This book examines the relationship between classification and evolutionary theory, with reference to the competing schools of taxonomic thinking. Emphasis is placed on one of these schools, the transformed cladists, who have attempted to reject all evolutionary thinking in classification and to cast doubt on evolution in general. The author examines the limits to this line of thought from a philosophical and methodological perspective rather than from a biological viewpoint. He concludes that transformed cladistics does not achieve what it claims and that it either implicity assumes a Platonic World View, or is unintelligible without taking into account evolutionary processes - the very processes it claims to reject. Through this analysis the author attempts to formulate criteria, of an objective and consistent nature, that can be used to judge competing methodologies and theories without resorting to any particular theoretical standpoint for justification. Philosophers of science, zoologists interested in taxonomy and evolutionary biologists will find this a compelling study of an area of biological thought that has been attracting a great deal of attention.
By:
N. R. Scott-Ram Imprint: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 151mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 391g ISBN:9780521055130 ISBN 10: 052105513X Pages: 252 Publication Date:20 March 2008 Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Reviews for Transformed Cladistics, Taxonomy and Evolution
"""...the present book is by far the most rigorous available, and its criticisms are much more pointed and direct. In particular, the critique of transformed cladism goes well beyond the usual rather bland remarks..."" Geological Magazine"