Cladistics and facts (and Magnus Lidén)
Cladistics is nothing but pure old Aristotelian esentialism, claiming (actually defining) that every single organism unambiguously is a set of essences. This approach also composes the fundament for the so-called “scientific” racism that flourished during the end of the 19-th and the beginning of the 20-th century, reaching its height in nazism, measuring sculls and such things, to “reveal” which essences single humans belong to.
The problem with this approach is that it is inconsistent, ie, contradictory, as already the ancient Greeks understood and Bertrand Russell also showed with Russell’s paradox in 1901. It simply does not break even. The ancient Greeks instead arrived to Plato’s theory of forms, which is the only both consistent and rational approach that has been suggested, and which the Linnean systematics rests on.
The fundamental problem is that our conceptualization of reality partitions it into three different, but orthogonal, kinds: (1) objects, (2) infinite classes (ie, types) and (3) finite classes (ie, categories), that is, an orthogonal triplet, whereas our partitioning of conceptualization into reality and what we percieve are only two places. The fundamental problem is thus that we have to allocate three different, but orthogonal, kinds, that is, an orthogonal triplet, into two different places, which is impossible. Whichever way we allocate this orthogonal triplet, we will confuse two of the kinds.
Plato found the consistent solution of this problem by erecting a third “reality”, harboring the infinite kinds (ie, types, or “essences” of Aristotle), whereof the reality we observe is just a shadow-casting. His solution thus resided in partitioning the places into three (ie, two realities and our perception of one of them). This solution is called Plato’s theory of forms and composes the fundament for science (including the Linnean systematics).
Interestingly, Plato’s “theory of forms” is the first application of the approach that in today’s computer programming is called OOP (Object-Oriented Programming), wherein the extra reality Plato added corresponds to the library for objects. This fact is not a coincidence, but a consequence of the fact that computer programming has to be consistent. We (humans) can confuse anything without necessarily suffer any negative consequences of it, but instead it can, on the contrary, even lead us to fame and fortune. Computer programming, however, can’t confuse any two concepts without being caught in an infinite recursion, ie, infinite loop, forcing us that run the program to rebooting. Computer programming has to be consistent, and Plato’s theory of forms was the first approach in conceptualization that was consistent. Aristotle understood conceptualization itself, but didn’t understand that the three orthogonal kinds in conceptualiation (ie, the orthogonal triplet) can’t be consistently allocated to just two places (ie, reality and our perception of it).
Plato thus found the consistent solution of the fundamental problem. Plato’s solution does not, however, “solve” “the problem” that these kinds and these places are different, that is, that none of them can be “the same”. This “problem” is not actually a problem, but a fact. It is just comprehended as a problem by humans who erroneously believe that every entity unambiguously is a set of essences. These humans (eg, cladists) do thus actually have a problem in not acknowldeging facts, but instead comprehending facts as a problem. They simply refuse to acknowledge the fact that “scientific” racism is inconsistent (ie, contradictory), but instead claim, actually define, that it is consistent. Their problem is thus that what they claim (actually define) is contradicted by facts. Their claim (actually definition) is not consistent, but inconsistent.
Worst of all cladists after Willi Hennig was first Gareth Nelson and Steve Farris, then Malte Ebach, and today appears to be Magnus Lidén. Magnus Lidén is thus today’s predominant proponent of “scientific” racism. I thus announce myself prepared to discuss this issue with Magnus anywhere and anytime. I promise that I will melt down his cladistic mumbo-jumbo arguments into the fundamental contradiction with facts that they actually pose, thus leaving the cliff-hanger whether his arguments or facts are facts. (It is then up to the spectators to decide whether Magnus’ arguments or facts are facts).
I at the same time predict that Magnus will abandon these cladistic ideas before the end of 2013.
Another contribution to understanding of conceptualization http://menvall.wordpress.com/
2012-10-01 06:21:18
Source: http://menvall.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/cladistics-and-facts-and-magnus-liden/
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