:
>
> This is basically a semantic problem, but I tend to agree with the
> reviewer.  A cladogram is produced by an algorithm which analyses
> observational data which is input to it and produces the most
> parsimonious solution it can find, i.e., it's a computer program which
> gives you a solution from the data you give to it.  Interpretation of
> the solution is up to the observer, including any hypotheses made based
> on the solution. I agree with Barry, and to lesser extent with Karl,
> although I think you have to make too many assumptions to consider a
> cladogram to be a hypothesis per se. Neither data, nor data analysis,
> is a hypothesis.

* and from the quote from the original exchange, it may be that the
cladogram _suggested_ the hypothesis, if it didn't already exist in the
analyst's mind as something that was being tested.

fred.
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