[Taxacom] Reptilia (and Hominidae)

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 10:07 AM 3/16/2009, Richard Jensen wrote:
>the insistence that hypothesized evolutionary relationships trump all 
>other empirical aspects of relationship.

When did we decide that?  When did the entire systematics community sit 
down and vote that "Phylogenetisches ueber Alles" was our motto?  When did 
we decide that the general principle, "Classifications have an evolutionary 
basis" is to be interpreted to mean "branching pattern is the sole aspect 
of evolution which we will consider"?

Just what the hell kind of "scientist" discards data for the sake of a 
priori conclusions about the best way to analyze data, or swears allegience 
to dogma rather than an objective estimation of the truth?  It seems so 
monumentally simple-minded to ignore anagenic change, to arbitrarily rule 
that paraphyletic groups are meaningless, etc.

Someone REALLY needs to tell the Emperor he has no clothes ...


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
800 Algoma Blvd.
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and 
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
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