Open AccessThe logical priority of the tree over characters and some of its consequences for taxonomy
Author(s) -
HÄRLIN MIKAEL
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1999.tb01185.x
Subject(s) - biology , phylogenetic tree , congruence (geometry) , clade , taxonomy (biology) , systematics , character (mathematics) , evolutionary biology , cladistics , tree (set theory) , phylogenetics , genealogy , epistemology , ecology , social psychology , genetics , history , psychology , mathematics , philosophy , geometry , gene , mathematical analysis
The aim of the present paper is to explore the role of the character in phylogenetic systematics. I argue that too much emphasis is put on particular characters rather than congruence both in the choice of phylogenetic hypotheses and in taxonomic decisions. This means that the logical priority of the tree over the characters is neglected. To a large extent, this is a result of not paying enough attention to the individuality thesis which states that clades are historical individuals and hence contingent in nature.