[Taxacom] This week's paraphyly discussions

[dipteryx at freeler.nl]

Van: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu namens John Grehan
Verzonden: ma 20-12-2010 16:50

> I guess one might regard 'natural' and any grouping 
> that is accepted by an individual. 

***
Yes, in practice "natural" means "conforming to my own nature"
/ "conforming to my own views". That is, to a taxonomist usually 
the groups he accepts are 'natural', while those espoused by 
others are not. Cladists do not differ in this respect: 
their monophyletic / holophyletic groups are 'natural', while 
groups accepted by non-cladists are not worth considering. 
If there is a difference between cladists and non-cladists 
it will be a tendency to a lack of self-awareness in the former. 

Paul