David Wright forwarded his comments from tweeters:

>But when there are divergent hypotheses about the status of a population
>as a "species" or "subspecies," or whether vultures are more closely
>related to storks or to hawks, then there isn't a "current standard."
>*Choosing* hypotheses via committee and making them de facto standards,
>thus excusing the majority of ornithologists from the chore of "keeping
>up with taxonomy," and giving them the blessing of the AOU to ignore
>alternatives, does not serve science, it serves convenience (and as Dennis
>noted, this committee approach is apparently unique to ornithology).
>Scientific societies should not be in the business of endorsing
>hypotheses with the equivalent of a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval."
>Re Dennis's question as to a better way of doing it, I'd say the less
>convenient, but more honest way everyone else does it -- by leaving
>disagreement over systematic hypotheses in full view.


Yes, except I would have said that in fact only the really interested
systematists are served by having that disagreement in full view, as I
suspect the great majority of herpetologists, mammalogists, etc., as well
as ornithologists, would much rather have a uniform nomenclature for that
very convenience we cite. And, because of that, I suspect they are quite
satisfied that there are at least quasi-official lists of North American
herps, fishes, mammals, butterflies, etc.

However, I think there is a real qualitative difference between the
systematic hypotheses that names constitute and alternative hypotheses in
other fields of biology, say to explain mussel distribution or sandpiper
behavior. The fact that the *names* of the animals are such a basic part
of *communication* makes me opine that even though, yes, they are
hypotheses, we may have to treat them a little differently from the many
other hypotheses of science.

Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416