[Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms"

Sun Jul 12 00:17:01 CDT 2015

My apologies if you interpreted what I wrote as a personal slight, Stephen. It was intended as a general statement.

And there is persuasion present in science generally: unless a researcher presents a (scientifically) persuasive case for his/her hypothesis there is little chance of it being accepted. Mind you, that hasn't always helped: Galileo had to wait a long time for acceptance.

Anyway, back to your scale insect for you and back to my sedge specimens for me.

Karen W
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Karen L. Wilson AM
Senior Research Scientist, National Herbarium of New South Wales

Adjunct Associate Professor, University of New England, Armidale, NSW  
Secretary, General Committee, International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants    

Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands
T +61 (02) 9231 8137 | E karen.wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Thorpe [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz] 
Sent: Sunday, 12 July 2015 3:07 PM
To: Wilson Karen
Cc: Taxacom
Subject: RE: [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms"

That can be read to imply that I have whacky views on the relationships of taxa, which I don't. What you said does however highlight that ultimately it is more about "persuasion" than about "science". When politics enters the picture, it can be hard to distinguish between "consensus" and "mob rule". Anyway, I have more urgent matters to attend to, like trying to ID a scale insect I have just discovered all over planted kauri trees in downtown Auckland (see http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/1747260) - I can find nothing relating to such scale insects on kauri (and CoL is unlikely to be of any help!)

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 12/7/15, Karen Wilson <Karen.Wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au> wrote:

 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms"
 To: "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 Cc: "Taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Sunday, 12 July, 2015, 4:57 PM

 It certainly wasn't
 so when I was involved with the CoL some years ago, Stephen,  and I don't expect it has changed.
 The
 only caveat is, as Rich said, that this is a consensus (or  rather, majority) view and therefore any researcher with  hypotheses on taxon relationships widely different from most  other workers in that particular field would have to  persuade people that his/her hypothesis/view is more  explanatory /believable and, most importantly, useful in  this context than that/those of the other workers

 Karen W

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Karen L. Wilson AM
 Senior
 Research Scientist, National Herbarium of New South Wales

 Adjunct Associate Professor,
 University of New England, Armidale, NSW  Secretary, General Committee, International  Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants    

 Botanic Gardens &
 Centennial Parklands
 T +61 (02) 9231 8137 |
 E karen.wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
 Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs  Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

 -----Original Message-----
 From: Stephen Thorpe [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]

 Sent: Sunday, 12 July 2015 1:41 PM
 To: Richard Jensen; Wilson Karen
 Cc: Taxacom
 Subject: Re:
 [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level  Classification of All Living Organisms"

 >you could help to improve
 future versions by getting involved with the  >project and contributing your  expertise<

 I think it is
 by "invitation only" ...

 --------------------------------------------
 On Sun, 12/7/15, Karen Wilson <Karen.Wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au>
 wrote:

  Subject: Re:
 [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level  Classification of All Living Organisms"
  To: "Richard Jensen" <rjensen at saintmarys.edu>
  Cc: "Taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
  Received: Sunday, 12 July, 2015, 3:02 PM

  Exactly, Dick.  This is
 intended
  as a pragmatic way to arrange/link
 information about all  organisms so that the information  can be made available  electronically, no more nor less  than that.

  It is
 unrealistic to think that such a classification can  reflect all of the most up-to-date research findings - or  that it can be changed very frequently, given the  intellectual and keyboard effort needed to make such  changes  carefully to avoid losing links to the  information.

 Congratulations to my former colleagues at Species 2000  and  ITIS for producing this updated classification for  the  Catalogue of Life (and for use by any other digital  system  that needs one).

 For those picking holes in certain areas of it: you could  help to improve future versions by getting involved with  the  project and contributing your expertise.
  Just a thought.

  Karen Wilson

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________
  Karen L. Wilson AM
  Senior
 Research Scientist, National Herbarium of New South  Wales

  Adjunct Associate
 Professor, University of New England,  Armidale, NSW  Secretary, General Committee, International Code of  Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants    

  Botanic Gardens &
 Centennial Parklands
  T +61 (02) 9231 8137 |
 E karen.wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
 Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries  Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

  -----Original Message-----

 From: Taxacom [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu]
  On Behalf Of Richard Jensen

 Sent: Saturday, 11 July 2015 11:57 PM
  To:
 Stephen Thorpe
  Cc: Taxacom

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A  Higher  Level Classification of All Living  Organisms"

  Hi
 all,

  ... Based on what
 I've read here, the new classification  attempts to  provide a useful consensus.

  Cheers,

 Dick J

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