Evolution Is Not a Necessary Assumption of Cladistics
Andrew V.Z. Brower
Article first published online: 19 JUL 2005
DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2000.tb00351.x
Cladistics
Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 143–154, March 2000
Although the point has already been emphasized by various authors that the assumption of descent with modification is not required to justify cladistics, recent debate suggests that there is still confusion surrounding the necessary and sufficient background knowledge underlying the method. Three general axioms necessary to justify cladistics—the discoverability of characters, hierarchy, and parsimony—are reviewed. Although the assumption of evolution is sufficient to justify cladistics, it is also sufficient to justify competing approaches like maximum likelihood, which suggests that the philosophical support for the cladistic approach is strengthened by purging reference to descent with modification altogether.
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PERGUNTA CAUSTICANTE DESTE BLOGGER:
E agora, o que fazemos com tudo isso? A hipótese do ancestral comum não é assim uma Brastemp no pensamento evolucionário quando a questão é abordada pela cladística? Rapaz, isso não aparece nos livros-texto aprovados pelo MEC/SEMTEC/PNLEM... Por que, hein???
