Taxonomic 'Jargon'

[Barry M. OConnor]

At 3:49 PM +0100 11/6/02, Michael Schmitt wrote:

>Maybe it is worth discussing the widely used terms "primitive"/"low" and
>"advanced"/"high" as applied to taxa...

I'm sure "lower & higher" are concious or unconcious references to
Aristotle's "Great chain of being."  The view that Everything from rocks to
gods could be ordered in a linear series is still reflected in such terms,
as well as in social terms such as "lower class." - Barry

Barry M. OConnor
Curator & Professor             phone: (734) 763-4354
Museum of Zoology               FAX: (734) 763-4080
University of Michigan          e-mail: bmoc at umich.edu
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