Changes to scientific names due to potentially offensive language are real now, as the International Botanical Congress voted to change the names of more than 200 species: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/botanists-vote-to-remove-racial-slur-from-hundreds-of-plant-species-names-180984762/

It would seem that if there were never intent to harm, that a minimal expectation of grace might be appropriate… at least in some cases. It’s hard to know without concrete examples.

I think it’s possible to discuss the broad topic of decisions to change scientific names for the reasons the IBC did it without delving into the specific words, their uses, and history. This isn’t an forum about etymology, it’s about nature. The article linked to in the OP explains why the IBC found…

Like many topics on the forum, this one has been discussed at length. There was a similar thread where Vasily posted a helpful list of similar topics: [image] Native names and Scientific names Scientific and common names have their problems, as shown in some previous topics: Scientific name Vs…

[image] tiwane: I don’t think anyone here was using it pejoratively iNat has the advantage of @jeanphilippeb and I to tell ‘you over there’ about our lived experience of this word. You told me in a previous round of this discussion that I am not allowed to use the N word, even to make the po…

[image] stockslager: It would seem that if there were never intent to harm, that a minimal expectation of grace might be appropriate… at least in some cases. It’s hard to know without concrete examples. I don’t think that’s quite what’s being discussed. The names are being changed (or recomme…

[image] taylorse: It’s expected in science that some of the things we thought and did will eventually turn out to be wrong. These names are being judged wrong not for any scientific reason but because they are offensive.

I like this change, although I recognize it’ll cause a certain amount of disruption in documentation. Besides the obvious issue of human discomfort about certain names, there have been a number of studies showing how the name of a species has an outsized impact on conservation efforts. Organisms sa…

[image] graysquirrel: There’s no ironclad guarantee that whatever names we apply now won’t have offensive connotations in the future This phenomenon is sometimes called the euphemism treadmill . While “the euphemism treadmill” creates its own challenges, there are some good things about it. I…

[image] tiwane: I think it’s possible to discuss the broad topic of decisions to change scientific names for the reasons the IBC did it without delving into the specific words, their uses, and history. The biggest implication of all this is that it requires modifying the rule of precedence – …

That’s why they explain they just do it as a spelling correction. At the time of first publication, they didn’t check the spelling?..

Scientific Name Changes - They're Real Now

Nature Talk

jnstuart July 27, 2024, 5:46pm 26

These names are being judged wrong not for any scientific reason but because they are offensive.

Topic		Replies	Views
Offensive scientific names Nature Talk	212	9446	October 11, 2022
Managing offensive common names Curators	49	12246	May 19, 2020
New Common Names For Species: Policy Change? General	84	8056	November 2, 2022
Name Changes for Plant Taxa Nature Talk	17	1930	September 8, 2022
New Names for old friends. How much to cut and how much to paste Nature Talk	20	946	July 9, 2022

Scientific Name Changes - They're Real Now

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