[Taxacom] New molecular propaganda on primate systematics

[Richard Zander]

Both molecular and morphological results are true facts being present-day results of evolution through time. Phylogenetics asks: Which fact is actually untrue, or irrelevant, or can be shamed away by the overwhelming accuracy of the other fact.

My recent demonstration using Bayes' formula is for if you demand that one or the other result is wrong, and each has a certain probability of being right. Use the probability of one result being wrong as the prior for the probability of the other result being right, then the posterior is simply not good enough for either result. BUT if you reconcile both with theory, both facts are acceptable. 

There is no battle between acceptance of morphological or molecular results. The battle is between classification using evolutionary theory or classification that ignores important facts and is therefore intellectually limited. 

 
* * * * * * * * * * * * 
Richard H. Zander 
Missouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA 
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/ and http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Modern Evolutionary Systematics Web site: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/21EvSy.htm



-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Jim Croft
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 8:32 PM
To: Richard Jensen
Cc: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New molecular propaganda on primate systematics

Isn't that the entire premise and plot of "The X-Files"?  Yes, 'the
truth is out there' and yes, 'I want to believe'.

The problem of Taxacom is that there are too many Mulders - it's not a
safe place for a Scully kinda guy...

Trust no-one...  ;)

jim

On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 12:44 AM, Richard Jensen <rjensen at saintmarys.edu> wrote:
> This reminds me of a response to the question of conflict between
> religion and science: there can be no conflict because both are seeking
> the same "truth".  As a parallel thought, morphology and molecules
> cannot be in conflict because both are seeking the same answer.

_________________
Jim Croft ~ jim.croft at gmail.com ~ +61-2-62509499 ~ http://about.me/jrc
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of doubtful sanity.'
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