[Taxacom] Drosophila melanogaster name change? [name is opinion]

[Erik Rijkers]

On Thu, April 15, 2010 23:36, Roderic Page wrote:

> Is it just me, or will the real lesson be that identifiers (e.g.,
> taxonomic names) that are designed to convey information on
> relationships (i.e., to which genus a species belongs) are
> fundamentally a very bad idea if our idea of relationship can change.
>

This is why taxonomy database-builders should realize that,
with names, they are storing *opinions*, and not parts of
the ultimate natural system or classification. (It will not
be the ultimate system.)

I think this is too often overlooked.


Names are opinions aspiring to be fact.


regards,


Erik Rijkers