This was really Andrew's message not mine, but I think it's still a good
analogy.
(See how hard it is to even decide colours!)  Good thing that isn't our mission
in life.

ferreter wrote:

> Nora, you wrote " A favorite example of this kind of problem is to point out
> that we have words for "blue" and "green", but no two people agree on
> exactly where blue stops and green begins."
>
> this is an easy question , blue stops when you add yellow. next , ferret
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew K. Rindsberg <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Monday, September 27, 1999 8:23 PM
> Subject: Re: Bristlecone Pine and fossil shells
>
> >Nora,
> >
> >I thought your question was quite a good one, but meant to say that nature
> >doesn't always cooperate with our own, very human categories and ideas. In
> >particular, language does not always match reality very well, so we can ask
> >a precise, crisply worded question and be appalled by the vagueness of the
> >answer, yet learn something from the discussion. A favorite example of this
> >kind of problem is to point out that we have words for "blue" and "green",
> >but no two people agree on exactly where blue stops and green begins. This
> >doesn't mean that blue and green are meaningless concepts, however; most of
> >the time we have no difficulty in distinguishing them. Another perennial
> >question of this nature includes, "What is a species?"
> >
> >Yes, the word "species" is applied differently for fossils than for modern
> >organisms, because the fossils are incomplete and generally lack soft
> >parts, DNA, pigment, etc. (Think of all those cones and cowries that are
> >distinguished largely on the basis of color!) The word "species" is still
> >meaningful for fossils, because it is applied consistently; species of
> >fossil mollusks are based on the shape, internal structure, and composition
> >of the shell. We only get into trouble when we slip and try to use modern
> >and fossil species in the same database interchangeably, without making
> >allowances for the differences. And actually, the differences between
> >fossil species and modern species are not as great for the Mollusca as they
> >are for some other groups of animals, so we're not in as bad a shape as all
> >that. We paleontologists endeavor to persevere.
> >
> >Andrew K. Rindsberg
> >Geological Survey of Alabama
> >