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

John Grehan calabar.john at gmail.com
Sun Jul 12 09:04:48 CDT 2015 

There is a difference between 'scientifically persuasive' and 'persuasive'.
Often the two might match, but not necessarily . This could get circular if
a 'scientifically persuasive' case is defined as one that is accepted (and
then by how many - a majority of one?). Hence, Galileo did not provide a
persuasive case by definition. Neither did McClintock. Science has no
necessary link to acceptance and history has shown this time and again how
acceptance can lag behind the science - that at one time the same
information is not persuasive at another time is persuasive. It was
obviously persuasive to the original proponent.

John Grehan

On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 1:17 AM, Karen Wilson <
Karen.Wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au> wrote:

> 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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> views of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
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> PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE PRINTING THIS EMAIL
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