Homo habilis is an invalid taxon
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Claim
Homo habilis is an invalid taxon. It is a "taxonomic waste bin" in which several different types have been placed.
Source
- Lubenow, Marvin L., 1992. Bones of Contention: a Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils. Baker Book House. Grand Rapids MI.
- Taylor, Paul S., 1995. Is there really evidence that man descended from apes?. ChristianAnswers.net [1]
Response
- Aside from a dispute as to whether the species belongs in the Homo or Australopithecus genera, there is no significant dispute about the species at all. There is certainly no great dispute over the very validity of the taxon. This is apparently a completely baseless claim by Lubenow and Taylor. There seems to be nothing in the biological community to support it, and so I am forced to wonder what orifice Lubenow and Taylor pulled it out of...
- Even if you assume the claim is true, this says nothing about the validity of other taxa, or of the taxonomic system in general, or of evolution in general.
- To contest the identities of some of the habilis remains requires one to claim that they could be an intermediary form between H. habilis and H. erectus. This is a uniquely bad possibility to raise for creationists, since they generally adhere to the claim that there's no such thing as intermediary forms. In short, one must admit the validity of evolution to dispute these species. The remains are most certainly not of any still-living species.
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External Links
- Foley, Jim, 2003. Homo habilis: is it an invalid taxon? [2]
