Message 2004-02-0006: Re: a comment on ancestor

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:57:56 +0100

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Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:57:56 +0100
From: David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>
To: PML <phylocode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Re: a comment on ancestor

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  It occurs to me that all agree that inclusion of a new object into =
previously established classification would request re-running of =
cladistic analysis, otherwise it is impossible to decide to which =
particular taxon, as it is defined in the Phylocode, that object =
belongs. To me, it means that Phylocode pretends to regulate not only =
naming but also recognizing taxa: it is explicetly stated in the =
preamble and implicetly follows from presumed allocation procedure. Thus =
Phylocode becomes ideological instrument to supress all who disagree =
with cladistic principles.
Not quite. To classify an organism under the Phylocode is the same as =
allocating it to a clade, so one has to have an idea of its position in =
the tree of life. But how one finds that out -- by means of cladistics =
or not -- is in reality not relevant. It does seem that all supporters =
of phylogenetic nomenclature are also cladists, but there is no inherent =
reason for why this should be so.

(Except that cladistics is the only method to find out a phylogeny. What =
has been done before was not methodical.)
  Whatever might be an assessement of the Phylocode_as_ideology, it =
occurs to me that more explicit and precize formulation of such terms =
definition, recognition, diagnosis, identification, allocation, and =
several relevant others (maybe ancestor etc) would be desirable to =
provide in the vocabulary.
Certainly can't do damage. :-)=

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  <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Cyr" size=3D2>It occurs to me that all agree =
that=20
  inclusion of a new object into previously established classification =
would=20
  request re-running of cladistic analysis, otherwise it is impossible =
to decide=20
  to which particular taxon, as it is defined in the Phylocode, that =
object=20
  belongs. To me, it means that Phylocode pretends to regulate not only =
naming=20
  but also recognizing taxa: it is explicetly stated in the preamble and =

  implicetly follows from presumed allocation procedure. Thus Phylocode =
becomes=20
  ideological instrument to supress all who disagree with cladistic=20
  principles.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3D"Arial CYR" size=3D2>Not quite. To classify =
an organism=20
under the Phylocode is the same as allocating it to a clade, so&nbsp;one =
has to=20
have an idea of its position in the tree of life. But how one finds that =
out --=20
by means of cladistics or not -- is in reality not relevant. It does =
seem that=20
all supporters of phylogenetic nomenclature are also cladists, but there =
is no=20
inherent reason for why this should be so.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3D"Arial CYR" size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3D"Arial CYR" size=3D2>(Except that cladistics =
is the only=20
<STRONG>method</STRONG> to find out a phylogeny. What has been done =
before was=20
not methodical.)</FONT></DIV>
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style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Cyr" size=3D2>Whatever might be an =
assessement of the=20
  Phylocode_as_ideology, it occurs to me that more explicit and precize=20
  formulation of such terms definition, recognition, diagnosis, =
identification,=20
  allocation, and several relevant others (maybe ancestor etc) would be=20
  desirable to provide in the vocabulary.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3D"Arial CYR" size=3D2>Certainly can't do =
damage.=20
:-)</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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