Cladists can’t change facts, but can just confuse concepts
A single process, eg, a phylogeny, consists of at least two consecutive patterns, ie, biological species, that is, an ancestor and a descendant. How on earth can then cladistics claim that a single pattern, like a single True Tree of Life, consistently equals a single process, like The Phylogeny of Life? How on earth can it turn “a single” (pattern) consistently into “at least two” (consecutive patterns)? What is the missing link in this transformation?
No, the truth is, of course, that it can’t. It can only confuse pattern with process and thus create the impression that it can. Fact remains that pattern is distinct (actually orthogonal) to process in spite of cladists’ mental short circuit (ie, confusion) of the concepts pattern and process. Cladists can’t change facts, but can just confuse concepts.
Fact is that there isn’t any single True Tree of Life, but just a single True Phylogeny of Life. Unfortunately this single True Phylogeny of Life can’t be described as a single True Tree of Life, because a process can’t equal a pattern, since they are orthogonal (ie, diametrically opposed).
Another contribution to understanding of conceptualization http://menvall.wordpress.com/
2012-09-20 10:20:49
Source: http://menvall.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/cladists-cant-change-facts-but-can-just-confuse-concepts/
Source:
