pnrjulius comments on Beware of Stephen J. Gould - Less Wrong

27 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 06 November 2007 05:22AM

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Comment author: pnrjulius 29 May 2012 04:03:43AM 3 points [-]

Biologists typically talk of chordates, arthropods, molluscs, annelids, nematodes, rotifers, etc. individually; I still suspect there is some anthropocentric bias in our taxonomy (are we really different enough from chimps to justify a separate genus?), but far less than there is in the general population.

Amusing example: At the Creation Museum, they have a chart of their taxonomy (as opposed to the standard biological taxonomy). It lists "man" as a separate category distinct from everything else, but then it ties together with a common ancestry groups as diverse as "dinosaurs", "insects", and (my personal favorite) "fungi". So the entire domain of fungi, from yeast to mushrooms, is allowed to have a common ancestor; but God forbid anyone suggest that humans and chimps are related.

Comment author: arundelo 31 May 2012 02:48:21AM *  1 point [-]

(are we really different enough from chimps to justify a separate genus?)

I think there's a good argument that we are. (But I do not actually advocate a terminological change and am happy to let the biologists cut reality along whatever joints are convenient for them.)

Edit: By "terminological change" I mean the one suggested in the linked quote.