[Taxacom] Read... and believe...

[Roger Hyam]

Thank you everyone for your interest in my blog and thanks Jim for  
posting it to the list.

I didn't announce the blog to Taxacom myself as I thought it might  
provoke a "response".

Here is the link to the post in case you have not followed this thread  
from the start.

http://www.hyam.net/blog/archives/598 "Nomenclature is Dead! Long Live  
Barcode Taxa!"

I'll not respond to everyone in detail - I think most of the issues  
have been covered before in numerous places. You could try this  
posting (which I think may address Tony's points ) if you really must  
read more and haven't read it already:

http://www.hyam.net/blog/archives/526 "Taxa, Taxon Names and Globally  
Unique Identifiers in Perspective"

A world without taxon concepts also lacks synonymy.

If, for example, A is considered a synonym of B does that mean that we  
can treat everything that has ever been labelled A as if it had been  
labelled B? Most taxonomists will answer this question with "That  
depends".

My contention is that if it depends on some ones opinion then it can't  
be *reproduced* in the future when that person is dead. It can only be  
approximated to. Which is fine but let us be honest about it.

I will really cherish Richard Petit's "truly pathetic piece of  
verbiage" comment. I love it.  It beats the "somewhat obscure" that  
was my previous favourite - from a tutor some 20 years ago.

The fun bit is that people don't respond to "pathetic verbiage", they  
tend to ignore it or laugh. I suspect, therefore, that I touch a nerve  
with my comments - which was my evil intention.

I have updated that strapline on my blog to “truly pathetic verbiage”  
is honour of this.

Compassion,

Roger