eFTC-190701

Traditional Linnaean Synthetic Systematics and Cladistics in Paleontology
11 July 2019

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Abstract

I discuss the important flaws of Cladistics as a fundamental phylogenetic classification scheme of living and extinct organisms. Occurances of causality violation in cladograms as well as breakdowns of the principle of maximum parsimony in certain evolutionary networks are emphasized. Although widely adopted, Cladistics should not be considered an acceptable classification scheme in Paleontology. Cladistic statistical tests should only serve as convenient tools, on equal footing with phenetic or maximum likelihood tests, in the task of helping Paleontologists and Biologists to relate different species of organisms. Paleontology must revert to traditional Linnaean Synthetic Systematics.

Copyright © 2019 Yvan Leblanc. All rights reserved

Cite as: Leblanc, Y., "Traditional Linnaean Synthetic Systematics and Cladistics in Paleontology", manuscript no. eFTC-190401 (2019). http://www.efieldtheory.com/abs/?eFTC-190701; doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.32773.91365.