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Biological Classification - Organizing Organisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2017

Claus Hedegaard
Claus Hedegaard*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biology, Department of Population Biology, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, Bldg. 550, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Extract

This is a personal, guided tour of biological classification, not a quick-and-dirty manual, nor a comprehensive account of the history of systematic biology. This a reflection on why and how we classify extinct and extant organisms. I wish to explore alternative views of hierarchy, permanence and delineation of categories, and the use of data. I hope to convince you that biological classifications are necessary tools, but also strong ideological statements. The prevailing approach to classification at any time reflects distinct views on nature, how it is organized, and how you use information.

Type
Organizing the Data
Information
The Paleontological Society Special Publications , Volume 9: Evolution: Investigating the Evidence , 1999 , pp. 77 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 by The Paleontological Society 

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