Abstract
The problem of how to apply the species concept to fossils is not new (see, e.g., Trueman, 1924; Simpson, 1943, 1951; Sylvester-Bradley, 1956; Imbrie, 1957), nor has it been resolved. Despite heated debate and voluminous literature on the subject, a consensus seems more elusive today than several decades ago. Part of the reason for this discord may be the varied approaches, philosophies, and perspectives—some of which have led to new views on the nature of species—of participants in the debate, as well as different systematic objectives and questions being asked. Theoreticians, historians, and philosophers of science have joined paleontologists and neontologists in contributing to the debate. As will be seen, theoretical arguments often conflict with more operational approaches offered by paleontologists working with real specimens.
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Rose, K.D., Bown, T.M. (1993). Species Concepts and Species Recognition in Eocene Primates. In: Kimbel, W.H., Martin, L.B. (eds) Species, Species Concepts and Primate Evolution. Advances in Primatology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3745-2_12
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