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ONTOGENY AND PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS
Author(s) -
KLUGE ARNOLD G.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
cladistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.323
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1096-0031
pISSN - 0748-3007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1096-0031.1985.tb00408.x
Subject(s) - neoteny , ontogeny , biology , hierarchy , phylogenetic tree , character (mathematics) , systematics , evolutionary biology , outgroup , transformation (genetics) , genealogy , zoology , epistemology , paleontology , taxonomy (biology) , history , philosophy , mathematics , genetics , gene , geometry , economics , market economy
— Dedifferentiation, paedomorphosis, and the insertion and deletion of developmental stages make it impossible to deduce the genealogical hierarchy from only ontogenetic transformation series. Like the outgroup criterion, ontogenetic character precedence is not theory‐neutral and to use it to deduce genealogy requires certain assumptions. If scientists are going to use logically unbeatable theories about the world, they might as well give up natural science and take up religion (Lewontin, 1972: 181).