[Taxacom] Reptilia (and Hominidae)

[Richard Jensen]

Julian H wrote:
> At 10:46 AM 3/16/2009, Kenneth Kinman wrote:
>   
>> .
>> Then Hennig's "cladifications" came along, and paraphylophobia
>> unfortunately became increasingly "fashionable".  Classifications have
>> become increasingly unstable ever since.
>>                --------Ken Kinman
>>     
>
> And increasing reflective of actual history as best determined by the 
> evidence.  To mash up an old quote "Stability at the expense of 
> (evolutionary) history is hardly a bargain".
>   
I think the role of stability must be viewed in the context of just what 
it is we wish a classification to represent. There is no good reason why 
both stable and evolutionary classifications cannot coexist, except the 
insistence that hypothesized evolutionary relationships trump all other 
empirical aspects of relationship.

Dick J

Richard Jensen, Professor
Department of Biology
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel: 574-284-4674