If “Rhodes‐” must fall, who shall fall next?

Abstract

AbstractSmith and Figueiredo, in their recent articles, raised important issues of getting rid of colonial legacy in botanical nomenclature. Some other politically motivated claims and proposals to amend theInternational Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants(ICN) have also been published or discussed by some other authors. In particular, Smith and Figueiredo expressed their opinion that “a proposal to amend to theCode, replacing epithets with the root ‘rhodes‐’, where Cecil John Rhodes, or any landmark named for him is commemorated, should be considered”. However, Rhodes is not the only controversial person whose name is currently associated with names of taxa. Here I consider several other cases of people of the past who were or are also sometimes treated, at least by some, as racists, colonialists, imperialists, war criminals, etc. Also, I discuss, in the context of Art. 51 of theICN, a more general issue of names and epithets that are or may be considered offensive, inappropriate, or unacceptable by some people or groups of people. The nomenclature of organisms governed by nomenclatural codes is the crucially important tool in taxonomy and all sciences and fields of activity relying on or referring to it. Nomenclature also reflects the rich and fascinating history of scientific exploration of the living world. That history contains some unpleasant or even tragic events, episodes and periods, and not all people commemorated in names of organisms were free of sins by our modern standards. Science cannot and should not, however, employ politically motivated censorship and totalitarian cleansing of scientific history, and of the biological nomenclature that reflects that history. Nomenclature of plants, algae, and fungi shall not be transformed into a battleground for politically motivated campaigns. Only some exceptions are possible, but they should be dealt with the proper respect to theCodeand to the centuries of taxonomic and nomenclatural traditions.