"Splitters" and "lumpers"

I done a degree in biology, innit, and it was like genecology and we done some taxonomy and stuff, and when we were on about classification and species Doctor Savage or Doctor Agnew, I don't know no more which one, talked about subjectivity in taxonomy - that is the splitters and the lumpers.

The splitters look at ... say ... thistles and teasles ... and say "Obviously not the same thing at all" which is of course true. The lumpers look and say "Boy - they're so similar!" which is also true.

I often think about splitters and lumpers. In the evangelical scene, I mean. So many things are what our colonial friends refer to as "a judgement call".

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