[Taxacom] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

[Robin Leech]

In BC and Alberta, there are professional biologist organizations
(P.Biol. in Alberta, R.P.Bio. in BC) where there are now attempts
to establish agreed-upon standards of biological practice, ethics,
etc.

We BC and Alta biologists are helping the biologists in Manitoba
and Saskatchewan to form their own professional regulatory
organizations (PROs) for biologists and biology.  The biologists
in MB and SK are working with the agrologists (P.Ag.) and the
foresters (R.P.For.) to form one larger PRO.  The professional
status is being demanded by both industry and govts.

Our two largest provinces, Quebec and Ontario, do not have
PROs for biologists, yet this is where they are much needed.

Robin Leech, P.Biol.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul van Rijckevorsel" <dipteryx at freeler.nl>
To: <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter


> From: "Robin Leech" <releech at telus.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 3:13 PM
>
>> If you have a problem, and you give it to 10 engineers to solve, they
>> will forego their differences, work together and give you the answer.
>
> ***
> Not so sure about this. If that were true, why are there so many fields
> where there are no agreed-upon standards: there are plenty of web
> browsers, and every new one is a surprise in what it supports and does
> not support. Same with formats for visual media, etc. Governments are
> stepping in to force standardization, to prevent enormous wastage and
> confusion, as the EU does in the case of portable telephones. Yet
> engineers not conforming to standards have no lack of funding
> (or of customers).
>
> Biologists have long since put together Codes of nomenclature that operate
> worldwide, although the subject is a lot more finicky than building an
> web browser.
>
> (Which is not to say there are no fractious biologists, but this may just 
> be
> a personal character flaw, or an attempt to live up to the reputation that
> biologists are supposed to be fractious)
>
> Paul
>
>
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