[Taxacom] (no subject)

[Jim Croft]

Yes - who indeed are these masked people?  Basically taxonomists and I
would not trust a one of them... :)

How about 'canonical' then, to take a word from the geek lexicon?

Basically we are reporting names and concepts *as published*, so it is
absolutely possible to be "Definitive = decisive, unconditional,
final, most authoritative".  If the data/metadata is not transcribed
correctly it gets corrected.  Either it was said there, then, by these
people, this way, with this type, with these synonyms, or it wasn't.

But in reality the situation is not always as clear cut - there will
be discussions and interpretations of validity, legitimacy,
superfluity and such like.  And in a collaborative community owned
wiki-like environment these can all be accommodated.

The interesting part comes when we come to chose a 'preferred' (uncork
the dictionary again) taxonomy or classification to be an agreed
fiction fot the first public point of entry.  It can be done - we are
making reasonable progress in the consensus (dictionary ) Australian
Plant Census.

jim

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 8:20 AM, Michael Heads <michael.heads at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Dear Jim and others,
>
> Who are these people and why should we encourage a 'definitive' list?
> Definitive = decisive, unconditional, final, most authoritative. (Concise Oxford).
> A definitive view or position would seem to be the antithesis of science.
>
>
> Michael Heads
> Wellington, New Zealand.
>
> My papers on biogeography are at: http://tiny.cc/RiUE0
>
>
>
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-- 
_________________
Jim Croft ~ jim.croft at gmail.com ~ +61-2-62509499 ~
http://www.google.com/profiles/jim.croft

"Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality."
- Joseph Conrad, author (1857-1924)

"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said,
but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 - attributed to Robert McCloskey, US State Department spokesman