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From: wlp@calmasd.GE.COM (Walter L. Peterson, Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.ai,talk.philosophy.misc,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Categorization
Summary: Actually, it is easy...
Message-ID: <179@calmasd.GE.COM>
Date: 12 Jan 89 08:47:22 GMT
References: <681@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> <2959@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <965@husc6.harvard.edu>
Organization: GE-Calma, San Diego R & D,   Object and Data Management Group
Lines: 22

In article <965@husc6.harvard.edu>, reiter@babbage.harvard.edu (Ehud Reiter) writes:
> Steve Harnad writes:
> >I don't categorize a penguin as a bird "to a degree" -- it's a bird, all the
> >way, and I get it right every time...
> 
> Personally, the only reason *I* categorize a penguin as a bird is that I
> was taught this in school...
>

Actually, the categorization of penguins and all other birds is quite
easy.  Unlike most other taxonomic categories, biologist are in
agreement as to what creatures are members of the Class Aves.  All
animals that have feathers are birds and all birds have feathers.
This is not just a "cultural bias" nor is it an arbitrary rule.



-- 
Walt Peterson.  Prime - Calma San Diego R&D (Object and Data Management Group)
"The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those
Prime, Calma nor anyone else.
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