[Taxacom] Race and taxonomy

[Frank.Krell at dmns.org]

As a Commissioner, I agree that us zoo-nomenclators are brilliant since
race is not in our Code. However, if we look in Torre-Bueno's Glossary
of Entomology (I have the 1989 edition at hand), race is synonym to
subspecies. So I learned it, too (well, in Germany). It is not
infrasubspecific, but fortunately the term is rarely used in zoology.

Frank


Dr Frank T. Krell 
Curator of Entomology 
Editor, Systematic Entomology 
Commissioner, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 
Department of Zoology 
Denver Museum of Nature & Science 
2001 Colorado Boulevard 
Denver, CO 80205-5798 USA 
Frank.Krell at dmns.org 
Phone: (+1) (303) 370-8244 
Fax: (+1) (303) 331-6492 
http://www.dmns.org/main/en/General/Science/ScientificExperts/Biographie
s/krellFrank.htm 







-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Michael A. Ivie
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 5:06 PM
To: Thomas Lammers; TAXACOM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Race and taxonomy

Too many botanists in this discussion of animal taxonomy ("races" of 
Homo sapiens).  Just follow the Zoologists, forward thinking, brilliant 
people that we are, who don't recognize "race" at all in our 
nomenclature code.  We dropped that infrasubspecific trash eons ago.  We

can say that human populations vary in biological ways, but a Race is 
something for NASCAR fans.

Mike

Thomas Lammers wrote:
> Dick:
>
> I'm a Mayrian when it comes to these things, too, but I think you are
waging an unwinnable "tomato is a fruit" debate.  As WE define "race"
you are correct.   As the average person defines it, well, that's
another matter.  You really are dealing with homonyms here; the word
race doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does to them, just as
"fruit" doesn't mean the same thing to a structural botanist as it does
to a green grocer.
>
> You can argue this case from as purely an innocent academic
perspective as you want, but there are forces afoot who will have no
qualms about painting you as a fascist bigot and reactionary hatemonger.
There may even be those who feel the needthreaten you with personal
violence if they learn that you believe "race has a biological basis."

>
> We probably should just abandon the term as too semantically loaded
for general use and replace it with subspecies or prole or jordanon or
somesuch.  
>
> ---- Original Message -----
> From: Richard Jensen <rjensen at saintmarys.edu>
>
>   
>> I have become involved in an interesting discussion on my 
>> campus.  One 
>> of our faculty proposed a new course that included, in its 
>> statement of 
>> intent, the following clause:  "...race has no biological 
>> basis."  I 
>> took exception to this 
>>     
>
>
> Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.
>
> Associate Professor and Curator of the Herbarium
> Department of Biology and Microbiology
> University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
>
> http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
> http://www.kewbooks.com/asps/ShowDetails.asp?id=615
>
>
>
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>
>   

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