Abstract
In this paper I review the principles for forming biological classifications and summarize recent findings concerning optimality criteria for classifications. Natural taxa are recognized as polythetic and related to concept formation in cognitive psychology. The three currently advocated schools of taxonomy are reviewed and their assumptions and purposes compared. Three criteria of optimality-predictive value, stability, and fit to the true cladistic relationship-are discussed, and evidence from recent numerical taxonomic studies of these criteria is reviewed. Numerical classifications based on phenetic and cladistic computer programs differ in their taxonomic stability and fit to the true cladogram. There is no universally superior approach, but the relative advantage of phenetic versus cladistic algorithms is a function of the ratio of characters to OTU's in the data. Accuracy of cladogram estimation is also affected by tree topology.
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